Were those trucks krowned? My oldest vehicle on road here,  is my wife's 2004 Honda accord. You can't kill it. So far no paint has been done. Still looks good.  needs another timing belt soon though, it's a v6. This time might be worth just gambling since repair costs more than cars worth 😂. 

I have discussed the "Spray foam rockers" thing with a couple of mechanics and they each have their own opinion of whether that can pass a safety or not.   My last truck died died 2 years ago had spray foamed rockers and cab corners for its last 3-4 years of life and passed a commercial safety each of those years. The same mechanic would likely not pass it under the new rules though.   What happened to your buddy sucks. There will always be cheats.    

It's not worth his time to be distracted going after some shady used car dealer for a $5000 vehicle. He called them and tried to negotiate for parts but ended up hanging up in frustration due to a language barrier. No surprise. The van was intended for use by a family in need of transportation. Their current van that failed was be used for most of the parts needed and new rockers are on the way. The recipient is handy and thankful, but it's disgusting that people will take advantage of folks that cant afford much to begin with.  Another buddy donated his shop, hoist and time to swap everything over yesterday. We got it all done and cut the rockers out. They are supposed to be here today according to plans so it should ready for the cert on Monday. Had to pull parts with the other van suspended from the tractor . Sketchy. A couple cans of PB Blaster and some broken bolts but we got there.     

We used to run 300 to 400 km days 3 to 4 times per week. Even rode those miles with my 4 year old kid sitting up front. Once worked all night then rode 350 kms then went to work the next night. Had over 60k on a 4 stroke cat. These days, lucky if the trail is open locally when home and only get to ride when we vacation in the north. With that being said, If I am home we may like to tag along, most likely get a air bnb for a night where you are leaving from.

If your buddy knew that the certification was expired at the time of purchase then he purchased an uncertified vehicle.   Not sure what his recourse can be after buying a vehicle uncertified.