When Used Cars Need Smog Checks

July 1st, 2009 | by myarticlenetwork |

In this economic times instead of buying a new car, most families are going to opt to buy used cars.

With that in mind, there are going to be a lot of financial considerations that go into place when buying a used car.

When I mention about the financial considerations, I am not only talking about the sales price.

When you are a family looking to save money the last thing you want to do is buy a used car with extra expenses you weren’t prepared for.Especially if your budget did not have those extra expenses in it.

So one of the important things you need to be aware of is smog checks.  The last thing you want to have to do is make expensive repairs for a failed smog test.  I have seen too many used cars in my San Diego auto repair business have this happen.

So when buying that used car here are some things to consider.

In a law that was passed in 2005, 1976 cars or older don’t have to get a smog test.So if your vehicle is newer than that your car will need to be tested based on state emission laws.You can search about your state by contacting the Bureau
of Automotive repair at (800) 952-5210.

If you live in California and are buying a used car you may need a San Diego smog check.If the purchase or registration is in California for the very first time, you are going to need a smog test.

Other than that, if it is in it’s 5th or 7th year you will need a biennial smog check performed.

If you purchase the vehicle in another state and live in California, you are going to have to find out if your car can pass the test.  Generally California is much stricter.

With that being the case, keep that on your mind when making a purchase of a new vehicle.

Costs for a smog test San Diego generally run between $30 to $80.But as previously mentioned, it isn’t the biggest cost.  The big cost is if you need costly repairs.

So when making the purchase of the used car, make an effort to find out if the car was able to pass a recent smog test.

You don’t want any surprise expenses popping up when your goal was to save money by buying a used car.

Follow these pieces of advice when making a purchase of a used vehicle and a lot of money will be saved.

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