I have been getting a wide range of advice on how I could actually get a CRD here in California. Does anyone here have detailed info on how I could end up driving a CRD here under the CARB regulations?

The most popular thing I hear is that I cannot register a CRD unless it has more than 7500 miles on it. Is this correct? I tried looking through the DMV regulations and just really got more confused...

Thanks for any help,


Loyal

I don't live there but I understand that you can not register a diesel in Kaliforia unless it has at least 7500 miles. Check out freds tdi site and ask there.

Fred's TDI site?

I googled this but got nothing. Can I have another clue?

There are supposedly three loopholes you can get it into CA.

1) it is gifted to you
2) 7500 miles, used vehicle
3) you went on vacation somewhere and you bought another vehicle to replace your current one because it (a) broke down beyond economical repair, or (b) was stolen

A decent plan (verify with the DMV first) is to drive a real junker down to your dealer and time it to have the engine explode, driveshaft disintegrated, car catches on fire, etc. right outside of the dealer ....

_________________
DIRTY KJ :: flickr photostream
"Primitive life is very common and intelligent life is fairly rare ... some would say it has yet to occur on Earth" --- Stephen Hawking

#1 won't get you past the 7,500 mile thing - only through inheritance or divorce.

Loyalp, I'm in the process of figuring this out myself. You basically have 2 options like dirtykj said:

1) Wait till some start showing up on the used market. A vehicle w/ over 7,500 miles is considered "used" and so you can bring it in to Cali assuming it complies w/ Federal regs (is legally available for sale in the wider US). This is definitely the least risky method

2) From the CARB site: http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/NonCAVeh/NonCAVeh.pdf

As a California resident, you may register a new out-of-state vehicle
certified to federal emission standards only if you:

a) obtain it as part of an inheritance or divorce
settlement
b) purchase it to replace your California registered vehicle
that was stolen while out-ofstate; or
c) purchase it to replace your California registered vehicle
that was destroyed or became inoperative beyond reasonable
repair while out-of-state.

When you apply to register the vehicle, you must show proof - such
as a court order, police report or repair invoice - that you qualify for an
exception.

So I thought about buying a $200 car off craigslist with the ad "Need car, must make it to Reno!" but it's a tangled mess. Normally if you own a vehicle for less than a year, the DMV gets "use tax" (sales tax) from you, even if you paid in another state. Supposedly there's a way to get a credit in Cali on what you paid in the other state but it seems like a pain to me.

So I'm thinking of buying one back in Oklahoma and just avoiding the cops until I hit 7,500 miles. But I would hit the 'use tax' issue above. However, you're exempt from 'use tax' if the vehicle is a gift from a family member. so I'm thinking I'll have my parents 'buy' a CRD in Oklahoma, I'll drive it until it reaches 7,500 (if I get pulled over it'll be in my parent's name), then they'll 'gift' it to me and I'll reg it here.

I'm going home for T-Giving so I'm hoping to be able to test drive a CRD while I'm there.

Why do we live here again?

_________________
Chris
Current:
2007 Steel Blue Metallic Grand Cherokee CRD Limited
GDE Eco Tune and DPF delete
CB Engineering DPF delete pipe
EHM

Past (sold to Mountainman):
2005 Patriot Blue Liberty CRD Limited

stupid california

-Burchie

_________________
- Burchie

Just saw a Jeep CRD sport on Ebay - locetd in TX with 14K on the clock.

Item number: 4572992302

Thanks for the info guys. I'm thinking my dad in Nebraska would like to gift a CRD to me for XMas.


Lived here in CA for 12 years. That's about 12 years too long...