Emissions tests cracking down on classics
 

Here in Nevada, those of us with TRUE classic cars will be facing a bit of an uphill battle to keep our classic vehicle plates with no smog check necessary, thanks to a poorly written law and a bunch of knucklehead rule benders.

Right now we enjoy not having to get a smog inspection for any car older than 25 years provided we only drive up to 5000 miles per year. They do inspect the odometer annually during the registration renewal process.

The problem is, some cheapskates with 1997 or slightly older cars are getting classic plates for vehicles like Voyager minivans (not classic) Ford Festivas or even Camrys. Owners are disconnecting the odometer just to save a few bucks and avoid having to get a smog certificate.

Naturally people are complaining about beater commuter cars having “classic” plates solely to skip the smog process.

I’m curious what the climate is in other states for classic car registration and smog certification. It looks like I have smog testing in my future.

Oh and as always, let’s not get political [emoji6]

Here’s a quick local news story about the problem here:
https://youtu.be/pdJdPINGTwI


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Here in New York it’s a $10 safety inspection only.

Sounds like the sort of thing SEMA should get involved in. You may want to send them a letter. https://www.semasan.com

In NH if you register your 25+ year old car/truck as an antique you have to have a safety check every 2 years. Prices are not set by the state so you can shop around. They average between$35 and $50. If your car is registered as an antique and over 60 years old you don't have to have it inspected. We also have "Street Rod" plates but I don't know their rules.

Same thing here in Maryland. Cheaters get junky rusty camrys and buicks because they are in excess of 20 years, they can get "Historic" plates. This bypasses the complete safety inspection (which is quite comprehensive and is only done once when car changes hands) and any emission inspection as well. They are not subject to the normal inspections that keeps real garbage off the roads.

The part that is terrible for the legitimate driving public is the cheapos also get the LOWEST insurance limits possible (if they have it at all) so if they hit you in your true classic or 2 y/o car, YOUR insurance will end up paying. It is a good thing that responsible insurance companies usually will not insure a car that is not considered a classic in their view..

These junkyard refuges can have 4 bald tires, broken glass, fenders flapping in the wind, exhuast held up by coathangers, belching a crop duster smoke screen blowing coolant on your windshield and the police usually do nothing to enforce the laws.

In Ohio we have Historic plates, but the ability to travel all over is severely curtailed to participation in shows rallies, or travel to a repair facility.

Inspections of any kind are nothing more than a cash grab.

I'm fortunate enough to not have anything but a basic safety inspection. No emissions. I always find it hilarious watching the inspector look around my daily driver and wondering why it smells like a marina and the idle is chopping like a mofo, but he plugs into the obd2 port and shows nothing lol

So in my country (Netherlands) a couple of years ago they changed the law somewhat. Road tax exemption moved from 25 years to 40 years old and if the car is over 50 years old they no longer require any inspection.
So 25 year old cars are just that, a 25 year old piece of crap that nobody cares about and they disappear to Africa or Eastern Europe for another 25 years of service (usually a lot earlier than becoming 25 years old though).

These days when I see a classic on the road (which isn't a lot by the way, in part due to the $8 a gallon fuel prices) it's usually a nice car instead of a flat black pile crap that is just 25 years old..

It works for me, the yearly or bi-yearly inspection is a total pain and they look for 'environment' related issues more than safety related issues anyway.

No inspection in AL. Not many mechanics either.
PA inspections have rigor. Rust is a deal breaker for frames. Emissions never failed me, but hope to be done with that. Great mechanics in PA.

Maryland has the same restriction but there are hundreds of violators, I see them every day. The s**tboxes are being used as daily drivers and as I stated, the law isn't enforced. It is really annoying.

