[bluejays]

So my 12 year old Civic's fuel and brake lines are rusting out and are probably on their last legs, so I'm looking at getting a possible used car in the States and bringing it back here. If there's a great deal to be had new, I'd be open to it as well. I know there are sites like riv.ca which detail the legal process, but I was wondering if anyone here has had any experience? Questions I had were:

Did you go the way of private sale or dealer sale?
New or Used?
Which States had the best tax situation?
How did you trust that what you seen in the pictures were what you got (if used) and that the body wasn't smoke and mirrors where the engine and such didn't have major problems?
How did you make payment considering the long process for certified cheques to be cleared? Possible physical cash?

I'm looking at spending about $15K and the cars I'm specifically are:
2009-2011 Honda Accord
2009-2011 Toyota Camry
2009-2011 Acura TL
2010-2011 Honda Element
2010-2012 Scion xB
2009-2011 Lexus IS250

So I guess the second part of my question is does anyone have these vehicles, and what are your impressions of them? I realize with the pricepoint I'm looking at it may be a little unrealistic to get a 2011, but I'm hoping for some luck. I like the styling of these cars and the reliability of them as well, but can really only afford one if bought in the States.

...more questions to come as I think of them.