Registering Mazda CX-9 in CA if bought out of state

estavon

I bought an AWD CX-9 in Arkansas and drove it to California. I am a CA resident. Will it pass emission standards in the state of CA?

The reason I ask is that some cars delivered to states other than CA might not meet the CA emissions standards, as they are tougher than federal emission standards.

I gathered that info here:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffvr29.htm

I need to get it registered in CA and before I go in to the DMV and/or to get it smog tested, I wanted to make sure I'll be in the clear.

Please respond if you know if a new Grand Touring AWD CX-9 bought in Arkansas will pass CA emissions standards.

Thanks.

stever

Maybe you can post a photo of your emissions label so we can compare it to the illustrations on that CA DMV page? Your CarSpace page is a good place to host the photo for linking purposes.

carlitos92

I'm sorry, and I'm not meaning to be rude - but I just have to ask: Why would you buy a car outside of California, not even knowing if it meets state laws there? Seems like a bit of a risk, doing the research afterwards.

Just curious.

unixxus

Call Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. I am sure someone there will be able to get you an answer. I do believe that all CX-9 sold in the US meet California emissions, but don't take my word.

bdwelle

I had a similar question about buying a Honda Element outside of CA and bringing it back to CA. I called Honda customer service, and they said that they only sell one version of that vehicle in the U.S. So, good advice to simply call the manufacturer. Thx

maltb

The CX-9 is not a 50 state vehicle, so until you hit 20k miles, you can't register it in CA.

That's an expensive lesson.

c_rex

sounds like a good excuse for a road trip... or two... or more. :P

horseygirl

Just curious....why does having 20k miles on the vehicle make a difference? And, if it was considered a "50 state" vehicle, does that mean it would meet CA emission standards?

:confuse: !!

maltb

20k miles is CA's magic number. They use that to discourage people from going out of state to purchase new vehicles and avoid the emission regulations.

Yes, a "50-state" car meets emission standards in all 50-states. :P

pulleydog

Something else to keep in mind when buying a car out of state - especially if you are trading-in a vehicle toward the purchase of the new one. If your state only taxes you on the difference in price (Price minus trade-in) be sure to check to see if the selling dealer is registered with your registering state, or needs to be.

This probably varies from state to state, but this exact scenario almost cost me an extra $1150.00 in state sales tax (here in MA). And it's something I, nor anyone I have told about it since, even knew it existed. When I brought the paperwork to the Registry to register my new car, they asked me if the Dealer (who happened to be located in NY) was registered with the MA Dept of Revenue. I'm thinking; Why? and Who cares if they are?
She makes a call and finds out that they are not registered with the DOR and informs me that instead of paying sales tax on the price of the vehicle after my Trade-In, which was a balance of only $8000 - I had to pay sales tax on the full price of the vehicle - which was around $31,000. Instead of paying $400 in sales tax, they wanted to charge me $1550 in sales tax. WHAT?????

I won't get into what I did to avoid paying that full amount, but it was quite involved, and with no help whatsoever from the DOR or the Registry.

But, keep this is mind if you're planning to buy out of state, have a trade-in, and pay sales tax. This was nearly a costly lesson for me, but I'm sure others get bit by this and don't have the chance to correct it without paying the full tax.

datdude

A previous post states"20K" is the minimum mileage requirement needed before a non-Calif. certified (49 state cert.) can be registered in Calif. In fact, the mileage requirement is 7,500 miles according to the Calif. DMV website below:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/howto/htvr9.htm

The previous post is correct regarding the reason Calif. has this minimum mileage requirement which is to discourage bringing non-Calif emissions compliant vehicles into the state.