25 year rule for California smog

[salvuhdor]

I have a 1991 E30. This year marks its 25th birthday. According to California legislations, A car 25 years or older it's considered a classic or antique and does not need smog certifications. Has anyone dealt with this before? How does this work?

Sorry if this was posted I am not that active on this site.

[f4tj0n]

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/vr/smogfaq

[blazinxpk]

You must be new to California.....

Smog exempt is 1975 or older.

[CENTURION]

^dang it's 75? I thought 70 or older.. nice, learn something new everyday

[J.Rizo]

You must be new to California.....

+1

cali laws + auto enthusiasts = worst combination in history ever.

[e30polak]

25 year rule applies to bringing grey market cars over though!

[Lee22]

My first VW bug was a 69, it was so pleasant that I never had to smog it

[Vincent Brick]

+1

cali laws + auto enthusiasts = worst combination in history ever.

Yet despite this, the car thing is bigger here than probably anywhere else in the country, from what I've seen anyway, and I've been around a little bit. As a former midwesterner, the clean shells, parts availability and general resources for the enthusiast even out the smog bullshit IMO. I consider the cost of a garage more of a detriment to enthusiasts than smog at this point.

[mr2peak]

25 year rule applies to bringing grey market cars over though!

I don't believe so. They still need to pass smog.

[Sauerbraten]

I must be the token old guy around here. I remember this change. The 25+ year exemption was a real thing until the late 90s. Then someone in power decided that their 75 cadilac should be exempt and their neighbor's 76 vega should be screwed. The rolling deadline was no more but it continues to live on as a fable of yore.

[mkcman17]

25 year rule applies to bringing grey market cars over though!

Still needs smog but even more complicated.

[BlackbirdM3]

The 25 year rule allows you to bring a nonUS car into the US. If you happen to be in a state that doesn't require specific smog, its not an issue. If you are trying to bring it into California, don't even bother. You need OEM California specific emissions equipment.

I learned just how hard it was to bring a California car back into California from Canada. The CA DMV are a bunch of idiots. They could see my car was first sold down in L.A., but they insisted that it was a Canadian car. The continued to insist that it was even after I sent pictures to them showing the VIN, and the CA smog sticker that was applied when it was new. This was after the local DMV visually checked the car out. It took 6 months of waiting for them to pull their heads out before they finally issued me plates.

Unless the car is Pre 1974, its not worth even trying to bring it into CA. The Gov't is making it nearly impossible to bring cars from outside CA back in.

Will

[mkcman17]

Even if a CA grey-market car leaves the state and comes back the process has to start all over.

[mr.vang]

Register your car in non-smog area in CA and you don't have to smog it. My brother have a friend up in Hogan Lake, so he doesn't have to smog his sr20 240sx.

[e30polak]

Register your car in non-smog area in CA and you don't have to smog it. My brother have a friend up in Hogan Lake, so he doesn't have to smog his sr20 240sx.

IIRC those areas require an initial smog to be able to register the car there. After that point it's not required.