I am in California, and In my hunt for a 308/328 I am finding vehicles out of state. What should I be concerned with when it comes to California Emissions control. ie. if the car has a good PPI and checks out how hard will it be to smog a non California car. How could I be sure the car will pass California Smog prior to purchase?
All Ferraris imported in the US are 50 states cars so they should pass smog. However, when you are buying out of states, it is your responsibility to have the cars pass smog. If the cats have been removed, or low in efficiency, or the O2 sensors are not working, or ..., then it is your problem and the sky is the limit when it comes to repairs. If the car is an Euro model, not meant for the US, then avoid it for California. It is a very big headache.
Fellow Californian here...I am coming up on my 3rd smog in November and I am dreading it. When I first got my car smogged, it was in Bakersfield on a hot summer day, 110 out side, the car barely passed right on the numbers and that was after a $7,000 full service! The car was running perfect. A year and a half ago I went to smog the car, knowing it was going to be tight so I put new cat's on it, which is a monstrously pricey game. The guy at the smog station let me do some pre-tests so I could take it home and make adjustments (some d^@k's won't). Again, it past dead on the money, the problem is, Califailure tightened up the smog requirements by 10 POINTS! I don't remember what the actually numbers were, but if it was 136 last time (in Bakersfield), this time is 126...He told me CARB it doing this to force "Old" cars off the road. This time around, it will be new spark plug wires, plugs, air filter, oil change, injector cleaner, but there isn't much more I can do. The Peoples Republic of California is run by some serious car Nazi's. If I was you, I would find a nice car out of state, buy the car and then move there! My wife and I got plans to get out of the state, but it's going to be a while! Anyway, that's my ugly little story...Good luck on your search.
If I still lived in California and was buying an out of state car, 1. Start with DMV ask the rules, what they allow. 2. Purchase the car with the understanding it is conditional on passing California smog. A long time ago, I lived in California, I ordered a new Dodge truck from an Iowa dealer. I found out in advance California would not allow it in the state unless I met a very short list of requirements. The one I used, I had the dealer write me a note saying my trade in (AKA old car) "was not economically repairable."
My 328 was a slam dunk when I had it smogged in San Diego County -- passed by a huge margin. If budget permits, go for the 328. The ignition was modernized and the cars seem to be less fussy in general. The state tests for emissions standards in effect during the year of manufacture, so for injected cars (1980 onward) that haven't been tampered with, you should be fine, assuming the catalytic converter is still functioning. Carb'ed cars are trickier...
I wouldn't consider an out of state car simply because California's smog standard is stricter than just about everyone's. I have a friend who's original '78 carb 308 became so difficult to smog he finally gave it away to an out of state buyer for next to nothing. My original, untampered California '89 328 has failed smog twice ( barely because of high CO.) I managed to get by legally but the failed tests show up on your Carfax and potential buyers tend to balk at that. California keeps raising it's smog standard because it doesn't want ANY older cars on the road. It used to be 25 years and you are done with smog test. But no more. So take my word for it. No out of state car. You will regret it. Also, remember California Ferraris tend to have significantly higher mileage because you can drive year round. I wouldn't be tempted by low mile cars from out of state. As a side note, I am going to talk you completely out of getting a 308 or 328 for that matter. Aside from being a truly lovely looking car, my very mint and mechanically sound 328 doesn't drive that well. I live in a suburb with lots of open space to air out the car and I find it underpower by today's standard. Don't subscribe to the ridiculous notion that the car can get to 60 in 5.5 sec. Not even close. Steering effort is overwhelmingly high. My wife simply can't drive it. A three point turn with on coming traffic is comical if not suicidal. And of course, there is the gear box. The clutch is relatively light compared to, say a 550. But you need two extra gears to cruise comfortably. That's why the car originally came with no radio. There is no reason to. The gated shifting is deliberate but I find it fun. My E92 M3 has a very slick 6 speed that you can day dream and not get into trouble. The 328 makes you think and pay attention every time you shift. The brakes are fantastic. The air conditioning not so much. Mine has been converted to the more eco friendly version but the AC is essentially useless during the very warm summer days. The engine located directly behind you doesn't help. The headrest is an ergonomic disaster. Your neck will break if you hit something or something hits you from the rear. View out of four corners are actually not bad. Finally, the car is super low. If you are parallel parked, you can't open the door against a standard California curb. So either you or your passenger has to climb over to the other side to get out. Oh, if you are over 5'9", the car has to be driven with the roof off. There you have it. A lovely looking but horribly designed car with no consideration gone into ergonomics or human comfort. It's a piece of art and should remain in a living room and not on the road. A few owners will tell me I am wrong but deep down inside, they know I am right. I am about to give this car away at a huge loss and may be get a 575...
