chrisdaniel1

I have found a nice candidate car in the simi valley area that I was hoping someone could look at for me. It has failed smog which is not a big deal for where I live but the owner does not want to drive it on the streets to a ppi. He also wants a quick sale and at the price he's asking there are several offers. I'd almost just take a chance based on pics and records but if there is anyone for who it is not inconvenient I'd love to know that at least it runs, shifts, engine is clean, etc. I probably have 2-3 days tops. Thx for looking.

Lizard928

AFAIK he cannot legally sell it in Cali without current smog.......

James Bailey

If sold in California the seller can be held responsible for what ever it costs to make it smog legal. But to recover you have to sue them (usually in small claims court) and then get a judgement and hope they have some assets.

jcb928

Cheers history and no rub strips BUT it does not have LSD

bronto

Sounds fishy. He can get a temp registration that will allow him to get it to a mechanic to check out. So it seems like a feeble excuse. Better be a great deal.

chrisdaniel1

I agree with all of the above and yes, it is the "cheers" car to my chagrin... That's why I'm not just mailing a check...

UncleMaz

PM sent.

neilh

If you were in CA, buy the car and get the seller to write it us a parts car, trailer it home, then go to DMV and get the transfer. Pay all the back fees, and either register it as non-op, or ask them for a 60 day temp permit beacuse you bought it as a parts car and need that time to fix and get smogged, etc. If it is a private sale it will work, dealer - no way!
Worked for me on my last 3 ( 2 of which were 928's).

Charley B

Why is the smog cert an issue if he is buying it and taking it to St Louis for registering?

danglerb

No matter where its going fixing a does not pass smog car is a roll of some BIG dice on final costs, unless you are ok with a 928 that doesn't quite run properly.

Specifically in California its a BIG hit in the resale value, and much harder to sell. Leo just bought a nice 83 in San Diego for $900 that wouldn't pass smog. Its currently getting a normal refresh all PM neglected cars need, but once running proved to have some shifting issues in the tranny as well.

Buying the car is NOT the hard part. Selling it is, because no matter how the transaction is done, how you word some contract, the buyer can dump the car or repair costs back in the sellers lap.

jeff spahn

You could wash it through another state couldn't you? It has been a long time since I have lived in CA. I don't ever plan to live in a smog check state so the smog equipment has been pulled off the car and put in a box.

dr bob

The Cali law is intended to keep non-compliant cars from being sold as drivers. If the car won't pass, the options are pretty limited-- Out of state sale or as scrap to a licensed dismantler. Adding "as-is" to a sales contract means nothing in the eyes of the state. If I buy car that won't pass smog as a fixer, I get a ration from the DMV when I try to just transfer the title, even if I want to keep in non-op. It's really cramped the resale market for "interesting" cars here.

James M's '85 Euro purchase price was biased down quite a bit by the seller's inability to sell the car here. He'd bought it, planned to flip it, but got seriously bogged down in the smog requirements. Finally ended up selling it for less than he paid for it, also eating all the costs of trying to get it to pass here in his process. The car moved on to James in Texas, where they are more lenient on older cars and emissions. Between the cam timing and getting good wires on it, it runs very strong now. Certainly a found gem. But left here, it would be parts on a rack in Anaheim.

chrisdaniel1

I appreciate everyone's thoughts. For Missouri no emissions is required, so I don't really care - other than is this an ominous sign of it's mechanical condition regardless.

JoeTaylor

No PPI = No Buyie...

mickster

Pardon my ignorance but what is a "cheers" car?