chrisjbell

Yeah, good point...

It is possible to keep an older car here. I've got my '80 928 and an '85 Jag XJS and when the engines are well maintained and running right they pass emissions with flying colors.

Welcome to California! Do figure out a way to get the car here and take it on a drive up the PCH. That'll help offset some of the hoops you have to jump through... it is a beautiful place so take advantage of the benefits.

Ducman82

when i was stationed at vandenberg i LOVED the PCH. my wrx and i had a great time!

eijun

Well you could pick a cheap place then take the train/bus to work. Transportation in LA/Irvine is the best in Southern Cal.

Just keep out of state plates. I do recommend doing a non-reporting smog to test if your car is running prefect or not.


Oh here is some food places if you want to test things
Food wise:
Torrance is Japanese central (near AFB) + Little Toyko
Monterey Park is Chinese central (extends to north and east too) + ChinaTown
Garden Grove is Vietnamese central (with some in Monterey and eastward)
Central LA is Korean central
Mexican Food and American food is everywhere

That and your kinda close to 928Int & Greg's Shop

Speedtoys

BC

SoCal has seasons - we just got rid of the ****ty ones. LOL.

dr bob

Sounds like the LA south-bay 'space coast' complex is the AFB. I can see it from my house when the basin isn't too hazy. The bad newz is that it can be an hour-plus drive there on a weekday morning. The good newz is that the light-rail goes there, hubs downtown, opening the door to lots of living-location options.

Ducman82

from the talking we have done with other service members, we are leaning on base housing at Fort McArther done in san padro. 1800 sq ft, 2 car garage , 3/4 bed, 2.5 bath for 3k a month, which is what the AF gives us for rent. cant find that kind of deal anywhere... LOL

30 min commute for Sarah, 40 min to Gregs! He he he

mickster

I thought you were required to have a gun in LA?

danglerb

When we had family stationed at LA AFB they lived in Fort McArther, its good and bad like all places. Part of it is WWII era used for community meetings, but other parts I've heard are very nice.

Both my 928's got smog check notices that require a STAR rated inspection station. What I was told was that it isn't easy to get the certification, and ONE screw up and the tech is out, so the visual is very careful. Next week or two my 85 Euro will be going in, last time it barely passed NOX, but its got a free MAF and seems to run great right now, so keeping fingers crossed.

Ducman82

its seems pretty nice from what we can tell. the housing is pretty new. we plan on getting another car while there, so the shark will be for fun on the weekends. :-P

Im sure they will pass just fine! we have faith!

S4ordie

You are right drbob. All the known aerospace companies are nearby as well as the lesser, though probably more important "black/dark" companies. I did a lot of work with the Aerospace Corporation http://www.aerospace.org/ All the Boeing (old Hughes Space and Communications) stuff is there in El Segunda as well. One of the most dangerous places to live in the U.S.

2 Major refineries on the South, Larges waste water treatment facility in the U.S. to the west, LAX to the North, South Central (Watts/Compton) to the East. Oh, and a major fault line runs right under the city. Someday, something bad will happen there.

Duc - Ft. Mac is a great place. The area is super with lots within distance. Only problem is getting out of town is 70 miles any direction except West - need a boat for that. LAAFB is a cush assignment.

rnixon

I cycle, so I like clean air too. When I've modified cars in the UK, they've always been very well maintained and passed the emissions test with flying colours.

When politicians get involved, they make rules that are not linked to the actual goal. The intent, which I agree with, is to keep emissions low, so why not just have that tested? A visual inspection to check for dirty mods is fine (e.g. venting to atmosphere), but requiring CARB executive orders for modifications that can be tested with an emissions test is obstructive.
They do in the UK. Typically, there are good policies available through car clubs with companies that understand that owners that modify their cars and are in a club typically take better care of their cars - they have more invested in them.

Koenig928

Hey Duc,
I'm active duty USAF also. I'm sure you and your wife already know this, but just remember, your legal residence (domicile) choice is protected under Federal Law, it basically means you can declare whatever state of residency you wife does. Plus the law was ammended several years ago to give additional protections to the spouse (you).

So yes you both can keep out of state licenses and plates, but I would just double check with the MPF there on the local rules. Individual states try and tack on different exceptions to it. Here's the link, but looks like the newcomers page is down: http://www.laafbforcesupport.com/

I did exactly the same thing - put my wife's car in both our names and kept our Florida plates here in Nevada.

I've been to LA AFB, it's definetly a 'gucci' assignment! Good Luck!

Ducman82

We decided to have the movers take all of our stuff. now to decide if i want to drive the shark or ship it. big factor will be what the weather is like between ohio and Ca...... anyone ever make that trip at the end of march?

KuHL 951

Don't worry too much about it. I kept up-to-date Oregon plates on my truck for 2 years. I had established residency in Oregon (50% usage of the truck in Oregon) and I work part-time in California. I was checked in my driveway once because some do-gooder down the street reported it. I showed the local PD the OR registration with address, OR CCW, and an OR fishing license. They nicely said thank you and left mumbling about the idiot down the street.