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Old 08-14-2016, 09:07 AM
 
9 posts, read 5,325 times
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Hello. I will be moving to CA soon from the east coast. Would it be more reasonable to sell my current car and purchase a new one in CA? Or would it be better to drive my current car across the US to CA?
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Old 08-14-2016, 09:41 AM
 
8,390 posts, read 7,644,416 times
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The first question you need to answer is whether your current car meets California emission standards. This brochure from the California DMV explains how to check that: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/co...df?MOD=AJPERES

If your car does not meet California emission standards, and you will be living in one of the counties that requires smog certification in order to register it, then it may be better to sell it and buy a car here.

California sales tax should also be considered if you are thinking about buying a car here. Even a beat up clunker here can be a bit costly once tax and registration is added in to the sales price.

Regardless of whether you bring or buy, I would recommend that you check how much it will cost to register a car here in California; you may be in for a bit of sticker shock. By law, if you are establishing residency here, you must register your car within a couple of months. The DMV website will give you the information you need if you decide to bring your car:

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/de...es/howto/htvr9
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Old 08-14-2016, 04:23 PM
 
18,172 posts, read 16,395,091 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UniGrad2015 View Post
Hello. I will be moving to CA soon from the east coast. Would it be more reasonable to sell my current car and purchase a new one in CA? Or would it be better to drive my current car across the US to CA?
Either way, the yearly registration fees will be bad and are getting worse.
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Old 08-14-2016, 04:30 PM
 
8,390 posts, read 7,644,416 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by expatCA View Post
Either way, the yearly registration fees will be bad and are getting worse.
The OP can find out how much registration will be for his/her current vehicle here: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/de...ecalculatorweb
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Old 08-14-2016, 04:39 PM
 
Location: Riverside Ca
22,146 posts, read 33,530,989 times
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You don't need to sell it. If the vehicle was registered by you in your home state you can bring it in. It will need yo pass whatever smog test is required for that vehicle. Look on page two of that link.
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Old 08-14-2016, 08:59 PM
 
8,390 posts, read 7,644,416 times
Reputation: 11020
If it can pass emission standards (again, look at the link I gave you to see how to figure this out), you might be best off bringing it. You can then save the money you'd use towards a new car to put towards a deposit on an apartment. I'm assuming you've already checked out rental prices here, and understand that rents in the major cities here can be quite expensive.

Good luck with your move.
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