Searched "smog test" with no results. Will be coming to LA by next February and thinking ahead of it all......have a 87 spider with no mods except a home made AAV valve (choke cable/heater line valve). Whats the deal with smog testing out there? Do I have a good chance to pass? If not, man, Im gonna have to store the car at home in FL...
As a student, or member of the US Military, he wouldn't need to register; he even can pay his taxes as a Non-Resident. However, anything he makes, part-time or otherwise, while in California is taxable income; you need a tax advisor if he has capital gains or dividend income..... Even golfers that live in Florida pay California income tax on their winnings for tournaments that are held in California.
But if he has a full time job, he's a resident, and needs a Cal drivers license and auto registration, insurance (must have proof of insurance with a California address to register a car), etc.
Wouldn't worry about it too much. Do it when he can. Never heard it was illegal to make money in California if you weren't a resident, its possible though. Plenty of people not residents, making money here. Pay the state taxes on money earned here and it shouldn't be a problem. There are people who are Bi-coastal, working here and other states, full time or otherwise. If he wants to stay in California as his permanent residence, he will need to get it done eventually, but the few days the state says you have to do it in is ridiculous. The state won't go out of the way to hunt him down and deport him.
Thanks, Robert and shadow. He is there to stay, I believe. Sure, he will pay taxes....probably automatically deducted at work. Will have to register car soon, I feel.
S Cal is nice.....I as there for a few days in Feb. Traffic is the only thing. 1/2 hr to go 6 miles....LOL.
Guess no where is perfect. have to go where work is basically. For the movies its Burbank and surrounding.........
The one that matters most is insurance. If he maintains an out-of state registration and insurance and gets a Calif. paycheck, his insurance company could deny a claim - he'd probably get a lower insurance rate, and they don't like that. The state and all insurance companies trade data...
Similarly, the state is jealous of it revenue. They won't come looking, but if he gets a ticket, the Man might figure it out. Not worth the hassle. Besides, California is a nice place to belong to. Lower taxes than New York City....
Thaks again, Robert, for your personal insight. Good point- madderafac, maybe tommorrow, I wil call my auto ins agent (she is a good agent/friend), and see what she also thinks. Youre right- who needs to gamble when a claim arises. Bad enough he has an alfa to worry about...lol
But, I dont get what you mean by the state is jealous.the man will figure it out. Who, the sheriff? Whats the state of cal got to be jealous about (you mean insurance status being Florida? where we should be giving the insurance business to Calif agents?)
I meant registration. A portion of the registration is a property tax; the rest helps run the DMV. That's State Income! If you live in So Cal and are not registered, there are a lot of penalties, as well as the back-due fees. We have a lot of Arizona and Nevada cars that use a business address in those states to avoid the tax. For an old car like an 87 Alfa, there is not much tax in the registration, so it's cheap (my 79 Truck is only $75 total fee plus tax). For new cars, the tax portion can be substantial (over $1000 per year), hence folks buying new cars in Las Vegas or Phoenix.
Moving to Southern California with 87 Spider, Need Advice
I had my 2003 Santa Fe smogged in February and it was $87 without having to pay the $10 for the certificate that is electronically filed with Sacramento because I had a coupon for the certificate.
Glendale is generally higher for everything than the area that I live in.
Thanks for the tip/your experience, Cheryl. I have say, about 3-4 stations I can choose from in Glendale, Ive found (figured I can just google smog testing Glendale). Guess I can simply call them to ask them- should be easy. Wish me(us) luck. I heard as long as you do have a CAT, headers should not be a big deal (crossing fingers).........LOL
Dang, went for a pre test and failed. Glad we did do a pre test, though (thanks Robert, for that recomendation!) Said it was probably running rich. Off to the alfa mechanic.........Hope it doesnt need a cat...
I didn't have the time to read all 9 pages of responses. But...
I have a 76 Alfetta. Yup needs smog and a cat. A simple one, but it needs it. I got mine at a muffler shop. It was a generic, but they had one that was close in size, shape and color. It was a lot less money than a brand-specific item. btw- It still passes smog with a "cheap" cat.
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