nosnow

This is a typical letter. I have recieved several... you next license renewal with smog will require you to go to a Test Only Station, which of course costs more. I call it my V8 tax because everytime I have a car with a V8 I get the Test Only treatment. Even on my 06 Yukon....

On a side note I rec'd one of these letters while I owned a Mercedes 240D. The only time that car didn't smoke was when it was turned off!

White Lightnin'

Then they'll have your DNA... and you'll be totally screwed!

Next thing you know... we'll have a bunch of Mongo clones running around and RL will have to assign your new user name as Mongo #1...

Andre Hedrick

Have you actually met Mongo/Andy?

It is bad enough that he is going to breed, but clones would be amazing in SF!

White Lightnin'

You're right, I hadn't thought about what could happen if SF was taken over by Republicans! Then, it might be a decent place to live or visit.

Mongo

Yup I'm the John Connor of the Republican Party. Come with me if you want to live!

JHowell37

Maybe out there on the west coast, things are a little different with metrosexual culture, but I've seen DR fully dressed. I damn sure don't want to see him strutting around the pool in a thong, or otherwise tight, skimpy outfit.

Okv

Let me see if I understand this - the letters are actuallty sent from an official source?

I once thought of the US as the land of freedom where opportunities exist..

Bill51sdr

Yes, the letter was most likely from the People's Republik of Kalifornya.


It's getting THAT bad here.

Andre Hedrick

Fixed Ya

White Lightnin'

A couple of hundred years ago... it was.

Now, we are taxed for probably 10 times more things than what we considered unbearable enough to start a revolution from England for.

And, our freedoms are being replaced slowly by ever-restrictive legislation "for our protection". For the protection of those in power, more like it.

We are taxed when we make money, taxed when we spend it. Taxed to be able to drive. Taxed to put gas in the car. Taxed if the state thinks our car 'smokes' (as Mongo's thread eludes to).

Okv... got any relocation deals to Norway?

S4ordie

You are correct on this Jim. I received a forwarded letter from the State of CA, probably the same as Andy's. Nothing more than a mass mailing to owners of cars that are older than 20 years. Thinking goes these are the gross polluters so offer them an incentive to get them off the road. I will say there are a lot of beaters that are being turned over for the money.

Andy, is this what you got in the mail? If it was a specific complaint against your car I'd be irritated too.

I've only read through page three of the posts so perhaps all of this moot by now.

I do like the UK MOT inspections. Ten times more strict than anything in the U.S. There are no beaters, smokers, bent up held together with duct tape cars on the road there. I wish the same were true here.

tailpipe

Only $650 for you 928? it did say porsche didn't it? I would be sending them a letter back sayin its a porsche not a pinto add 3 more zeros on that number then we will considder trading it in on a panzymobile. Sounds to me like the carbon problem is coming out of some of these ppls mouths I think they have cats that will fix all that hot toxic air they are spewin. They don't seem to be smart enough to see that the carbon footprint on buying a new cars is 100 times what driving a used car of any type is.

S4ordie

Most 80's cars on the road in CA are gross polluters and unsafe. Even the ratted out Honda's are blowing blue smoke and have bad brakes, bald tires, etc. Not all, but most. I say do anything to get them off the road.

If you know your car is well maintained, runs as clean as possible, is safe, then obviously that letter does not apply.

Nicole

+1

I'd be happy to take that inconvenience over the dangerous clunkers with bald tires that I see around me. I consider those just one more reason why we have (and kind of need) our ridiculously low freeway speed limits.

I've been away from good cold Germany for 16 years, but I still maintain my cars as if I had to take them to the TÜV every two years.

S4ordie

Oh but it is. It just should not be at the expense of health and safety for others. Individual actions that are a detriment to the majority should be contained.

In defense of California, I grew up there so I have some right to this opinion, it has been and still is the leader in the world for many things that seem obvious now but were truly revolutionary when first implemented.....

Seat belts
Child restraint systems
Emission Systems
Clean Air Regulations
Air Bags
Smoke Free zones
Third brake lights
etc.....

I can tell you at the time all of these, now commonly accepted, things plus many more, were argued heavily against. Today I can't imagine driving any new car without any of these features (auto related on the list). The air in Los Angeles is soooo much cleaner today than it was when I grew up. It is very rare to have a Stage 1 smog alert. We used to average several Stage 3s in a single summer month.

So I am not so down on California in regard to a program to get junk cars off the road. If that is interpreted as too much government, then I guess I am for it in this isolated case.