Smog rules info needed

[Dennis94XLT]

I'm looking at buying a 2005 Explorer 4X4 that was originally sold in Seattle Washington in March 2005. It was then sold at auction last month and is for sale in California. A check showed it has been through the smog test for California and it passed - but I wonder if I will end up with problems because the car didn't come with california emissions. Has anyone ever done this - and if so, did you encounter a lot of hassle with DMV over it being out of state when new?
Thanks,
Dennis

 

[dogfriend]

I haven't done it personally, but have known people who brought in out of state cars. You won't have any problem as long as all of the emission equipment is present and working - even if it has 49 state emission instead of Calif emission.

I bought a Toyota pickup once which was out of state and the catalytic converter was removed. I bought it from a dealership and they told me that it passed smog. I called the CA Bureau of Auto Repair and they told me that it had to have all of the original equipment to be smog legal. I went back to the dealer and they eventually agreed to replace the complete exhaust system at their cost.

 

[spindlecone]

In Reality, there is no such thing as Calif smog legal, is nothing more than a decal.
All cars made for the 50 state US market are the same

 

[dogfriend]

In Reality, there is no such thing as Calif smog legal, is nothing more than a decal.
All cars made for the 50 state US market are the same

Yeah, actually I was going to add this to my post but forgot to mention. I think almost all new cars and trucks are 50 state legal now. So there isn't any difference between a truck from WA and CA with regards to emission equip.

Wasn't always that way - my 82 Toyota truck was 49 state emission which was slightly different than the CA version.

 

[spindlecone]

The confusion of the term, Calif Smog legal, go's back to the late 70s when kali cars had to be equiped with a smog pump, the only state to require one.
A few years later kali also req. cats.
About 1980 the feds (EPA) deemed that all cars meet kali standards.
Thus good or bad all cars today meet Kali standards