Hi everybody;
First post. My dad has a '96 Cherokee he bought brand new that he wants to give me. 242K miles, meticulously maintained. That said...it was bought new in Georgia and here I am in CA. He's got a check engine light on and may need a new catalytic converter. What's the general wisdom amongst you on my chances of this car NOT being able to be registered in CA, after any needed repairs? I spoke with CARB and the Auto Repair Board today and they both said it should be OK since anything with over 7500 miles on it is not considered "new", as long as it passes smog. I know the check engine light has to be addressed. If it's the cat, should I get him to put a 49-state cat on it for $60 or a 50-state cat for $250? I also see that there was a recall on these due to bad cats; maybe there's a free fix? Auto Repair told me if I had all paperwork showing the car was purchased out of state, a visual flag on the cat would be taken care of. But, I'd sure hate to drag the damn thing all the way out here and have The State tell me I can't get it registered. THANKS!

 

If it's '96 it should be OBDII, hook a code reader to it and see what it says. You can always get a pre-smog (doesn't run to the state database) for around $35 to see if it passes. Someone else might be able to help with the cat. I've heard that the only difference is the 50 state stamp on it, that's the price we pay for living in CA. I know there are ways around smog if you move into the state, but if I understand correctly you are already in the state, and the Jeep isn't? As the CARB and board said, if it passes CA smog then it should be fine.
Welcome to CF! What part of SoCal are you in?

 

Thanks, Jay. Yes, I'm in CA, moved here 34 years ago and it feels like I've been here about 10 years too long and the CA regulatory climate is one factor in that. I'm in the west SFV, Woodland Hills. If the cat needs replacing, since it's an out-of-state vehicle and will be for another couple of months, do you think it's OK to replace with whatever it came with [I'm assuming a 49-state cat]? Or, just to tip things further in my favor, should we put a 50-state cat on it? There's about a $200 difference in that question. Also, I've read that there was a recall on Cherokees around that vintage for cat converter defects. If my dad didn't take it in on that and it's an applicable VIN#, could he still get that replaced at the dealer for free under the recall? Georgia doesn't require smog check so when the mechanic told my dad it was the cat, he didn't bother fixing it.

 

I honestly can't answer any of your questions with 100% accuracy, so I'd rather not give 2nd hand info or thoughts. It seems there was a recall, read this http://www.jeep.com/webselfservice/pdf/E22.pdf
As far as I know there it no time limitations on a recall. Unless this is it "Your catalytic converter warranty period will be: (A) eight years or 80,000 miles from the vehicle’s original in-service date; or (B) twelve months or 12,000 miles from the date your recall service is performed, whichever of (A) or (B) is later."
A dealer should be able to run the VIN to varify if a vehicle is eligible.
I have read on bringing vehicles in from out of state a while back but can't remember the exact wording. You seem well aware of the multiple regulations in this state, and similar to gun laws (off topic, but relavent) it gets so confusing that even the people that are supposed to help are clueless half the time. I've gotten into multiple disputes at the DMV trying to register old motorcycles that have fallen out of the system. The maze of a DMV website should have info. I'll see what I can find.

 

There is a discrepancy in wording between a family transfer and an out of state vehicle. I don't see where it specifies a family transfer from out of state. From my comprehension, a smog check is not required for the title transfer within the state (as is standard in a sale), however it will still need to be smogged every two years as usual. I'd assume the DMV would consider this as an out of state vehicle, in which case it will need to pass smog in order to register.
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1...es/howto/htvr9

It's leg work, but I'd call a couple times with the exact same question, without stating what the last person said, get names, and make sure they understand exactly what you're asking.

 

I'd forgotten that some years ago, I brought a 1986 Honda Civic into CA that was originally purchased by my dad in Kansas. I had no issues registering that one. I'll get my dad to have the dealer run the VIN and see if we can get that check engine light taken care of on the recall. Thanks.