Hey folks -- anyone familiar with the inspection process in Kalifornia? My friend is moving there (from IL) for at least a year to accept a teaching position. She'll be selling her Saab and buying a commuter car (an automatic in light of the urban traffic). I say she ought to buy her car here in IL and register it at her sister's address. I'm sure it will be chaper to do so in IL than it would in CA, plus our county doesn't require inspections, so there's more savings. Will CA pester her about having IL plated for hear year-or-so tenure out there?

Thanks!

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/newtoca/newtoca.htm

Seems as if she could register the car in IL since she will be returning. I doubt she would have problems as long as the registration is current. Make sure her insurance covers her in CA too. The Honda had WI plates in CA for 3 years and we didn't have any problems.

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1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k

Great link; thanks! According to it, once she accepts the job and/or finds an apartment rent, she has to register the car there... per the letter of the law. I doubt anyone would hassle her for not doing so. Only issue I could see would be that the ins. co could try to wiggle out of coverage in the event of an accident if the car isn't registered in CA. Wonder what the likelihood of that might be?

Thanks again for the link...

__________________
1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

To tie into this thread -- any good "secrets" to buying alternative fuel vehicles, etc... in CA for tax credit, reduced registration, etc...? I see a few references to different fees for some vehicles, and no smog requirements for diesels on the CA DMV site, but there's usually a "hidden egg" someone can chime in with!

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

Once upon a time, before Governor Ah'nold, the car registration "tax" in California was horribly high. The Dems, who at that time controlled both the Legislature and the Governor's office, were planning on further increasing the car registration tax (one of the reasons why Gov.Davis was recalled and Arnold elected).

Back in those dark days it was common for Californians to register their cars in friendlier states like Nevada and Arizona. It was also not uncommon for neighbors to tattle on other neighbors who had their cars registered out of state. The fines and penalties were really stiff.

The "Gobernator" changed all of that.

So now there is not much incentive at all for breaking the law and registering cars out of state. Current fees are very reasonable. And the smog inspections are OK too.

Hope this helps.

__________________
Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

My Gallery

Not in this weather!

Thanks, BENZ-LGB. That's quite helpful... I didn't realize that the fees had come back down to earth. I was thinking of the fees that a friend was paying ~10 years ago and cringing! There was some business about pro-rating based on the value of the vehicle, etc... and he got stuck with a $700/yr registration on a Toyota pickup as I recall. Something crazy like that... in IL we jumped from $48 to $78/yr -- a shock, but still nothing to complain about when you look at it in the larger scale!

__________________
1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

In Kalifornia, the Legislature routinely raids the car tax fees. They are supposed to be for highway and car related items, but the Legislature plunders them anyhow.

It was so crazy here that I dreaded January. Through unforeseen circumstances most of our car purchases were/are made in January so the registration fees for our cars all came due in January. Property taxes are due in December. Throw in the Christmas season on top of that, and by February I as so broke I couldn't afford lunch.

Thanks to Arnold, however, at least the DMV fees are reasonable....

I used to work for a Chicago-based lawfirm. I have great memories of Chicago and staying at the Drake. Great food, great drinks, fun town!

__________________
Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

My Gallery

Not in this weather!

It's not nearly that bad I believe we walked out of the DMV for about $150 or so with a CA license plates, and tags for the Civic.

By the way make sure she is insured. Between the two of us we have been hit by other drivers 5 times and 1 at fault which really was just bad timing. It's better be covered than chance it unless she's in a very remote part of CA.

__________________
1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k

Not a chance that she won't be. We're both "play be the rules" types when it comes to insurance requirements! Thanks for the tips, BTW.

__________________
1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

The incentives and rebates for hybrids apply only when buying a new car in California. There's no incentive or rebate for buying a used hybrid. If you have a hybrid you can drive solo in the carpool lane but you have to put those ugly decals on your car. They're really ugly and you need 4 of the same decal. There's no incentive for personal purchases of Diesels or alternative fuel vehicles. Maybe for fleets.

Diesels and anything approved to not run on gasoline aren't subject to biennial(sp?) smog checks. Hybrids are. I don't know how they dyno test hybrids. Maybe hybrids have a smog test mode.

It's really easy to register an out-of-state car in California as long as the car was originally sold in the US. No hassles for Diesel models not originally offered in California. It doesn't cost more to register an out-of-state car you bring when you move to California. If you buy an out-of-state car as a California resident you will owe state sales tax or at least the difference between California sales tax and whatever you paid to another state. There's a cusory inspection of the VIN and DOT labels and of course a smog check if the car runs on gasoline. They won't ding you for California only emissions equipment not being in the car if not originally equiped. There's no other routine inspection of cars in California. Brakes, lights, horn, body perforations... none of that unless you resurrect a salvage title car.

About the only thing I wouldn't do is bring in a gray market car unless I owned it before moving to California.

Sixto