There is often a lot of curious folks in CA that see vehicles that are non-conforming 49 state cars but have CA plates, so naturally they automatically think it is possible to do this or buy this from a seller or dealer out of the state and make it work.
It is not possible for non-Europa G500 and non MBUSA or MB Canada cars unless you follow the state's own CA-specific import requirements for gray market cars.
CA people please do not expect any seller outside CA to tell you if a car is going to be legal in CA. If you chose to live in that state, then you should do the diligence to research the rules and the costs. I see sellers being penalized for saying the wrong thing....guess what it's not the 49 state seller's responsibility to live by CA's crazy rules if they don't live there.
If the car does not have a CARB certification sticker, and you have not verified that sticker's specific number and its "attachment" to the car's VIN by calling CARB, it is illegal in CA. Sticker cost is $8500-$16,000, takes about 4 months.
That's the only answer. There are no "but what if's"
Don't expect sellers and importers to do this for you on gray market cars.
ONLY YOU, not an agent, or a dealer, or the seller, or an appraiser,BUT ONLY YOU "THE PROSEPTECTIVE BUYER" SHOULD PRE-VERIFY THE STICKER's LEGITIMACY with CARB on the PHONE!!
sorry for the all caps but hey if you recall one sentence from this thread that should be it.
Why?
Only THE BUYER can empower him or herself early on in a search for a G or whatever gray they are looking for that meets fancy. Also because it is not a dealer's job or seller's job to verify. That might sound unfair, but that's how it is.
US rules are used but in ADDITION to CA specific rules
Take note that just because USA rules say something, that means nothing for CA.
Tons of gray market cars are being brought in to the USA now and last couple years, more than I've seen since 1985 after which it was originally banned. Just look on ebay, the flood is insane, probably up 300% or more in 24 months now. I am not just talking Gwagens. Every marque has gray market models their fans seek overseas.
The line up at the CARB ref is getting long, so be prepared to be patient, wait, and take whatever time it takes. Some cars get done in 6 weeks others take 6 months. It all depends on demand and who's making the demand for tests. The good news is they are getting a lot of practice! The bad news is you need to be prepared to wait and it seems like extortion but its just the process, all off which is available for you to read about in advance on the CARB web site. CA did not seem to anticipate this sudden flood of importation (although they likely should have).
There are also tons of pages devoted to these rules on our club website forum, please search it and post your questions to those threads not to seller classified ad listings.
Following the rules gets ANY 49 state G 460 or 463 to be legal in CA.
It's really quite simple.
In the end the only question is, Does the car you have for sale have a State of California Air Resource Board certification sticker either in the door jam or on the driver's side of the dash frame?
Yes it does: proceed to next step
No it does not: Move onto the next ad
If Yes, call CARB and verify the cert using the VIN number, year, model.
Note to sellers: Having a buyer call CARB to verify your car will NOT BLACKLIST your car or put your car on any list just for checking. This has been asked many times before but there is not penalty for verification requests on gray market chassis in CA.
Last note: Even if the car you are buying or selling has a current California registration. YOU MUST NOW REALIZE THAT THE NEXT OWNER MAY HAVE PROBLEMS IF YOU DON'T HAVE A VERIFIED CARB CERTIFICATION.
If you have a petrol truck, it is easy to verify just by completing the required smog check, because Smog computer will block a Smog check if CARB cert is not attached that VIN in the Database.
cheers