Calif 964 owners: import from out of state?
 

Hi. I am looking to purchase a 93 964 in TX and bring it to CA. Will I have any smog or registration issues? Thanks much!

I am sure I will be corrected If I am wrong, but here goes: A used car can be brought into the state of California if it has more than 7,500 miles on it. Have the seller fax a copy of a current smog report and take it to a California smog location and see if it would pass. If that fails, I just had my 91 smogged (but she has been a so cal car all her life.) Once you get the smog certificate you will need proof of insurance, bill of sale, Signed title and a check for the DMV. BTW go to AAA to register the thing and avoid the flea market at the DMV.

SMS,

Check out the California DMV site to see the procedure for registering an out of state car.

California DMV

California Air Resources Board page on Buying an Out of State Vehicle

Good luck!

-- Melissa

All 964 series cars sent to the U.S. were 50 STATE LEGAL. I found this out when shopping for mine. :)

All: thanks for the input. A 1993 964 is on it's way from Texas to CA. Verified it is a 50 State car. Can't wait for it to get here!!

Dear Jeff,
You statement is not accurate I am afraid. Only from sometime in the 1991 model year onwards. In 1989 and 1990 there was a C03 or Californian version and the C02 or rest of USA version. In the 1991 model year it was changed but the exact time is not known. There are a number of 964 owners on this board with California only versions. I suggest a read of the 964 Carrera maintenance manual is in order. This is explained along with the set up for the 2 different US versions. Fuller details can be found in the archives, or in my book,
Ciao,
Adrian
911C4

PS: the California models also have a different type number to the rest of the USA models.

I agree, my statement was incorrect, it was a slight error on my part...I am aware of the "50 state legal" cars that began in 1991, I was shopping for a '92 or greater, but wound up with a good deal on a '91. So I had made a blanket statement, as they say in VB, "my bag". :D

I think it's important to note that there are no performance differences between a California and non-California 964 (other than the grade of gas :mad: ). Same hp, both use a cat., etc., regardless of model year. I remember helping Jeff before he bought his car, and believe this was his (and the typical) concern.

Adrian, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the only thing the California model had that 49-state cars didn't is a functional check-engine light.

I haven't read every reference at the DMV site Melissa linked, but I can't imagine the DMV having any problem with importing a 964 from out of state simply because it doesn't have the functional check-engine light--although it would surely have to pass smog/visual inspection. Better yet, the $300 charge for bringing cars from out of state was repealed a few years ago.

Dear Randall,
The Californian models had originally different DMEs and they were also configured differently. Difference in performance I do not believe anyone can actually say one way or the other. You would also be surprised at the range of "standard HP" differences I have discovered. I have never mentioned performance differences between CO2 and CO3. Any such statement would be pure assumption. The CO3s were the first to be fitted with "Check Engine Lights" but this quickly went USA wide when the -03 DME became more available.
For the rest of your post I really cannot comment. I do not know Californian law. However I have helped a number of CA 964 owners and their emissions failures problems.
Ciao,
Adrian
911C4

Hi Adrian,

No argument here ;) ... mainly wanted to point out that (per Porsche) California 964s didn't get shorted on power, like some car models did in the 70's and 80's. I believe this is typically what matters to people most ....

Hello e'body !

I totally agree with Randall ! Porsche is trying to have exactly the same power or emissions for each country. There's a specific model for the US (fyi, in Europe we have the same model (for the 964, in Germany, in France or in Italy) but it's exactly the same IN the US. That's true since the 3L2 model...
Best regards,
Dan