pitfalls of buying a vehicle from another country

[Andrew]

Hi all.
Im looking at purchasing something armour, and since most of the good stuff isn't in Canada, im looking outside. I know how to go about importing, but what should a guy do when looking to purchase something, and not being able to be at the spot to see and pay for it? Any tips. Hire an appraiser in the area to confirm its actually there?
Thanks for any tips