Smog tests with Used Cars

In the economy we live in, most families are going to choose to buy a used car rather than a new car.

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 say financial considerations, I am not just 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 the extra expenses was not on the budget.

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

So in buying the used car here are a few things you ought 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 learn about your state if you call 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 the vehicle is going into it’s 5th or 7th year, a smog check will need to be done biennially.

If you made the car purchase in another state but live in California, you will have to find out if your vehicle can pass a smog test.In general California is a lot more strict.

With that being the case, you want to keep that in mind when purchasing your 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 to get any unexpected expenses cropping up all over when the idea was to save money when you bought that used car.

Follow these tips when looking into that used car and you will save yourself a lot of money.