Bringing a BJ74 into California from South Dakota

[ZRotheohv]

Hello! I am in the process of moving to California (one of the few not LEAVING the state) from South Dakota, and I'll be bringing my JDM 10/87 BJ74 with me. I bought it in 2012 in Chiba, Japan, and had it imported the exact month it turned 25. Since then it's been registered and titled in SD, but now I'm looking at the hoops to go through to register it here.

I've heard that having it titled in another state helps, but I talked to a lady at AAA and she said it'll still require an emissions sticker to get it registered. And the short VIN may make it a little more difficult. Apparently even US cars in '87 don't have stickers, but I just wanted to see what road blocks I may run into, and find out how to overcome them. When I go to the DMV or AAA I'd like to have as much ammunition as possible. Especially to avoid getting the VIN blacklisted.

I've read a lot of other forum posts, and it seems like it may be luck of the draw, but if anyone has any good tips on what may get me some Cali plates I would love to hear them. I'd like to speak intelligently at the DMV/AAA. Thanks!

 

[whitey45]

It’s luck of the draw, most dmv employees are brain dead! If you still have a place of residence in sd, my buddy here has a ranch in sd, and all his trucks have sd plates. Had them for 20 years now. It avoids the crazy fees here and smog compliance. Helps if you maintain a license there as well. Doubt you can jump through all the bs here!

 

[ZRotheohv]

I'm trying to do it the "right" way since I've heard rumors that cops will track out of state license plates. From what I've heard, it's only legal to have an out of state car here 6 months per year.

 

[Nas90tdi]

This is a long read and some of it is meandering BS by people who have no idea what they are talking about. But, it will give you some idea of the nightmare you are embarking on.

Defenders in California - Everything you want to know

So you live in California, and want to own a Defender? Great! The problem is, California has the strictest emissions regulations in the country, governed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). There is little to no room to escape these regulations, trust me people have tried. Here are...

www.defendersource.com

I had no imported vehicles the 4 years I had to live there. Just was not worth the hassle. I happily went back to buying them the minute I left.
AAA will just send you to the DMV, which is the biggest nightmare a person can conceive. AAA is great for straight registrations and transfers, but they aren't set up to do any of the required inspections to even bring a US model into the state.
Good luck either way.

 

[36brua]

Hi - I'm in the San Francisco area you didn't say what part of Calif you are headed to, but as said registration can be a challenge.
this group is here in Norcal but works throughout Calif. Does vehicle registration for a friend that has had some odd ones
don't be put off by the name! Middleman Liens talk with Marty office 650-557-0500
mbl 415 -305-5454. He is licences to do vin verifications etc.

Also we have BAR Bureau of Automotive Repair this is where the DMV would probably send you to have car checked /certified.
They have field offices at various Junior Colleges throughout the state.

Home page

The Bureau of Automotive Repair serves Californians through effective regulation of the automotive repair and Smog Check industry.

www.bar.ca.gov

Give them a call I've had fairly straight answers from them. you need an appointment to see aref. but you can go by a station and sometimes the ref can be helpful just answering some questions. Maybe not answers you will like but you will start to understand better
I've done 3 engine swaps on various vehicles and all are 'BAR'd" only way to go for legal registration and bi- annual smog chk. or you could 'handshake 'it. ie undertable there are services on line -from what I've been told.
I'd start with Middleman
GL