What are the requirements on a 1994 (49-state) vehicle brought in from out of state into the LA area?

Do they have to be converted to CA emissions systems?

How soon must they be tested?

How expensive is testing?

What happens if the vehicle fails? -Retesting $$?

Is it even worth bringing in a vehicle that old that has never been tested?

What does it cost to register a vehicle in LA?

What is involved in registration?

Is there anything else I need to know?

-The reason I ask is my daughter has been hired to teach in the area (Santa Monica) and she has a 94 2WD Explorer. She will be replacing it later but for now as a student it is what she has.

She has to find somewhere to live also, any ideas? She speaks some Spanish and is fairly fluent in Japanese if that makes any difference.

Any other advice about the vehicle or anything else?

 

Surprised, no answers of any sort here???

 

You know funny thing. Even though I am techinically a member f this chapter there is so little going on here I seldomly check it.

Were you able to find the answers you were looking for in the other thread?

I'm not a smog expert out here but I will try and help as best I can.

 

Eric -

I found this. Hope it helps.

http://www.recarbco.com/technical/smog/sb42summary.html

 

That helps as well as what is in the thread in GA.

The car is in good shape mechanically. Everything but the AC works, the compressor is locked up. She does not like AC anyway so that is OK unless it has to be tested with AC working. There are no testing stations here in Kansas. I would rather do all of the tune up things like plugs, filters, and PCV, then test it here to see if there are obvious problems b4 I go out there into unfamiliar territory and try to find a reputable mechanic or worse yet with a vehicle that just won't pass period.

I am trying to "read" the standards and figure out if I have a LDV LDT LLDT LDT1 LDT2 LDT3 LDT4 and which line I read from????? No wonder people at test stations are confused... Almost as bad as the NEC.

Anybody know what testing and a "smog certificate" costs?

Why would I have to pay taxes on a vehicle if I purchased a different one here for her and then pay again in CA??? Is that some penalty for not buying from a CA dealer?

 

I don't have experience with your situation but here's the California DMV website with some info:



www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/smog.htm


Hope this helps!

 

To bring a vehicle into California, the vehicle needs to meet whatever specifications it was originally equipped for. It does not need to be converted to California standards. For example, just this past January I purchased a '76 F250 from Washington state with WA registration and title. It has federal emissions requirements. That's what I needed to pass the California smog test requirement. It has Carter AFB and was too rich to pass. After changing the jetting and metering rods I passed and got my California registration, title and plates. Do a pre test first for a couple extra bucks. It is a test that does not upload info to the state. You'll know what to do from there. The smog test is about $50-$60 bucks and a pretest may be $20 more. In my area I have a guy that let me come pretest twice with no charge to check the improvements from jetting changes. I finally passed on the third try.
Good luck.

 

Tractoman, did you have to pay an additional tax on the vehicle since it was purchased out of state?

 

They charge sales tax based on the purchase price. I reduced the real sales price on the paperwork and it cost about $160 for the whole deal including a year of registration fees. They got to get their piece of the action. If your bringing your already owned vehicle in it may be different. Also, they will not test if the check engine light is lit or if there are certain codes stored in the ECU. They will not care about the AC functioning or not and there are no safety inspections here. They may want to inspect the vehicle but it's only to make sure the VIN is accurate and see that it does not appear to be stolen. Depending on where in the state you are, the test might be on a dyno and maybe not. Where I live in the country we don't dyno but the surrounding counties do.

 

You do not pay any sales or "use" tax as long as it is at least six months old and has a few thousand miles on it, no problem for a '94. This is to prevent buying a new car in Oregon and bringing it in to avoid sales tax. There was a $300 out-of-state fee years ago that was declared unconstitutional.

There is a basic registration fee, special county fees and license fee. An Exporer is considered a station wagon instead of a truck, so there is no wieght fee. The license fee or VLF is a form of personal property tax, based on depreciated value. All of these fees are collected annually. My best guess is that the total will be in the $50-75 range. The VLF can be declared as an income tax deduction.

Smog check will be at a "Test Only" station and on a dyno at 15 and 25mph, about $60, as stated above. Its no big deal as long as it is stock and running well. Get the pretest option, just in case there is something wrong that is not triggering the Check Engine light, like advanced timing.

The Santa Monica area is very expensive as far as rents go and traffic makes commuting more than 10-15 miles a nightmare. I hope she is getting a good salary.

Jim

 

Thanks for the info. She is fairly frugal and does not need a large apartment, a studio is enuf. Her salary is slightly better than the median salary listed for 2000 but far below average for the area and there has been a lot of inflation since then also. Rent and safety are a big worry for her mother and I. She hopes to get an apartment close enuf so that she can bike to work but we know nothing of the area. There seem to be a number of bike lanes etc in the city. She will be teaching science at the Crossroads school.

 

check this out for rental info---->http://www.recycler.com/rentals/adva...%204880%204882

 

Thanks I will check that out!

 

Hey Torque, there is so much competition in the L.A. and Orange County area that a smog check should only run you about $30 ($20 with a coupon if you look around). $40 total with certificate and wire transfer fee. If the check engine light is on, you will fail. (I just did). They will still test it, charge you, and fail you. Run codes and fix any issues to put out CEL if necessary. If you fail, most, if not all shops give you a free retest within 30 days. They do not check stored codes. I am in Orange County, and where I smog my vehicles, there are 5 smog check stations on the same half mile street. Good for the consumer.

I am not sure what licensing fees are required, but the DMV link should help you out. Good advice to get a pre-test, unless you have kept the vehicle in good running condition.

I was born in Santa Monica and moved when I was 10, but my buddy is from Santa Monica and visits his mother weekly, so I will ask him about safe areas to live. If he gives me some good info, I will pass it along.

 

Thanks for the info and any other tips...

From what I have found it looks to be expensive to make the existing 94 Explorer with 150K miles meet 49 state emissions standards. We don't have smog tests around here so it has never been tested. At least the check engine light is not on. I found a place with a mechanic with California experience and he says it will require new cats and probably EGR system work as well as other things. It is not smoking or a "gross polluter" but it does need some TLC work. More $$ than the vehicle is worth. I have a cousin that is the GM for a large car dealership in the area so I will probably just get with him to find her a "California ready" vehicle and give the 94 to a friend.

She went to LA this last weekend and found an apartment in a private residence at about 14th and Hill. The other ones she looked at would have required commuting to school by car about 45+ minutes each way. She will be able to ride a bike to school from this place which will save a lot of cash and time. It looks like there are bike routes in the area but there are also some ?? areas she would have to ride thru. I guess we will have to check out the area and scout some routes when we get there.