ontario to california... trying to work out details

I'm going to be moving to the Bay Area next week - the car has already been shipped out there, and is waiting for me to pick it up in a lot. Hopefully there's no flood damage... hah.


My 92 nsx was purchased in PA, then exported into Ontario 2 years ago.

I'm just trying to figure out what I have to do DMV and inspection wise with the car...

Can I do the smog inspection BEFORE going to the DMV the first time? How do I know if I need a Star smog inspection, or a normal one?

NSX a good daily driver out there? I've only been there for 1 day, for an interview...

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Ah... after looking into it a bit more, it looks like I'll need a CA title and temp registration to get the smog test done, so DMV visit, then smog, then another dmv visit

We can give you more precise help if we know what city you're planning to live in (not to be confused with where you will work). DMV branches around here vary wildly in wait times and service levels.
Your 92 NSX will be a fine daily driver, with the appropriate tires; choose ones that perform well in both dry and wet. No snow around here. But if you have a substantial commute ahead, be aware that the freeways here are as jammed as the 401, and a crap commuter will be a good addition to your stable.
As for smog, a 92 will almost certainly need a Star test-only, and may not pass the first time (IAT, cats, etc; look around on prime). You can probably avoid the second DMV visit and do the final stuff by mail or internet.

Nice, thanks for the help.

The highways can't be as bad as the Toronto Gardiner... they lowered that to 2 lanes this year, it was jammed up 24/7.
As for the smog, my car is mostly stock - oem cats too. I figure I'll just clean the air temp sensor, put some 93+ octane gas in it, and redline it all the way to the testing center to heat up the cats...

This will be an adventure!

neonshaun said:

The highways can't be as bad as the Toronto Gardiner... they lowered that to 2 lanes this year, it was jammed up 24/7.

Click to expand...

Yes they can. 237, the main link from the East Bay to the South Bay (aka, where the houses are to where the jobs are) was similarly reduced to two lanes (in order to have a toll "express" lane that sits idle), adding at least 20 minutes to most commutes.

cmthomson said:

We can give you more precise help if we know what city you're planning to live in (not to be confused with where you will work). DMV branches around here vary wildly in wait times and service levels.
Your 92 NSX will be a fine daily driver, with the appropriate tires; choose ones that perform well in both dry and wet. No snow around here. But if you have a substantial commute ahead, be aware that the freeways here are as jammed as the 401, and a crap commuter will be a good addition to your stable.
As for smog, a 92 will almost certainly need a Star test-only, and may not pass the first time (IAT, cats, etc; look around on prime). You can probably avoid the second DMV visit and do the final stuff by mail or internet.

Click to expand...

I'll be in the el sobrante hills, but I'll be working in Emeryville.
Thats how far I had to go to find a detached place with a 2 car garage that didn't cost 50000000 a month to rent... without traffic, it looks like a 20 min commute... with traffic, 45 mins or more. Guess I'll be looking for a junker car - maybe an old miata for a few grand? Maybe a cheap bike for lane splitting...

neonshaun said:

I'll be in the el sobrante hills, but I'll be working in Emeryville.
Thats how far I had to go to find a detached place with a 2 car garage that didn't cost 50000000 a month to rent... without traffic, it looks like a 20 min commute... with traffic, 45 mins or more. Guess I'll be looking for a junker car - maybe an old miata for a few grand? Maybe a cheap bike for lane splitting...

Click to expand...

Oh man. 20 minutes at noon or midnight. Unless you're going to the very north end of Emeryville, count on much longer.
A few grand? Welcome to Facebook land! Plan on a lot more for anything you'd want to sit in. Or go out to Fresno to shop.
If you feel invincible enough to lane split, that's probably your best option.
But do drive the NSX at least for a little while. It will be safe, just tedious. It took me almost two weeks to decide to buy a commuter after my last job change.

Also, be aware California has strict time lines and big fines related to titles and licenses for people moving here. Check with HR or coworkers to avoid a messy situation.

cmthomson said:

Oh man. 20 minutes at noon or midnight. Unless you're going to the very north end of Emeryville, count on much longer.
A few grand? Welcome to Facebook land! Plan on a lot more for anything you'd want to sit in. Or go out to Fresno to shop.
If you feel invincible enough to lane split, that's probably your best option.
But do drive the NSX at least for a little while. It will be safe, just tedious. It took me almost two weeks to decide to buy a commuter after my last job change.

Also, be aware California has strict time lines and big fines related to titles and licenses for people moving here. Check with HR or coworkers to avoid a messy situation.

Click to expand...

I believe my work hours will be pretty flexible after a few months at this job.
I may be able to avoid a lot of the rush hour traffic...

but yea a few grand for a miata... that's why I needed a place with a garage. The last miata I bought was 600$:

http://imgur.com/a/fm79p

Thanks for looking out :smile:

neonshaun said:

I believe my work hours will be pretty flexible after a few months at this job.
I may be able to avoid a lot of the rush hour traffic...

but yea a few grand for a miata... that's why I needed a place with a garage. The last miata I bought was 600$:

http://imgur.com/a/fm79p

Thanks for looking out :smile:

Click to expand...

Hmm. Rush "hour" in the Bay Area is rarely less than three hours both morning and evening. You might consider BART. (My last commute, with flex time, was 1 1/2 hours each way for about 30 miles each way; a bicycle would have been faster, except the whole distance was freeway)

Nice restoration of the Miata. But getting one even that good around here will cost big bucks. Go to Kelly Blue Book, enter a local zip code, and have your barf bag ready.

wow, spent ~3 hours today at the dmv.

For the license, I just had to take an eye test, and the written test. They gave me a temp license since I already had an NJ drivers license via my history abstract.
Then they did the titling, a guy came around and looked at the car, checked the epa stickers etc.

After all that I had to take it to get it smogged. I called V at everyones recommendation, but he pretty much advised against making the journey all the way there (1 hr drive) if my car is mostly stock.

So, I took the temp sensor out and cleaned it, and cleaned the EGR pipe.

Passed with flying colors at a local smog place. They loved seeing an NSX there too...

HC - MAX allowed 114/89, MEAS 23/12.
CO - MAX allowed .73/.61, MEAS .02/.01
NO - MAX allowed 785/724, MEAS 165/180

Easy as pie. Going back tomorrow to spend another 3 hours at the DMV to turn in my old plates and get temps.