A few ?'s for my So-Cal TR brothers..

0

02WS686GN

GM EFI Founder/Editor
Joined
Jun 11, 2004
First of all, after realizing I've been wasting my life away in NE Ohio, I've decided to move to So-Cal in the spring and I can't f**n wait! The warm weather, the foxes, the cars, endless things to see and do. I'm stoked. My plan is to keep working until spring (if I don't get laid off by then like everyone else around here has) save some bread, sell the GTP and everything extra I have for it, buy either an '04-'05 CTS-V, an '05-'06 GTO or an '06-'07 Trailblazer SS for a new daily (to leave stock, dammit!) and cut outta here! I've been scouting for jobs in the entire So-Cal area and looking at 1 bedroom apartments via online. The GN and WS6 will stay here initially until I can find somewhere safe with a garage that I can at least store them in after I get settled in with my new job/place.

A couple of concerns though..

From what I know of California, it's a state run by Arnold Schwarzenegger, emissions Nazis and psycho T-1000 cops who pull you over for the dumbest sh*t. Cold air intakes and aftermarket exhaust systems are illegal. So is lowering your car and other malarkie. And forget about street racing..

For a state that has such a huge automotive scene, I'm curious as to how modified cars like "meanchickens" for example, pass state safety/emissions requirements, when petty modifications are supposedly illegal? Because I'm sure as Hell not going to keep constantly modifying and demodifying my car to keep the jerks happy. Is there like a special plate or certified sticker you can purchase to bypass that crap or what?..

Because if all else fails, I'll just keep my T/A and my GN registered here if I have to since they're registered to my dad's address anyway. Though my state hasn't enforced an emissions requirement yet, my county has, but since I have "Collector" plates on my T/A (hence I can run with no cat:tongue:)I don't have to worry about it and will have them soon for my GN too.

Do you guys really pay like $3.30/gallon for 91 octane? :rolleyes: Sunoco 93 is only $2.65 here right now.. A small price to pay for living in California I guess..
 
Unfotunately the only vehicles that can legaly bypass all that smog crap r cars from 79 and older. Yes the gas is that much cuz of all the cars on the road the supply is in high demand so u can eighter take public transportation which really isn't an option or pay 4 gas cuz u need it to get u werever and whenever u wanna go. The chicks really pay less attention when u don't have a car cuz they usually don't and will depend on ur ride (not the gn. **** them) . The smog gets done every 2 yrs here I just did mine. Pm. Me 4 more qs
 
Unfotunately the only vehicles that can legaly bypass all that smog crap r cars from 79 and older. Yes the gas is that much cuz of all the cars on the road the supply is in high demand so u can eighter take public transportation which really isn't an option or pay 4 gas cuz u need it to get u werever and whenever u wanna go. The chicks really pay less attention when u don't have a car cuz they usually don't and will depend on ur ride (not the gn. **** them) . The smog gets done every 2 yrs here I just did mine. Pm. Me 4 more qs
 
Well I figure the girls don't go too crazy for these cars in Cali, since Porsches, Ferraris, Vipers, etc, etc are everywhere. They could care less about them here either, though you'll find a few here or there that know what they are because thier dad had one or at least told them what they were since they're into cars themselves..but it still doesn't really get you anywhere.. I remember the first time I picked up the last girl I dated in this car. She was like, "What's that thing??" like she was appalled by it..:rolleyes: I'm not too concerned about thier opinions on my brick anyway. It's not my ONLY car, and I didn't buy it for that reason anyway.. :cool:

What about the job market out there? Since I only have a high school education and the economy is in the toilet anyway I figure my optons are slim. I'll try to land some Joe job just to land on my feet, but I'll probably attend school part time. I could do that here, but I really need to get out of here by spring.
 
The first thing you should realize about Southern California is that it's REALLY big, and varied in climate, lifestyle, attitude...you name it.

L.A. is a gigantic metro area, with freeway gridlock any day, any time for no apparent reason. San Diego is smaller and, in my opinion, much nicer. It's where Angelinos go for the weekend. Orange County is also very nice, but a bit crowded in some spots, and expensive...as is any pretty nice part of SoCal.

Inland from LA, San Diego, or Orange are much less expensive communities, but it's hotter in the summer (although the winters sure as hell beat the crap out of a NE Ohio winter.) Once you get 15 miles from the coast, that 72-degree day at the beach goes up to 90 or more, depending. Drive two hours east from the beach on a July day, and you go from 72 to 115 degrees. Do the same thing in February, and you can go from sweatshirt weather to skiing. I don't think you have that much of a range in Ohio.

