Update on CA: SPCN Registration

[rokndad]

There's one more little "caveat" for Calif registration. What you have presented will most likely get you through the DMV registration process if you have more than 7,500 mi on the transferred vehicle. If you don't, I think, and I may be all wet on this, California treats it as a new vehicle anyway and makes you go through the smog stuff. Newly minted Cobras would have a hard time getting over the minimum mileage requirement bar. You may want to ferret that out as well.

[Rick Parker]

rockindad: SPCN is the key here. In Calif there used to be what was called in "Impact Fee" for an out of state (Non Calif Smog Compiant) vehicle that was brought into California and was collected by DMV or dealers when the car was initially registered in California, 1 time fee $300 plus any and all other fees required to license the vehicle. This was repealled several years ago and the monies were refunded to the people who had paid, but it was in force for several years. For years California had its own set of rules for accepted emission output levels for Production vehicles (Chevy, Dodge,Ford etc), 49 State emissions and then California emission systems.
At one point people were buying cars out of state (Oregon, Nevada, Arizona) without paying for the California Emissions systems that were required on the cars sold by the dealers within the state, bringing them in and licensing them. It was a loophole that was closed when it became a requirement to have 7500 miles on a production car/truck before it could be registered here, there is no flexability in this whatsoever.
In 2001 the New Car Dealer I was employed by received 3 new Domestic High Line Vehicles that did not have Calif emissions on them. They were shipped as part of an allocation and we did not realize they lacked the required emission systems, they were shipped in error. We sold one and did not realize the error until about 6 weeks later. Apparently there was some sort of "Checks & Balances" in place because it was my understanding the registration application was bounced by DMV because the car did not have Calif Emissions. We ended up replacing the vehicle for the customer and sold the original car as used to to a Dealer in Oregon. It was an expensive lesson.

[RodKnock]

xlr8or, 20/20 hindsight. We were close though.

Hopefully, on January 2nd, I'll have this feeling... and it won't matter anymore.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Chaplin

Yeah, that Constitution is a b!tch isn't it!

Other people ignore it, why can't CA?

[rokndad]

Thanks for the learned clarification on that nuance Rick. I knew there was some sort of hook triggered at 7,500 mi on a transferred vehicle, but didn't know it was not applicable to SPCN's. I had come up on it when I bought a newer (2006) car from Nevada with only 1060 mi on it and brought it in.

[Woodz428]

Randy,
From what you posted, I would have to guess that any issues that came up later on was a side "benefit" of the few that didn't pay the appropriate "tythe" to the state. It also put TU in a poor position, from my experiences. Having used them some 30 years ago, I thought them to be a valuable service, was sorry to hear of the problems that they had placed on them as well. It also sounds like a very broad brush was used in the process that resulted in so may titles being scrapped in Ca. I do know that the titling and emissions issue are different, although they are connected because of this. If the title was voided because of some fee/tax avoidance, it would make sense that a new title be issued, as it was, with the exception of a value correction. The fact that once they have voided the title, it is now a virtual lottery to get a smog exemption, illustrating a lack of "good will" toward the titling process of other states. If the value was "misrepresented" it wasn't by the state entity, but by the owners involved (or possibly previous), States don't have any qualifications for ascertaining values, that is a private sector determination. So, it appears , that instead of "punishing" those that made false value claims a whole group is being retaliated against, including titling of other states. More simply, IF Ca, was accepting the titling of other states on "good Faith" they wouldn't be canceling titles and creating hoops, they would be addressing those that held back on true values.Then... it becomes an emission issue, without an out of state title being accepted you are now under Ca. titling jurisdictions, which incorporates that nasty little bit. I'm not sure how Ca. is, but when I lived in N.J. their "safety inspections" were all done by state employees. I think it may have been found to have some conflicts, but I haven't lived there for a longtime. So it is very convenient , if the emission stations are manned by state employees, that they now have a "job" to keep them employed. It also seems, from a distant perspective, that Ca.( as well as all states) has many issues that are far more important than a few( in the percentage of vehicles in Ca., it is few) wayward car enthusiasts.