Same crap going on up here in Canada, where we have 25 year old mini vans with collector plates. It's not right.
Only thing up here is that the owner must have another vehicle registered for to and from work. Collector plate
is not valid to and from work. But I'm sure people still use them for that. There needs to be some sort of guide to
prevent this from happening, the vehicle is supposed to be in good shape, so not sure how they get the collector plate,
pictures are needed to qualify for plate. No emission tests up here. N a couple of years there will be 1st gen Pruis out there with collector plates. LOL

Well here in CO all vehicles from 72 up ( I think) need to have emissions. The 79 truck needed to have emissions done on it. It took me a while to get it passed and alot of mechanics around here dont know much about carburetors on vehicles. I had to buy a O2 sensor and gauge to get it to pass. The truck actually passed with no egr valve or any of the emission vacuum lines hooked up beside distributor. The emissions place only looks to see if you have a catalytic convertor and stock appearing air cleaner. Once you pass emissions (15 annually) you can get Collectors plates on vehicle that last 5 years and pay the 15x5 and the other fees that come along with it which is usually 175 for that five years. With those plates you can drive as far and as long as you want to. You can also get a yearly emissions test done as well and skip the collector plate 5 year fees. As long as you own your vehicle you can just keep paying for the 5 year collector plates, no emissions test. When you sell vehicle it has to be emmissioned to stay in certain CO counties or you can sell to someone in NE or KS without test. It is sad to say but it looks like the only way to keep junk cars off the road is emissions testing. Seems like visual inspections and making sure a persons brakes lights are working are a waste of time and money. CO makes emissions mandatory yearly for older vehicles or newer vehicles every two years. Of course that is just for CO to make money. CO does have some inspection vans that sit on the off ramps of the highway that will measure tail pipe emissions. If you fail it takes a picture of your license plate and you must go in for a test. That seems more practical rather then the annual or bi-annual inspections.

I have no problems with cars 25yo getting classic/antique/collector plates. Back when muscle cars were aging and started hitting that 25yo mark, most weren't restored beauties. Many were clapped out, spray painted and barely running. You see the same with cars today that are starting to qualify for the same plates.

Should my truck that I use as a truck not qualify for classic plates because it's not rotisserie restored? The truck that I've been paying taxes on for years and years, and now that it qualifies for a tax break, I shouldn't take it? Yeah right.

What about the modern classics, like a Supra, Skyline or RX7? Someone restoring one of them shouldn't have access to a classic plate? We're getting awfully choosy on how we want to apply rules and laws.

In CA, we have to smog every car and truck 1976 and newer. I had to smog my '67 GTO in 1997 when it was 30 years old. My 39 year old Toyota truck has to get smogged on a dyno every other year. Still passes with 300,000 miles on it(had to replace the original CAT at 275k miles a few years back).
And, they lower the allowed levels of emissions as the vehicle gets older, so passing is tough. Kind of like having a 20 year old athlete being required to run the 100 yard dash in 10 seconds, but by age 65, he needs to run it in 8 seconds or get sent to the rest home. It's crazy, and used to generate income.

When I lived in NJ: '66 Goat, Historic tags, no emissions/inspections, re-register once per year, zero $$

I live on Oregon and even here we only have emission testing for vehicles '75 and newer for gas, '74 and newer for diesel. But for both, only if you live in/near Portland or Medford. Fortunately for me, none of those things apply to me.

That’s interesting about NH because I just bought a 2nd home there in Gilford (due to first grand baby arriving last May). Not sure if my LeMans will end up out there or I’ll just buy a 2nd Pontiac, lol.


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Ain’t that the truth. In this day and age, why would brand new cars or even cars several years old need a smog check?

The manufacturer of new cars should have to prove a given model is clean enough and that’s that. Maybe after it’s 10 years old a secondary check to make sure it’s still up to par. If it passes, good for 5 more years. If it doesn’t pass, then maybe go to annual for that particular violating vehicle.

True classics should be treated along the lines like most car show entrants, ‘75 or earlier no smog required. Four door sedans and minivans from the 80’s and ’90’s take a hike…


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I have nothing against minivans with antique plates if they are nice survivors or restored. Some of them can be 35 years old. When I bought my 1967 GTO it wasn't that old. The engine was tired. It needed new paint, vinyl top, interior work and mechanical work. The old guys with the Model T's and A's bitched about our cars back then. Lighten up! I don't mind seeing cars of any age if they are cared for.

