Registering an out-of-state Civic HX in California? Search tips?

[figit090]

Hello all,

I'm in California and I'm trying hard to find a good Civic HX, and I was wondering if I could get some advice on finding one out-of-state, and what a good price would be?

I know that I should check that the engine is D16Y5 and that the vin starts with 1HGEJ7 to make sure it's an original car, but beyond that and ordinary chassis inspection I'm not sure what to look for nor how to successfully get the car into California.

I'm also concerned with smogging a Federal ECU car in Cali but I've seen that it's been done successfully before to a CA car with a Federal ECU installed...
Does anyone know if there's any paper trail/legal barriers as far as registration of a car that's not made for California smog?

I think I can make it smog here just fine, if I have to I'll source a CA ECU to pass the sniff test, but I was mildly afraid the DMV wouldn't even accept that if the car is labeled as a car that cannot pass because it was never made for California.

Any tips are greatly appreciated, I can't find much of anything in California so I'm getting desperate.

[Hersbird]

I used to live in California and bought a few cars out of state and it never was an issue. Then again I was military and they always get a break on such things. Just reading the Cali DMV webpage to meet it looks like only if the car is actually new (meaning less then 7500 miles) does it have to have the Cali or 50 state emissions stickers. Used cars, meaning over 7500 miles, can just have regular federal emissions labels.
Then there is always the option to create a LLC in Montana and license the car with the LLC. I would actually start a Scentsy or some other home business as California is trying to crack down on what is 100% legal on Montana's side. The same reason so many big corporations headquarter in Delaware.

[Superfuelgero]

When I lived in cali I knew several people with federal HX's. They passed smog no problem (assuming they were kept up). California used to charge a surcharge for non-ca spec cars, but got in trouble and had to refund them. Other than that, can't tell you much more about the current state of things, I hate cali for the way the way they treat car lovers.

-A, 8 years without a smog check and counting

[figit090]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I used to live in California and bought a few cars out of state and it never was an issue. Then again I was military and they always get a break on such things. Just reading the Cali DMV webpage to meet it looks like only if the car is actually new (meaning less then 7500 miles) does it have to have the Cali or 50 state emissions stickers. Used cars, meaning over 7500 miles, can just have regular federal emissions labels.
Then there is always the option to create a LLC in Montana and license the car with the LLC. I would actually start a Scentsy or some other home business as California is trying to crack down on what is 100% legal on Montana's side. The same reason so many big corporations headquarter in Delaware.

That's what I read too! Although I was thinking it meant all cars...it seems it just refers to new cars (7500 miles).

On [www dot bar dot ca dot gov] I found the sentence:
"The vehicle must meet either U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or California standards. It is legal in California to buy or sell a used vehicle that meets only federal standards."

So I'm taking that to mean as long as it has federal equipment it's just dandy. However it doesn't say you can register the car, but I assume it's implied. I also read that as long as a Federally approved car passes within California limits, it is fine. This comes from smogtips.com

woo!

Originally Posted by xntrx

When I lived in cali I knew several people with federal HX's. They passed smog no problem (assuming they were kept up). California used to charge a surcharge for non-ca spec cars, but got in trouble and had to refund them. Other than that, can't tell you much more about the current state of things, I hate cali for the way the way they treat car lovers.

-A, 8 years without a smog check and counting

sweet! that helps a bit too. It looks like I'll be ok!


For others looking for answers here are links you can search for "federal" on the page to skip to answers:

edit - I guess I have a whopping three posts. I'll post a few more times and follow up with those links!

[figit090]

Here are those links:


Smog Equipment Requirements for Used Vehicles (A Guide for the Used Car Buyer)

FORUM - California Vehicle Registration & Title Transfer (page 2) - SmogTips.com. Reporting smoking vehicles in California. Relocating to California. Buying a car out of state. Difference with California legal and Federal legal emission requirements.

[Baltothewolf]

My 1997 civic HX is from Texas, the first owner is the one who brought it into cali in 1999. I don't know what he had to do, but Yea, it's in cali now and it passes smog here.