Registering a 911 in California

[SeaDweller]

Hi all,

I moved from the Palos Verdes area of California to Florida 3 years ago, and may be looking at another relocation back to southern California. My '78SC never had emmissions equipment, being a Euro model, so I'm not sure of the in's and out's of this process.

I've looked over the reg's, but I'm not clear on the requirements in my case. I know there's some kind of "loophole" for gray market cars, but I noticed that it has something to do with purchasing the car from the person who imported it, and that it had to be in a particular location for some defined period of time.

I'm probably not 100% accurate on this, so I was wondering if someone could give me the Readers Digest version. I know there are a lot of older SC's in California, so I'm hoping someone has already been through this process.

Any advice would be most appreciated!!

Thanks!

[rscupper]

I have no clue what Cal DMV will do and they probably don't know yet either. They can be pretty wacky. Catch the right person on a good day and you might get lucky, but....

I've have gotten some good information on such things as importing from AAA, aka Automobile Club of So. Cal. (never could figure how they get AAA out of that). Give them a try.

Good luck!

[Greg-slant/cab]

www.dmv.ca.gov

[bhaubold]

Michael,

I'm not sure about the smog issue, but I can tell you this. Two years ago I bought a BMW motorcycle in Oregon and registered it in CA. I spent three hours there and paid so many fees, I still don't know what half of them were.

One thing is, you have something like 10 or 15 days to get it done or face more fees (fines).

I would suggest you do your homework BEFORE going to the DMV. Those people in there can really make your day not a nice one.

Good luck,

[Doug Zielke]

Mike....I hope you like CATS...(as in Catalytic converters.)

[Clark Griswald]

Mike,

My advice is to sell that car in FL, then buy another when you get to SoCal.

You will need to smoggify it and it just isn't worth the trouble.

I did this to my '77. Had I known the cost and hassle I would have sold the car instead of moving it.

[Joe Bob]

If it was imported by an individual, it had to be "Federalized"....there should be some paperwork with the car. If it does not have a cat pipe and smog pump, it either was done and then removed or not done at all.....there were some problems back in the late 70s and early 80s on bogus shops doing BS upgrades.....

Either way, no way can you "legally" register it in CA.....

If it was 25 years old, it could qualify for Historical Vehicle plates, they do not smog check, but limit mileage.....

Probably better to sell it, get a new one here....

Mike Z
Smog Nazi

[makaio]

MikeZ,

What is this about Classic Car plates in California? My car will be 25 next year. Where can I find more info?

That would be soooooooooo sweet to not have to deal with the smog nazi's anymore, even if it does limit my mileage. I probably only do 4000-5000 a year in my car.

[Joe Bob]

If you are a AAA member give them a call, they do contract DMV work and they are lot nicer than the morons at DMV.

DMV does not advertise them, they are good for more than one year....certain criteria apply. Most States have some type of vintage, collectors or historical vehicle programs....

Z

[Wayne 962]

Here's a link:

http://www.lightner.net/ybdb/dmv.html

-Wayne

[makaio]

SSI's here I come!

[steve911]

There's a 20-day 'window' upon bringing a vehicle into CA - miss it and the DMV folks start adding LOTS of added late fees, and they don't listen to any excuses.
good luck!

[SeaDweller]

Thanks everyone........The idea of selling the car is quite painful, as I've poured a ton of money into this thing in the last year. Selling the car at this point would be devastating financially.

Would I basically have to add a CAT and air pump? Even without smog equipment, the car passed the Florida emissions test by a huge margin. Could I install a CAT and air pump, crank down the mixture, and pass?

Also, where can I find the metrics for the CA testing? If I knew the limits, I could get the car checked by a shop here to see where it stands. Slipping in a CAT is no big deal, but I'm not sure about the air pump.

Thanks!

[bhaubold]

Michael,

In CA its more than just the numbers. You must also pass a visual inspection. Whick means any and all smog equimpment that came on the car originally must be intact at the time of inspection.

[SeaDweller]

What if it never had any smog equipment?

[pbs911]

What if it never had any smog equipment?

I believe they look for smog equipment that came on the car of that year that was sold in compliance with California emissions regulations. In short, your car must have all the smog equiptment that came on the same car, of the same year, as if it was originally sold in California.

As much as I love my SC, and the amount of work that has gone into the car, I'd sell it and get a "new" P-car that is smog compliant. Of course i'd replace all the high end upgrades with the stock parts that iI saved before I sold it. i.e. seats, wheels, brakes, etc.

[Joe Bob]

http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/stdhome.asp

Michael start here....in CA the Bureau of Automotive Repairs is the agency that oversees the smog testing......they can get you to a "referee" that will tell you exactly what your car needs as to equipment, the numbers that you need to be under on the sniffer test and can even get you to used parts suppliers. Sometimes if the parts are NLA....you can get an exemption....

There are rules as to what has to be on the car and THEN how much you can sink into repairs......if you exceed a certain cost AFTER all the parts are on, you MAY be able to get some waivers....you have to apply each time the smog test comes up....BUT you might be able to play the game until the car reaches 25 years old and qualifies for the Historical plates and ultimately the 30 year exemption that gets you out of everything.....

Good luck.

[tmctguer]

euro model cars must have all EPA and DOT certification. DMV will also ask you for a CARB sticker (california air resources board ??). the CARB sticker ensures that the car complies with CA required emissions systems.

i would strongly recommend a personal visit to the CA DMV for a fact finding mission. if you go to register the car, and the DMV finds this info missing, they can start the registration process, only to find that the car is lacking proper credentials. at that point, they report the failed registration attempt in DMV records and advise you that you have xx days to remove the car from the state. they are very sly about things.

i had a similar thing happen to me and fortunately, scoured the DMV website for registration laws and found a loophole. the very next morning, i visited another DMV office and claimed my exemption, and the 2 registration actions crossed paths only after my accepted registration had been finalized. that was the only way i skated through the system. otherwise, my only choice was to sell the vehicle, or give it to a family member, then claim they moved into the state with that car, and register it under their name -- only to have them sell the car to me.

trust me.........the CA DMV is not a place to go without your homework done. they can be a bottomless pit of beauracracy that has almost no escape.

[rscupper]

Sorry makaio. Your soon-to-be 25 year old car will not be smog exempt next year.

The law as written now exempts only pre-'74 cars. Starting in the year 2003, cars 25 years old will become exempt (< '78).
Subsequent years will exempt more years (< '79 in 2004, etc...).

IMPORTANT NOTE - There was a bill introduced in Sacramento earlier this year to change the existing law by eliminating the year-2003 provision. This would mean that only pre-'74 cars would be exempt, forever and ever. The proposal was written by a female Democrat congressPERSON from the Bay area - stereotypical, but factual nonetheless. I believe the proposal is shelved at the moment but I would suggest you contact your local representaive's office for information.

I did alot of research on this law and spoke with my representative about it. He was very interested when I mentioned the number of wealthy auto collectors located in his district . If I can dig up my old files, I'll pass more info on to you.

[pbs911]

The law as written now exempts only pre-'74 cars. Starting in the year 2003, cars 25 years old will become exempt (< '78).
Subsequent years will exempt more years (< '79 in 2004, etc...).

Is this in reference to the Historical car exemption? I believe that under current law the 78 will not be smog exempt until 2008. The car must be 30 years old. To qualify as a historical vehicle it cannot be used as a transportation car. A historical car is basically for showing only. The car must also a historical significance. And guess who makes the determination that a car is the subject of historical significance?

Maybe I'm wrong, and I hope I am. I would love for my 78 to be smog exempt in 2003. That means since I have the 2002 registration already I could do anything I want now.