Ive been following that a little. I used to live in Vegas and have been thinking about moving back. 5 years in the small town midwest has convinced me that I am not bible belt material. I miss the restaurants from Vegas, and resent all the nonsense gossip here constantly going about.

I was reading up on the laws if I went back, and at least in Clark County it sounds like there are separate more lenient rules for cars from 1967 and older. If I went back I would have to downsize my hoard anyway. I would probably just stick to cars that meet that 1967 benchmark,

It's all a money grab. When I lived in MA it was $30 a year for an inspection. Everything had to work and pass smog or it failed. Then you had to have a "Qualified" shop fix it.

Here in FL no vehicle inspections. Now I've seen some bad cars that shouldn't be on the road but at least it's not a money grab here for vehicles.

Emissions tests cracking down on classics
 

I thought it was cars ‘68 and older but you might be right. Of course my car is a ‘69.

If I ultimately have to have my car smogged, the guy at the DMV who does VIN and odometer inspections eased my fears when told me the bar for that test is set pretty low.

With the 455 I’m building, the cam has moderate overlap. However 10:1 compression and Edelbrock heads with CNC’d [emoji3531] chambers ought to help burn up what’s coming out the tail pipe. I’ve decided that I’m not going to worry about emission tests until I have to start worrying.

Vegas has grown up a lot since you’ve been gone, and the housing prices have too, but it’s still really popular. Here in Reno it’s no different. I first moved to Reno in ‘74 and the metro area had 75,000 people. I moved back in 2015. Now we’re closer to 500,000 but it’s still a very livable city in a great location. Gas is high here like most west coast states (currently right around $5/gal plus or minus a few cents) but there is still no state income tax.

I lived in the Atlanta area for 15 years (‘90-‘05) and while I love the area and my oldest son still lives there, it had (has?) it’s share of weirdness. I stopped telling certain native Georgians I was originally from Connecticut. Ever see the movie 2000 Maniacs (original), or 2001 Maniacs (remake)? I might have been “A Guest of Honor!” Damn carpetbagger yankee!! hahaha.


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It's $35 here now.

They only check emissions through the OBD2 port. If they plug it in and see no CELs for emission related systems, you're good. They dont do any visual inspection. Plus I think after a vehicle hits a certain age they wont fail it for emissions.

For example, my GMC Sierra is my daily, and I have long tube headers, no cats, no egr, and no coffee can/purge valve. Still passes inspection no problem. And it's not that old.

Exempt plates here for 25 years and older. Only 1st time inspection plus one time fee and tax, but no inspection after that. The vehicle is only allowed to be driven to car shows, cruise nights, and repair shops. If caught without a good excuse, ya get a ticket. Go to DMV and just get the sticker for one or 2 years and stick on your license plate.

Tho you can drive out of state to car shows with no problems with the exemption. If gas was cheaper back in 2018 I was going to drive the GTO up to my class reunion in Massena, NY. It didn't happen. :( I had to drive the Ford Fungus up, but it got 38 miles to the gallon to get there. LOL

Illinois
OBDII cars in certain urban-suburban areas get checked for codes and readiness monitors every other year. The drive-thru test is run by the state. No pass = no license plate renewal. There are ways around it though for hardship and such. Plate sticker is $151 every year.

Antique plates at 25 years old but "Vehicles displaying these plates may only be driven to and from an antique auto show or exhibition, service station or demonstration." Pretty loose law, but I never see antique plates on daily drivers. Old cars are too easy to steal.

No safety inspections in Illinois until after the accident.

What sd7369 said sums it up in Illinois as well:

"These junkyard refuges can have 4 bald tires, broken glass, fenders flapping in the wind, exhaust held up by coat hangers, belching a crop duster smoke screen blowing coolant on your windshield and the police usually do nothing to enforce the laws."

