tangman, importing is not for everyone. It is full of surprises. Some good, most not good.
The way i see it, if you are into cars in a big way and have skills at Panel Beating, Spray Painting, Welding, and a lot of Mechanical knowledge, then pretty well any of the nasty surprises can be fixed.
On the other hand, if you have no skills as above and therefore have to pay somebody to work on your car it is going to be a very expensive proposition, which can break your heart and your wallet.
That nice looking Mustang that is offered for sale in the USA for only 10k could quite easily end up owing 40k by the time you have it registered and in your driveway.
So yes - the inexperienced should always buy local.
Rocket.