I'm looking for a used base Cayman and it appears that there are more available in CA than elsewhere. Is CA smog /emissions equipment problematic on 2011 and later Porsches? Are there other CA requirements that I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance.

 

The cars are 50 state emissions compliant so it makes no difference. (I brought my 02 Boxster that I bought originally in KS to CA when I moved here with no emission issues.) Buy the best car you can find/afford whether it comes from CA or Wyoming.

Let me add just be sure the car is stock. If the emissions hardware has been messed with you can find it a problem that has to be corrected before you can register the car here.

 

Thanks. It has long been the case that used cars originally sold in other states can be registered in CA so long as they have accumulated a certain number of miles, 7500 minimum as I recall. I did not know that CARB restrictions had been relaxed to the (more realistic) national standards. Have emission standards also been relaxed in those New England/Northeastern that had followed California's lead?

 

The Cayman has 4 CATs (2 on the headers and 2 on the mufflers). Its one of the cleanest emissions sports cars around. You should be able to remove a pair of them and still pass smog out the tail pipe but a visual inspection can be an issue. There is a mod here in the states by Cantrel or Carnewal (europe) for removal of the muffler CATs that is pretty undetectable. I've not heard of any of my fellow CA owners having an issue passing smog with this mod. No dynos on this mod but does have good feedback about the exhaust notes. I also did hear from my smog guy that they are going to a new system that hooks into your car's computer and checks the emissions and they won't even need to sniff the exhaust. This might just be CA but it sounded like a larger program.

 

Many other states have done away with the sniffer - some for many years. Since OBII appeared in '96 or so, if the car isn't displaying any codes, then the factory emissions systems are working as they're supposed to. Many states simply do a code scan on '96 and newer cars. If it comes up clean, you've passed the emissions test -- assuming there are no obvious visual clues that the emissions equipment has been tampered with. NC handles emissions inspection that way as part of the annual safety inspection requirement. And they just passed a law that for newer cars (less than 5 years old maybe?) you only need the safety/emissions inspection every 2 years instead of every year.

 

Thanks. Good info.

 

This is pretty funny, California is known for having a lot of laws/regs and on the cutting edge of tech. We're behind on the smog check but have far less vehicle requirements. Having your car inspected every year? I have 5 cars in my household that would be crazy to need them inspected every year. I bought my Cayman new August '07, this past August was the first time I was required to get a smog inspection. We don't have "safety" inspections at all. Then again, our registration is very expensive. The newer and more expensive the car, the higher the fee. LEO's take care of cars that are unsafe. Wish they did a better job with all the cellphone drivers.

 

LEO? Educate me....

My house in Charlotte is about 8 miles away from the South Carolina border. No emissions or vehicle inspections in SC for those folks as they drive into Charlotte for work every day. In my opinion the entire process is a total waste of time/energy/money. But the majority of regs are. Have yet to find a state/locale where you couldn't find someone that would "pass" your vehicle that needed passing but shouldn't pass. It's a joke. One more way of spreading the wealth.

But back on the OP's track - taking one from CA elsewhere is usually never a problem; taking one from elsewhere into CA can sometimes cause a problem.