How do you go about buying a car on the other side of the country?

Maybe I lead a blessed life, but of the many cars I purchased sight unseen (no physical visit), I never had an issue. Everything was pretty much as I was told. My one caveat is that I will not buy unless I can personally speak to the owner who is selling. My payment is always by Bank Draft in registered mail, not by courier. I make sure they know that the USPS does not like mail fraud and takes it very seriously. In regards to titles, the only way a vehicle title matters to me is that I need it to clear out of the USA. Importing into Canada, they could care less about the title except to make sure it has been cleared by US Customs. I do not need a title to register a car in Canada. The signed, original title must be in the car when it crosses the border. All I really want is a Bill of Sale, stating clearly what the terms of the deal are and how much I paid. As I understand it now, each vehicle must have an export number and the SIN of the US seller or its a no go. Only a US broker can supply a export number (cha ching$$). All in all, I've generally had no issues and with the always minor exceptions in details, the transactions have pulled off well, and I generally got what I thought I was paying for. I agree though, scams are definitely on the rise, and maybe I was just lucky over the years.