Moving to California - car?

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I am in the process of registering a 93 Nissan pickup I bought in Oregon, that has never been in CA. Here's what the DMV told me I have to do:

1) you have 20 days from the date it enters CA to pay registration fees. They'll estimate them, if you haven't done everything else (like get it smog tested). There is a calculator on the DMV website where you put the VIN number in and it will estimate the registration fees for you. Vehicle Registration Fee Calculator

2) get the vehicle weighed. I took it to a local truck place and it cost $35.

3) After paying the registration fees, you have 60 days to get the vehicle to pass a smog test.

4) got the truck tested and it looked good except it's idling too fast and might need some idle motor thingy. Test cost me $25 because it failed.

5) pay a mechanic to do whatever needs to be done to get the vehicle to pass smog. In my case, it might cost up to $250 if it actually needs a brand new idle motor thingy.

My registration fees for the 93 pickup, which includes taxes (I did not pay any in Oregon), was about $200. It might cost me $250 to get it to pass the smog test. Cost me $25 for the failed test, and a passed test costs $65 (I have no idea why the cost is different).

So for me, the cost to bring in an old pickup that has never been subjected to a smog test (Oregon doesn't require them), will probably cost me a maximum of $600 for a used vehicle with a sales price of $1,000.

That's cheaper than a new car. And once you take out the tax, which you'd have to pay either way, it's not that expensive. I would expect your vehicle to possibly even pass the first time.

Hint: When you first take it in for a test, drive it around for about 20 minutes first to warm it up. I had a car once that failed the smog test only because it hadn't been warmed up first.

[blueskywalker]

Originally Posted by Sparrow_temp

I currently own a 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe. It's never had a smog inspection because of where I lived. What are the chances that it would pass one?

It's probably time for a replacement any way but I drive so few miles that it hasn't been a priority. Would it be smart to purchase a new vehicle in my current state (NM) before moving to CA?

I have an 18 year old Subaru that has always passed the smog test. So, no, i wouldn't buy a new car just 'cause you think it may not pass when it probably will.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

I am in the process of registering a 93 Nissan pickup I bought in Oregon, that has never been in CA. Here's what the DMV told me I have to do:

1) you have 20 days from the date it enters CA to pay registration fees. They'll estimate them, if you haven't done everything else (like get it smog tested). There is a calculator on the DMV website where you put the VIN number in and it will estimate the registration fees for you. Vehicle Registration Fee Calculator

2) get the vehicle weighed. I took it to a local truck place and it cost $35.

3) After paying the registration fees, you have 60 days to get the vehicle to pass a smog test.

4) got the truck tested and it looked good except it's idling too fast and might need some idle motor thingy. Test cost me $25 because it failed.

5) pay a mechanic to do whatever needs to be done to get the vehicle to pass smog. In my case, it might cost up to $250 if it actually needs a brand new idle motor thingy.

My registration fees for the 93 pickup, which includes taxes (I did not pay any in Oregon), was about $200. It might cost me $250 to get it to pass the smog test. Cost me $25 for the failed test, and a passed test costs $65 (I have no idea why the cost is different).

So for me, the cost to bring in an old pickup that has never been subjected to a smog test (Oregon doesn't require them), will probably cost me a maximum of $600 for a used vehicle with a sales price of $1,000.

That's cheaper than a new car. And once you take out the tax, which you'd have to pay either way, it's not that expensive. I would expect your vehicle to possibly even pass the first time.

Hint: When you first take it in for a test, drive it around for about 20 minutes first to warm it up. I had a car once that failed the smog test only because it hadn't been warmed up first.

His SUV won't be subject to the requirement of having it weighed, it won't be registered as a commercial vehicle -for some reason California considers all pick up trucks to be commercial and charges weight fees, but they don't consider any SUV's to be commercial. He will need a vin check, but DMV does that. And your 93 would have been subject to the older test that involved putting it on a treadmill, those things are touchy and lots of vehicles fail for very little reason. Post 95 vehicles are OBD2 and pretty much pass fail, if there is no visible smoke from the tailpipe and no check engine light it should pass. I say 'should' because I talked to one guy whose car failed and there was no check engine light, but the problem was his check engine light was broken so he had no idea that he had a bad catalytic converter- that's why I suggested getting the obd2 reader just to make sure

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

His SUV won't be subject to the requirement of having it weighed, it won't be registered as a commercial vehicle -for some reason California considers all pick up trucks to be commercial and charges weight fees, but they don't consider any SUV's to be commercial. He will need a vin check, but DMV does that. And your 93 would have been subject to the older test that involved putting it on a treadmill, those things are touchy and lots of vehicles fail for very little reason. Post 95 vehicles are OBD2 and pretty much pass fail, if there is no visible smoke from the tailpipe and no check engine light it should pass. I say 'should' because I talked to one guy whose car failed and there was no check engine light, but the problem was his check engine light was broken so he had no idea that he had a bad catalytic converter- that's why I suggested getting the obd2 reader just to make sure

I forgot about the VIN verification, but that's free at the DMV. I think the Highway Patrol can do it, too.

It's funny the little things that can make it fail. The emissions looked fine for my truck, but they have to do a test when it's idling, and they have a range of what the RPMs can be. My truck idles really fast. It doesn't sound funny at all, but I'll have to pay a mechanic to figure out how to get it to idle more slowly.

Normally, a place that does smog tests is not allowed to also offer repairs on the vehicle. Otherwise, the situation is ripe for a sleazy mechanic to take advantage. Well, since I live in an exempt county in the boonies, there are only 2 shops that do smog tests - and they both offer to repair the problem. I got a slimy feeling about the guy who said he tried to adjust the idle but couldn't, so he'll have to order some motor and it will take him an hour to do the job. I said, well, I'll have to wait on that. Then when I paid the woman up front she said the mechanic told her to tell me he might be able to just adjust it, but he might have to take it apart.... I thought, yeah, right.

Then I made an appointment to take it to a reliable mechanic who doesn't offer smog testing. The stupid thing probably just needs to be adjusted.

We only need to have cars smogged in this county, when you are selling a vehicle in CA or you bring one into the state, so I guess the state makes exceptions for mechanics offering to repair them even if they smogged them here. Scandalous.