The only change to the Nevada requirement is you will need to also carry classic insurance.
The vin inspection is just a form you complete stating current mileage doesn't go over the 5,000 mile limit and there is NO onsite inspection. Here's a copy from the Neveda DMV

https://dmv.nv.gov/platesclassic.htm


Beginning January 1, 2023, owners of vehicles with Classic Vehicle, Classic Rod, or Old Timer license plates will be required to carry classic or antique vehicle insurance. Owners who do not meet the requirements will have to obtain a different license plate style.

You must show the Declarations page from your insurance policy as proof that the vehicle is covered by Nevada liability insurance that is specifically designated for classic or antique vehicles
The vehicle may not be used as general transportation, driven more than 5,000 miles per year or used in any commercial capacity
The vehicle may be driven in club activities, exhibitions, tours, parades or similar activities or for maintenance
Vehicles that meet these requirements are exempt from emissions testing if the owner also completes an .
Renewals may be completed in person, by mail or by fax at (775) 684-4797. Complete a for mail or fax renewals. Original plates must be obtained in person.
If you do not meet these requirements, you must obtain a different plate style and an emissions inspection if needed. These requirements apply to all vehicles with Classic Vehicle, Classic Rod or Old Timer plates regardless of location or whether they are subject to emissions testing.

Arizona.

Specifically, Maricopa County (think metro Phoenix) requires emissions test for anything 1967 and newer when registered as a 'driver.' What type of license plate you run is not relevant. It's how the vehicle is used (based on insurance).

Over the years, I've have registered many of my cars under both conditions depending on what I'm doing.

Currently, my 71 GTO and 74 Bonneville are both registered as drivers with regular insurance. The GTO runs a vanity plate and the Bonneville runs a vintage (original) AZ plate, year of manufacture. No mileage limits or restrictions, but it means I have to have a dyno roll, emissions sniff test on both of them.

My others are registered as 'classics' as they carry 'classic or collectors insurance' on them. In other words, "for parade or show use only." My particular policy doesn't limit annual mileage, and it isn't checked, but the assumption is about 2,000/year. No emissions required for these cars and again, the plate used is irrelevant.

Basically, pay and test to drive regularly, and pay additional fees if you want vanity or vintage (year of manufacture) plates. Or just run plain vanilla AZ plates for no up charge.

As the years go by, the cars migrate to different catagories and I run various plates.

But it does seem silly to me to smog a 55 year old car regardless. :rolleyes:

Of course there are probably only a handful of guys out there like me who go thru the hassle. Fortunately, no 'safety inspection' required here. All AZ cares about is the tailpipe emissions.

"Saving the planet, one classic Pontiac at a time!" ;)

Over 60 and NO inspection?? Haven't ever heard of that here.
If you drive over 1200 miles, your inspection sticker will get you back in 1 year.
I have cpass standard plate on a 72 and get 2 years due to low miles driven, so the 2 years isn't strictly antique.

Have noticed that within a state, the emissions testing part of inspection can be different or non existent, by COUNTY..

Here in the People's Republic of Massachusetts there is no emissions requirement for older cars (15 years or older). There is a yearly inspection process for "safety". I've had some odd experiences though. Once I failed for windshield washer fluid, or lack there of. I had to hook up an aftermarket electric pump to get through. I also failed once because the license plate light was out. WTF. The socket was shot so i needed to replace it. Once again... Somehow the car had no rear seat belts. Had gone through inspection several times with no issues. Turns out they had just fallen way down and were under the seat. They must have been there for MANY years and they were so corroded they didn't work anymore, even after much WD40. I needed to order and install some seat belts. I guess I can't complain about that too much. I keep waiting for them to notice that the odometer doesn't work... not sure if they care or not but the mileage has been the same for the 7 years I've owned the car.

Interesting, thanks for posting this. However I do believe that they will need to inspect the odometer which is what they did last time I renewed my reg.

In Nevada I never have had to get a safety inspection for brakes, lights etc. (Thank goodness, hahaha)

I’m using Hagerty for insurance on my LeMans, it was actually less expensive and more comprehensive than my regular car insurance (State Farm).

