---- Dan Wink <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I work for a large organization (more than 200K employees in the US) and am > being asked to consider relocating to California. The package is pretty > attractive, however I am not feeling that the prospects of bringing my Miata > with me are very good.
Not sure where in California you're moving to, but if it's anywhere in the south, trust me, all the smog hassles are worth it. We have some of the most awesome twisty roads in the whole of the US here. Since you have a '90, you're actually a very good candidate for emissions tomfoolery. I'm not condoning outright fraud necessarily, but I happen to know that certain people around these parts have been known to go through (and pass) their smog check with both piggyback and full-replacement ECUs, along with a CARB sticker and paperwork that doesn't quite cover all of the mods they've done to their vehicles. Assuming you are well tuned and have a good catalytic converter, passing the tailpipe test is not difficult. The key point generally lies in finding a tech who is willing to take a somewhat casual approach towards the visual inspection. Generally, these stations are to be found in the seedier parts of town, and are usually just one bay and one guy with one old dog in the back, not the shiny, multi-bay shops with big signs and a pretty waiting room. And no, it's not considered good form to try to bribe them, you'll just know when you've found the right place as they'll smile when you drive up. If at all possible, make contact with the Miata club (or for that matter, any import car club) in the area you are moving to, track down the members whose cars are obviously problem cases, ask as for a reference. Of course, in your case you're in excellent shape, since you truly do have a nearly legal system. We only have to get tested once every two years, so even if you had to go back to a stock BEGI-3 configuration, it wouldn't be too much of a hassle. - Joe Perez in the Red '92 _______________________________________________ Miatapower mailing list [email protected] http://list.miatapower.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/miatapower
