Can anyone tell me if a 1998 Rover Mini Sport Pack registered as a 1978 from out of state will pass CA smog test? Can anyone give me advice.

 

i dont live in california so cant speak for CA emissions.

before a flame war starts about the legality of re-vins and keep your Q&A civil, is the car currently in the US (or CA) or are you considering importing said car into the US/CA?

 

The car is right now in Washington DC. It is currently registered in that state. I want to bring it to CA and register it under my name. I know that to transfer ownership the car should undergo smog. The car is equipped with efi and electronic ignition and other modern amenities.

It is a beautiful car and well maintained.

 

ok, that is a good start with it already being here in the US.

first check out http://www.minimania.com/Cars4Sale_list.cfm
see if there is a car already in CA that you might be interested in. looking locally will save you shipping cost and the hassle of getting a CA title. there are cars marked as "SOLD" with that are titled later than a 1978 but may have been sold out of state.

are you after an MPi or a car that clean? you may want to post the link to car or the price and what you are looking for and others may be able to help you find a car closer to you in your price range.

 

If it's running right it should pass smog.

Just keep the year info of the car to yourself, and don't be posting it around. You'll be better off in the long run.

 

I can't recall the actual rule but there is something about bringing an older car into California from out of state. I do recall that in the best of situations it can be very difficult.

That aside, I think it is very unlikely that an MPI will get through a smog test if it has any sort of emissions portion.

 

exactly where i was going with asking if it was out of state... my best advice (as an owner of a re-vin (i believe), shop around and buy a legitamite Mini with a CA title and not have to worry about it. for what a MPi typically cost, you can buy a late 70s/early 80s Mini (or earlier) for no problem at all. MPi's are plagued with issues and the latest Mini you want to buy here in the states is an SPi. You're better off with a carb model as you can get the support you need here. you cant exactly pull an MPi up to even an import shop and run a scan tool for diagnostic issues with it.

tall mini, you still have your convertible and running around charlotte? i knew it was for sale but wasnt sure if you had any luck selling it? you ever show up to any of the tar heel mini club events or ride solo? (sorry if im thread jacking).

 

Some good advice here

- don't mention the re-vin ... ever .... when appropriate call it a 98 and a 78 when better. But don't try to pass an injected model as a 78 when asking for technical advice as classic purists will call you out on that.

- I lived in CA for a while (stationed there) b4 I got into Mini but I recall "the rules were different there" . . . As I recall the biggie was that altho US and most states kicked in certain exceptions for collector/classic cars at 20 years CA was longer .... 30 maybe? First thing I'd do is check with DMV and who ever does the emissions testing and just ask when the rules are for a 30 year old car . . .

EDIT - that wasn't hard, I googled CA emissions testing and found that a vehicle manufactured b4 1975 (as of this date), or 35 years old, is exempt from CA em' testing ....

So sorry, I guess that's no help for you

So your potential problem is this, if the car fails you are in a corner so far as where to take it to get the problem fixed as the computer gizmos in that 98 require diagnostic tools that are seldom found in the US. They are not 'generic' and since the 98 Mini still isn't "legal" in the US (gots to be 25 yoa to import) there are few mechanics that have been willing to invest. However since we ARE talking CA you MIGHT want to look at Seven Enterprises who have an excellent tech staff - if you are in that end of CA. . . . .

You could ask the seller to take the car in for an emissions test and send you the numbers then take those to a CA site and see if it passes or not . . . I'd think a GOOD mechanic or tuning shop would have a gas analyzer to do that job....

 

I personally don't give a crap about re-VIN's, but given the emissions rules in CA, I would not even consider a car with a title year that would require emissions testing... Hell, I live in PA and don't want to deal with emissions testing anymore...