What did you have to show the DMV in Arizona to get it registered? And didn't you have to show some proof of residence in AZ? Did you try then to register it in CA later?
California Title and Registration of Diesels (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter DrivingMissRosey
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
What did you have to show the DMV in Arizona to get it registered? And didn't you have to show some proof of residence in AZ? Did you try then to register it in CA later?
Same question as for the guy who registered his in AZ. Didn't you have to show proof of residence in NV to get it registered? What docs did you have to get it registered there?
I still have a residence in Az I was stationed there before. Not hard to establish residence somewhere if you google it though.
thanks
- Thread starter
- #26
Wow. I'm flabbergasted. Instead of the CHP doing their job and enforcing the law, now the state is asking the public to turn their neighbors in. I'm sure that other states have similar ideas, but a slick easy to use website seems like taking it to an extreme.
No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. -Mark Twain (1866)
That's how Stalin's USSR used to operate. Informers.
There is an point at which no matter how much you try to squeeze taxes and fees out the population, you won't be successful as the people will not comply.
I admire, not detest, those who are fighting the system through whatever means available.
There is an point at which no matter how much you try to squeeze taxes and fees out the population, you won't be successful as the people will not comply.
I admire, not detest, those who are fighting the system through whatever means available.
Hi everyone! Sorry to revive a slightly "aged" thread, but I also didn't want to start a new one that's almost identical.
I'm interested in a turbodiesel J80 (i.e., with 1HD-T engine), and happen to reside in California. I see that they occasionally pop up for sale in Oregon and Washington, already registered in their respective states but obviously imported from outside of the US. Is it safe to assume that a Land Cruiser that's >25 years old and is registered in another state, with "diesel" on the title and having being registered in that sate for >60 days, should be easy enough to register in CA as smog-exempt? Or are there some caveats (e.g., DMV being curious about the length of the VIN) that I would need to worry about?
(Based on the discussion in this thread, it seems like it's still a gray area, so I wanted to know exactly what the authorities - DMV/CARB/etc - would question, or where/how I may run into problems.)
Thank you!
I'm interested in a turbodiesel J80 (i.e., with 1HD-T engine), and happen to reside in California. I see that they occasionally pop up for sale in Oregon and Washington, already registered in their respective states but obviously imported from outside of the US. Is it safe to assume that a Land Cruiser that's >25 years old and is registered in another state, with "diesel" on the title and having being registered in that sate for >60 days, should be easy enough to register in CA as smog-exempt? Or are there some caveats (e.g., DMV being curious about the length of the VIN) that I would need to worry about?
(Based on the discussion in this thread, it seems like it's still a gray area, so I wanted to know exactly what the authorities - DMV/CARB/etc - would question, or where/how I may run into problems.)
Thank you!
I'm not sure what all the variability around this issue is about. After reading the threads myself and emailing the DMV in CA specifically about what is legal and not legal, I got the same response Fast Eddy did, which is in his link. This is official DMV policy, not an opinion or someone's experience. After all the verbage about the requirements, etc. about "imported vehicles," it clearly states the following:
Exemptions
Diesel vehicles:
1979 model year and older vehicles with original-equipment diesel engines are exempt from Direct Import lab testing requirements. Please note that any vehicle converted to operate on diesel fuel is subject to lab testing requirements if it is a 1968 model year vehicle or newer.
This really isn't hard to grasp. That said, as has been reiterated a number of times, it all depends on the DMV employee. Some apparently haven't even had it inspected for VIN or physical existence. So there's the official policy and then there's the application of it that varies.
Exemptions
Diesel vehicles:
1979 model year and older vehicles with original-equipment diesel engines are exempt from Direct Import lab testing requirements. Please note that any vehicle converted to operate on diesel fuel is subject to lab testing requirements if it is a 1968 model year vehicle or newer.
This really isn't hard to grasp. That said, as has been reiterated a number of times, it all depends on the DMV employee. Some apparently haven't even had it inspected for VIN or physical existence. So there's the official policy and then there's the application of it that varies.
