I agree with all that has been said so far. I purchased mine out of Texas, had the pre-purchase inspection done in Texas, had the previous owner send me all the logs that I then forwarded to a Minister delegate, he looked them over and indicated that it shouldn't be a problem to get it Registered here in Canada. In my case, the owner did want to get an export permit done, which turned out well for me because it turned out that there was an issue with the prop. He took care of that, we then de-registered the US N number, applied a Temp flight permit with a temp Canadian Registration to his 150. I then flew down to Texas and I flew it back here into Canada.
The biggest thing, make sure the engine wasn't a field overhaul. Canada doesn't accept that. In saying that, if you were to find a good deal on a 150/152 that had close to a run out engine,, You could get it overhauled here in Canada, "or in the US at an approved engine shop" and you'd be fine as well. Remember, when you hit the border, be prepared to open up your wallet and pay the applicable taxes. Mine had several stc's which didn't cause any problems during the import inspection.
The next 2 items aren't biggies, but they are quite important during the import inspection. Making sure all the applicable decals are attached, "go figure", and the 3 rd big item is to ensure there is good documentation leading to the current weight and balance. In retrospect for me,, rather then have a mechanic and a ministers delegate review your logs to ensure the W&B,, save yourself a few $$ and just get a current weight and balance done. It's not a difficult or expensive process to do a W&B.
I would NEVER suggest,, to buy a run out airplane,, get the "bill of sale in hand", head off to the nearest US overhaul shop,, get the engine overhauled, and add a few tidbits,, Then fly it across the border and hand over my bill of sale for the GST tax,, nope, I wouldn't suggest such a thing.
I should add, customs is an easy process. Call in advance, let them know that you are importing, land at the designated airport for customs,, have your credit card handy because they'll want the bill of sale to apply the appropriate taxes. In my case it took us a week to get from Texas to Vancouver,,"took a detour to L.A." and then up the West Coast into Vancouver. The reason for the detour,, other then just the tourist thing,, If you're in the US for 7 days,, and if there's 2 of you,, that portion that you're "allowed" to bring in, comes off the GST you have to pay. Hey, it paid for my expenses and fun on the side,, what can I say,,:)