Not true. Many cars, particularly those of the carbed era have to pass more strict numbers now than when new.
A big change was the change from the static idle test to one where the car is on rollers under load (on a smog "dynamometer"). Is this a more difficult test for a 308 to pass than were the static tests or is it easier? For 308s with SMOG pumps, does the dynamic test change the importance of smog equipment components, particularly the importantce of switching from the manifold air injectors to the downstream air injectors as the engine warms?
That's one thing that the guy who tested me last time told me. He also said, if you lean them out too far (as if to only test) it will spit out numbers they look for and it will fail. BTW, my car is an '83 FI with smog pump. There are a few things that bug me about California's philosophy... They want cleaner air...got it, check! I was born and raised here, I'm 3rd generation, my daughter is 4th. The air in the 1970's was floating tar! They did a great job cleaning that up. Newer cars are super clean thanks in part because of all the work the California legislature has done. GREAT! But I don't under stand the idea behind smashing the knuckles of car collectors and enthusiasts. Classic cars in general make up less that 2% of all cars registered in California and of those 2% they aren't daily drivers. My last point is...how many 308/328's are even in California? 50? 100? 200? Collectively all the 308's and 328's in California do not put out as much pollution as say 25 Chevy/Ford/Dodge diesel pick up trucks that don't even get smog checks! Total B.S. as far as I a concerned!
Anything 75, and older, is exempt. So-- Find yourself a '75 and don't worry about smog in CA. Although, I THINK the early 308's (excluding the GT4) were fiberglass and they don't come cheap... Don't quote me... I am only interested in GT4s. Good luck.
Move to Washington. I just bought my '78 308 and was pleasantly surprised by the DOL (our DMV) that I could put collector plates on it (since it was 30 years old). So that means no inspections, no smog, only 1 plate required (they only give you one), and best of all.... drum roll... no more tabs!!!!! Yup that's right, no annual renewal. Now all I want are 30 year old cars.
Everything he said is correct, except for the part about not buying a 308/328 car. This is my induction into Ferrari at 18 years old when Magnum PI was on TV.
We have this in California, but your ability to drive is limited, significantly. IRC, only 'to and from car shows'. I am not sure how strict they are about this. Maybe a post in the California Section will yield some answers from someone with historic plates...
Here are my recent smog results in California. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/308-328/410014-post-your-smog-results.html
I hear you loud and clear no out of state...tempting as it is it just sounds to risky. A 328 being my first choice over a 308... I am not completely talked out of it, but.....I will consider my options. I might just hold out for a 360 spider I have always wanted both a 328 and 360 Thanks PT328 for sharing your smog results
Just had my '86 328 smog checked. It passed but with no room to spare on HC at 15 MPH. Max for HC was 128 and it measured 128. Two years ago the HCs measured 61 at 15 MPH. And four years ago HCs measured 44. The 25 MPH HC reading went from 27 to 41 to 79 over the same period. Anything in particular causing this?
That is what I was afraid of. So the question is a Hyper-Flow cat versus stock? On price the hyper flow is about 10% of the OE price. Anyone have experience with these in a 328?
I also live in the People's Republic of California. Because of this I purchased a 1982 308 GTSi (instead of a carbed version). 45,000 miles and it passes smog with flying colors. It is true that the smog limits are reduced as time goes on. I had a 1995 Toyota pickup for years and then (after $1,500 smog service 2 years ago) if failed, not because of the 100 HC upper limit last test (it scored 63) but the CARB @#$%heads lowered the value to 60!! Only cost effective solution was to sell it to the state for $1,000. What a friggin waste! Be warned...this state wants ALL older cars off the road!
No experience on a 328, but installed two of them on my 1981 308 GTSi three years ago and it passed the less draconian Nevada test easily. I say easily, but really don't know for sure because you don't get the actual numbers here unless you fail. It makes it hard to track how you are doing from year to year (annual inspections) so you can head off potential problems.
