Guest iamjackal Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Okay I was reading the posts earlier about legality of motors in california cars. See I was a smart little monkey and got into Injection Molding as a career so jobs are fairly prevalent and well paying. Being the single unmarried no family fella I am I decided its time to move out of this area.Im looking at jobs in both cali and colorado and would prefer to live in CA but I do wanna build my car. Will my 71 be legal there with any american motor I choose even without smog equipment. As I understood 73 and older is fully exempt of emissions laws am I correct.If so then Im going to sell my other 3 z cars and only keep the 71 to build. Sorry so long a post and for you guys living there is the cost of living as outragous as I hear. I dont need a house just one huge garage, thats all I want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Most of us that are living in Cali are looking to get out. Its a hard decision to make because Cali is actually a cool place, but when you start thinking of all the taxes, the new smog laws, the new registration laws, tax on a home you already own!, and the type pf people that have been frequently packing themselves shoulder to shoulder into this state and the great big cities we have......sheesh Ive just been thinking a lot lately that raising a child in Cali is not the *best* idea. I might be wrong. If you are looking for some kind of relief, i would not come here to Cali. This place takes a toll on ya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest iamjackal Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 I see your in long beach so that would explain the big city. And yeah Im a country boy myself so I was looking further into Northern California hopefully not so jam packed with people, but I have no clue. I plan on flying out and renting a car just to make sure Im not making a huge mistake. I think now I live an ideal location to raise a family but Im only 23 and I wanna get out, though like all my friends who left Im sure I will come back someday. thanks for the info though mr karey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Northern California is beautiful. I was just hinting the large cities are really stressful and crowed, not to scare you off any. There are places in Southern California that are just absolutly gorgeous and i would love to be there all day, and all night, but unfortunatly they are out of the price range for an average joe. I do recommend if you come to a big city, try to stay no more than 3 miles in from the beach, or check out some nice hillside communities. The farther you go inland, the neighborhoods become less cared for and SOME (not all) people that live there arent very desireable people. Greimann lives about a mile from the beach, and Tim240z lives on a hillside by LAX, im sure they can add a little taste of LA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Unless you move out to the sticks (which pretty much will put you out in the desert because the westside is completely built up) you won't find anything of significant size. If you do, expect to pay well into the 800k to $million for house. Point of reference: In my town (El Segundo...directly south of LAX airport) you can't touch a 2 bed 1 bath for under $500,000.00, and usually into the 6s. As for your swap: even if it is pre1975 (74 and older) and doesn't require a smog TEST, it is still illegal to swap in a motor without telling the State. If you do tell the State, you have to take the car to a referee station to have the swap certified, thus ALL smog equipment from the donor car has to be in place. Like David said: the weather is great all year, but other aspects of CA really suck. I too, would leave CA in a heartbeat if I could find a job as good as the one I have now. Hope this Helps! BTW, I believe that CO is just as expensive and strick (emissions). Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest iamjackal Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Many thanks again for the info fellas, and sorry to post with what seems another ignorant question on this. I can see from where you guys are at housing is far from reasonable- well reasonable it actually is for how nice it is in CA.I would expect long beach to be pricey as well something that close to LAX just as far as the location goes.But are the not so crowded areas so expensive as well. Like where Im at now im making 45 grand which is really good for the crappy small town Im in.Its ridiculous how guys fought with me like it was war to get my job. And for roughly the same job is paying close to 65 in CA which I realize is do to the cost of living etc. I know alone I probably cant make it out there but my brother would most likely be coming with me(CPA) though he doesnt look like one. Do you guys think two gomers could live comfortably out there sharing a house on rougly 100,000 a year. Sorry again to be so persistent, just wanna see if this seems feasible. Btw that really sucks I still have to get my car certified. Smog eq. is so gonna to kill my power and plans, those B*stards. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Ok here is my $.03 (yes things are more expensive out here including advice ) I moved to California when I was 25, and don't regret a minute of it. From what you describe, you and a roomate could find a reasonably nice rental and swing the $1500 to $2000 rent would take to get into a condo or something. Tim, Dave and myself are all talking bout the southern California area. Major metorpolitan areas are always going to be more expensive that the boonies, but here is where the jobs are. Don't let Tim scare you too much about the smogh thing. '74 and older are exempt from inspection, although like Tim said, it is technically illegal. Heck, he is building an illegal car as we speak! Most don't worry about being caught because the chances are so remote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Jackal, To get the whole setup to be legal, swap a smog equipped V8 from 1973-1976 into your Z with and don't leave off any smog stuff. You can get the refs to buy off on this as long as the motor is in good shape and the smog stuff actually works. You'll get a special plate identifying the car as a V8 legal car. Once that happens, tear out all the smog stuff and go for it--no more annual inspections. Keep in mind that the smog is supposed to stay on the car, but no one is looking IMO with no biannual inspections... In the rare event you happen to get caught, slap the smog equipment back on. Just my opinion and food for thought. BTW, I'm SERIOUSLY considering moving to Texas--no lie. I can buy three times the house on acreage and have it PAID OFF 100% if I do it.... Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 it's even cheaper than that. in norcal, and this is in the middle of silicon valley, craigslist.org shows a ton of places being rented out for sub 1500 range for a townhouse/condo. I'm looking at this stuff myself right now, but in truth.... One can buy a house and pay much cheaper mortgage in other states. California is a catch 22 place to live: beautiful but deadly in liberal laws and well...earthquakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid240z Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Hey watch what you are saying David, the fuzz is probably taping into the forum...LOL. You can still buy houses in CA for decent prices, well decent for these days. My wife and I are buying a house in a very good area of Whittier, CA. Escrow was supposed to close this week but some paperwork was delayed and it will hopefully close next week. Here is a link to a post about the house: http://hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=21545 Marcos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest iamjackal Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Okay that was what I was looking for so hopefully I will get see Cali afterall. Im not to worried about the smog inspection, that I can do. If I were to remove eq. after the inspection and were to be pulled over would I then be ticketed. Or is that kinda an iffy issue. They arent going to impound my car or anything are they. hell you guys are the ones who would know. Thanks again guys, I sincerely appreciate the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Don't let Tim scare you too much about the smogh thing. '74 and older are exempt from inspection' date=' although like Tim said, it is technically illegal. Heck, he is building an illegal car as we speak! Most don't worry about being caught because the chances are so remote.[/quote'] Hey Dave!! Ix Ney on the illegal eh! BTW...who's the pot calling the kettle black!! amazing how that carb sees a lot of shelf life between visits!! And I agree...don't worry about it if you have an older car...I was just pointing out the technicality! And if you want a decent garage, a condo or apartment isn't going to cut it. You could always rent a house for between $1500 and $5000, but IMO renting is wasted money....you're paying someone elses mortgage. Buy a house, pay less in mortgage payments than you would for rent on an apartment, and have a tax write off, and actually own somthing. The reason why I will always stay west of I-405 is because of the weather and air quality. Always nice, never really hot. The Valleys see temps in excess of 100* often...not for me. A/C will drive your electric bills sky high in CA, and the coastal air quality is generally always good. Keep in mind I'm refering to So. Cal. I have no experience with No. Cal. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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