I don't know what the explanation is for that except that it obviously goes against their policy as stated on their website. I would certainly have had them justify their stance given their current official policy. Legally, I see no support for their position for that year of a diesel.
I think that a part of the variability comes from the various possible scenarios - e.g., directly importing from Japan to CA vs. importing into another state, and then CA vs. importing into Canada, then another state, then CA, etc.
In the case of the Land Cruiser in which I'm interested, it looks like there's a valid 17-digit VIN that was probably installed in Canada (per their policies), though it's a JDM car. Not sure if that helps in any way, though... Per this out of state purchase guide, the hard part seems to be the fact that a Verification of Vehicle (REG 31) form is required. I assume that's where an individual DMV employee could make a big difference?
What I was told, and there was no way around this, that any imported vehicle needs to comply to EPA regulations such as an EGR for diesels etc etc to be titled in CA. Unless older than 1966 or '64 I'm not sure. There was no way around it, after a few weeks I gave up.
Another thing my both "title guys" told me is that the DMV California is a "maffia operation" where the employees are instructed to misinform the public in order to get as much money possible out of them. They will never tell you the possibilities to get around "back-fees" for instance, or tell you that when you are a collector of classic cars, and a car wasn't on non-op, you still do not have to pay these "back-fees". This is a simple form they should hand you, but they won't.
I see a lot of imports being registered in FL first.
I think there is some kind of trend there. It's probably way easier to register an import in that state and then take it to a different one. I would ask the DMV, before the purchase, if I can register a diesel car from FL. I believe it needs to be registered there for at least 6 months (I mayy be confused about the 6 months deal, as I remember in the past brand new cars which were 48 or 49 state legal had to be brought in CA as a used car... at least 6 months old---Jeep Grand Cherokee was one of them).
As I stated previously, I have a friend who brought a Grand Cherokee diesel from Canada, it was probable 2 years old at that time, but he was able to register the car here in CA. It was more difficult to get it pas the border control (legal complication in ownership, the original owner passed away, they had to prove ownership of the car, etc) than to actually register the car in CA.
So, I guess there still is a way to do it.
I think there is some kind of trend there. It's probably way easier to register an import in that state and then take it to a different one. I would ask the DMV, before the purchase, if I can register a diesel car from FL. I believe it needs to be registered there for at least 6 months (I mayy be confused about the 6 months deal, as I remember in the past brand new cars which were 48 or 49 state legal had to be brought in CA as a used car... at least 6 months old---Jeep Grand Cherokee was one of them).
As I stated previously, I have a friend who brought a Grand Cherokee diesel from Canada, it was probable 2 years old at that time, but he was able to register the car here in CA. It was more difficult to get it pas the border control (legal complication in ownership, the original owner passed away, they had to prove ownership of the car, etc) than to actually register the car in CA.
So, I guess there still is a way to do it.
hoser
SILVER Star
^^^ sounds like your friends Grand Cherokee was originally sold in Canada and was also already FMVSS compliant... just like Canadian spec BJ60/BJ70's. The vehicles having registration issues are the ones which were originally sold in markets outside North America.
It's looking really unlikely that I can get this car properly registered in CA without doing something shady. Specifically, the only real thing standing in the way is that you do need to have a US Federal Certification Label (i.e., EPA sticker) that a DMV employee or someone qualified can check out. The car does have a 17-digit VIN, and it has well over 7500 miles, and is older than 1998, so it doesn't need to meet California's stricter standards for diesel cars. The only alternative is you can get a letter from the manufacturer, saying that the engine meets EPA standards, which sounds unlikely to happen.
If you really want it, try to register the car in a different state.
If after a while you can't register the car in CA, so be it. Keep it registered in the other state and show your middle finger to Sacramento. A lot cheaper too, I guess.
If after a while you can't register the car in CA, so be it. Keep it registered in the other state and show your middle finger to Sacramento. A lot cheaper too, I guess.
I'm thinking about getting a TownAce/ MasterAce, too. Did you have to do any alterations to the engine to get your TownAce titled in CA, or was it all just vin number red tape?
