Importing personal car to CA or Texas

Does anyone have advice or experience on importing your personal vehicle from Canada to California. It's a 78 308. It's my personal car and there is the possibility of relocating to Texas or CA. It is originally a US car that I imported to Canada about 10 years ago. Smog equipement long gone.

Regards,
JP

 

If you are moving to California, sell the car in Canada, unless you have such an emotional attachment to the car that you are willing to go through Hell to get the car licensed. After you reconstruct all of the smog equipment, you will have a great deal of paperwork and inspections. Maybe turn it into a track car?

 

license it in Oregon if you're coming to California. No smog required.

Art

 

Good advice. Same goes for Alabama. A U.S. car can always come back home, and Alabama/Oregon require no smog tests.

 

I live in Calif. right at the Oregon/Calif border. California locals try the Oregon licensing trick all the time because the Oregon 'plate' is SO much cheaper (no smog; no sales tax; registration about 5% of Calif.).
I still wouldn't recommend it. CHP is a very aware group of people--get caught, and you are really screwed.
If you are coming to Calif. do what another poster suggested and sell the car in Canada. You can get another here.
I don't know about Texas.
Keith

 

Texas requires a smog check when the vehicle is registered and once a year thereafter.

 

Actually, that depends on the year of the vehicle and the county it's registered in.

Official State of Texas vehicle registration info (in pdf): ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/vtr/misc/vtr450forms.pdf

Emission testing info: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/vi/

 

Based on the Texas web site, it emmisions testing is for cars newer than 24 yrs old, so the 308, at least mine is not included as it is 28 years old this year. As to the California testing.....It looks like I am screwed....what are the chances of a 78 308 with no smog equipment passing the tests?

It is well tuned and runs great....

Thanks for the info, it looks like I have some investigating to do.....

 

My guess is that it is about 'zero' if the smog equipment has been removed (for California). My '76 911 had the smog removed, and it cost me about $1k to locate the necessary parts (used), get them installed. The car smogged, but ran poorly.
I think '72 and before is the cutoff for Calif.
Keith

 

Don't forget that both states will require federal DOT releases, that's likely to be a big hurdle

 

Gee, Isn't that against the LAW Art? You should know.

 

Only if he gets caught. BTW, your buddy did a GREAT job on your picture. Coming soon, to an F-Chat thread near you.

Art

 

to bring the car to texas shouldn't be a problem if it is an original us car. texas only emission check cars that are 24 years old or newer. with a 78 model, you will need to get a green tag (although they are actually white now). i just did this twice with two dino's. any inspection station simply will look at the car for good roadworthyness - ie, wipers lights, etc. as long as the car checks out, you will be given the green slip and you can register it for road use. if you don'y already own the car, you will need to pay 6.25% sales tax on the sales price, unless you can document that you paid slaes tax at the time and place of purchase.

 

Thanks all, the SO doesn't want to move all the way to CA anyways, so if a move is in the cards, it would be Texas. Looks like Texas will be easier to bring the car anyways. As the car is originally a US car, why would I need DOT. Nothing was done to the car when I brought it up to Canada, so there is nothing to add or remove when I bring it back. I guess I would need to get the AC fixed though....

It gets a little warm in Houston during the summer....right?

 

Its the humidity that'll affect you the most.

 

Only if its a noncontainment area. Oregon has smog, just not everywhere. If this is your plan make sure the address you use is a noncontainment one.

 

Ca is 1975 and older as far as being smog exempt. Also your car can pass out the pipe, but it will still fail if it is missing anything smog related.

 

Why not just keep the ON plates on it and drive it in TX? You'll have a Canadian license anyway so just keep it insured with the CDN insurance co. Don't give up your CDN license if you get a TX one. I don't see any reason why you couldn't keep this going indefinately.

 

OK, so I read the official state of Texas vehicle registration info pdf file. It lists a bunch of fees that seem reasonable when bringing a car to Texas. Now I know when you buy a used car from a dealer in Texas, you are hit with the sales tax as part of the title and registration process. Now what happens when you transport an unregistered vehicle from another state into Texas that you just bought elsewhere? When you go through the registration process in Texas, do you get hit with sales tax on the out-of-state purchase price of the vehicle in addition to the fees listed in the pdf file?

 

This is a pretty useful site for various states, including California:

http://www.dmv.org/

Note that it is not a government site.

 

I'll know, soon, Vlad...

I have a car from Oregon, No sales tax there, at time of purchase....but we'll see if TX will transfer title and issue tags, without the 6.25%!

Death and taxes, baby...good point on the plates, but eventually they'll expire. You can only drive it.... oh, maybe a year or two, past that!

As discussed you WILL be exempt from smog gas testing, but technically they COULD check for a cat converter, to at least be "there"......ya know?

 

I have no issues playing the appropriate fees and doing the paperwork, as long as I don't have to change anything on the car. Looks, like mostly paperwork and running around, so I should be OK. Would hate the sell the car as I love the color and have spent way too much on her to get her just right. If I start over, it will be with a second car.

Thanks all for the insights.