I wonder if companies like Hagerty would tell people with 1996 mini vans to bug off?


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To "Fomulabruce" see SAF-C 3224 sect(C) for 60 year old cars with antique plates. Everything I was writing about was for cars registered as antiques only. I have never owned a street rod so I never checked on their requirements when registered as such.

Just read this on the internet but recalled I heard it here first
https://www.motorious.com/articles/f...registrations/

Quite interesting how far Big Brother reaches into our world in the name of "Climate Change." As though somehow cracking down on the hundred or so of us driving our classics in these states are the problem. :confused:

Such nonsense. And so sad. :(

Since my county,Westmoreland is close to Pittsburgh we have emissions, my truck being over 9kgvw is exempt.Now Fayette county doesnt have or didnt have emissions. Seems like a money grab and favoritism. Just heard recently something about license plate changes. $$$.

Still the same....

PA: One time historical vehicle fee, then zero renewals or inspections for as long as you own the vehicle.

It's interesting how the emissions testing component varies so much state to state and even within each state. It also blows the way of the current political climate. Currently in Ohio, their is no emission testing at all except for 3 counties of the 88 in Ohio, centered around Cleveland. At one time, we had mandatory emission testing in 18 of the 88 counties around most of the larger metro areas. Residents of those counties carried the cost of those tests for all Ohio residents. Ohio had a rolling 25 year old testing window. Meaning each year, the previous 25 year old vehicles became exempt. This made little sense since OBDII emissions systems became law in 1996. It's important to try and keep tabs on the requirements for our old collector cars and fight unreasonable standards these cars were never designed to meet. The overall mileage driven is so low, and the number of cars so small, the effect of these cars driving around can't possibly have any measurable effect on air quality.

I used to live in Phoenix, and hated going through emissions every year. Then I moved to Utah, and they allowed cars over 30 years old to get "vintage vehicle" plates which exempted you from emissions and safety inspections (they have since eliminated safety inspections completely). I now live in Tennessee. Several of the urban counties have emissions testing (no safety inspections). They have some kind of antique vehicle registration available, but it limits you to weekends and car shows, so I didn't get it. Where I live, there's no emissions, and registration is 30 bucks a year for any vehicle, old or new.

Importsmasher

Sounds like a bit of a hodge-podge of laws there, but the registration fees are nice. :)

In emissions areas of AZ now, you can be exempt by having classic car insurance (I have Hagerty). Still get to have regular plates and drive whenever/wherever I want, but I'm emissions exempt and my 5-year tags cost in the $60 range.

Yeah, the last year or two I was in AZ I took advantage of the classic car insurance option.

Just renewed
 

I just renewed the registration for my 67 GTO, no smog or inspection but the price went up again to $139.00. California can always make up reasons for why the vehicle registration has to increase. :D
I have gotten letters from the state saying they would pay me if I got rid of this OLD Car. Nope!!!!

Before I moved out of commiefornia in early 2020, registration for my 1984 Toyota pickup was $144. I'd hate to see the registration on a new car, especially with the sale price of something north of $75K.

I got notices for over 20 years from those bastards wanting to crush my truck. 17 HC, .01 CO, 21 NOX. Yeah, such a gross polluter :rolleyes:

Now, I don't have to smog and registration is $34 for 2 years. F- You Cali!

More people need to vote with their feet. It's the only chance of making it change.

NJ
 

Classic plates for the Firebird one-time fee, with free renewal. no inspections and use hagerty for insurance.

They do chg 75 for my daily driver 1996 dodge ram 1500. I have paid more in registration and insurance then it cost when I bought it new in 1996.

Did anyone else with Hagerty see a brochure about buying carbon credits to offset classic
car footprint. There was a brochure in with my last renewal.

Gerry

I'm pretty sure that the above only applies if you register for an antique plate, which is "supposed" to limit your use of the vehicle. PA also has "classic" plates which still require an annual safety inspection, but not an emissions inspection.

From what I heard from my brother and father who are still in MA the inspection stations have camera's that inspect the underside of the car.