Further inland from OC or LA are the Inland Empire and high desert communities. Much cheaper housing for decent folks, but again a pretty serious change in climate, lifestyle, attitude, etc. There's Rancho Santa Fe, Beverly Hills, and La Jolla for the millionaires, all the way to gang-infested ghettos. Do your research. You might be able to score a cheap place to live, but who wants to sleep in the bathtub to avoid serious wounds, you know?

Reading how you don't have the college degree, but not noticing if you have any other marketable skills, you may not be living high on the hog in a beach community with the hot-hot-hot chickies you see on T.V. Real estate is the biggest high-cost item, but gas is pretty bad here, too. Smog check is a PITA, but a whole bunch of us are dealing with that.

My recommendation: bring one car and see how things work out job-wise. Unemployment is pretty steep here these days (construction took a big hit.) Keep it simple to start, then see if you really want to stay and work it out.

So much for my travelogue. Good luck!
 
christian237 said:
Unfotunately the only vehicles that can legaly bypass all that smog crap r cars from 79 and older. Yes the gas is that much cuz of all the cars on the road the supply is in high demand so u can eighter take public transportation which really isn't an option or pay 4 gas cuz u need it to get u werever and whenever u wanna go. The chicks really pay less attention when u don't have a car cuz they usually don't and will depend on ur ride (not the gn. **** them) . The smog gets done every 2 yrs here I just did mine. Pm. Me 4 more qs
Click to expand...

'76, I believe, is the last year of the rolling calender, and therefore, the last year of the "no smog test required" cars.
 
Good luck, it is kick a$$ out here. I like it a lot. Originally from the midwest so this is a big upgrade. Things are more expensive, but I still think it is worth it. There is so much automotive stuff to do, tracks open year round, etc.
 
Mine got through smog as is.
Didn't have to take a thing off of it.

Just had the cat in place, turned the fuel pressure down, turned off the Alky and for piece of mind, I put in a TT smog chip and she blew clean as a whistle.:biggrin:

If you look under my hood, it's reasonably stock appearing, so the guy who did it really didn't see anything to set him off on a visual rampage.

91 octane is trading arounf $3.20/gal this week:rolleyes:
 

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despite all the pita rules here youre gonna love it. get in good with some gear heads and you should have no problem "passing smog". believe it or not a lot i get a lot of compliments in my TR from ladies. since the g body cars here are used primarily for lowriding, a lot of people recognize the TR's but also recognize the beefy look of the car and do a double take....they then start to ask questions. make sure you keep an eye on yours because there are a bunch of people who would love to have a lc2 drivetrain. i own a few high end cars that attract "gold diggers" but there is nothing like a hotrod female who yells out here window "cool car man". :cool:
 
terik.m said:
despite all the pita rules here youre gonna love it. get in good with some gear heads and you should have no problem "passing smog". believe it or not a lot i get a lot of compliments in my TR from ladies. since the g body cars here are used primarily for lowriding, a lot of people recognize the TR's but also recognize the beefy look of the car and do a double take....they then start to ask questions. make sure you keep an eye on yours because there are a bunch of people who would love to have a lc2 drivetrain. i own a few high end cars that attract "gold diggers" but there is nothing like a hotrod female who yells out here window "cool car man". :cool:
Click to expand...
yep what he said ^^^^:cool:
 
Left Mansfield in 87' and never looked back! :biggrin:

Despite what you hear, it's not as glamorous, or "PITA" as some would think.

It sure is nice to get a handle of Crown AND a 12 pack:biggrin: at the same store though! :tongue:

Welcome to So-Cal! Go Bucks!

BTW - Where do you plan to live?
 
Not to discourage you but, I just left the San Diego area a few years ago. While I love the SoCal weather and overall civilization, I need to tell you it's not all fun and games...

Work is probably more plentiful but, with limited education you're gonna have a hard time earning much money. In SoCal, money is the name of the game. What ever you pay for a place to stay in OH, triple it. If you want to buy a house, better have some cash, then there's the taxes...

The smog thing is another issue. More of PITA than anything else but still necessary to do.

I heard a survey once on the radio that said the median income in SD was
$60k and only 3% of the people that lived there could actually afford it. (Seems like lots of people were living with roommates or all members of the family were working)

Just some thoughts before you get there and discover you can't afford to live anywhere but a dumpy craphole with no place to secure your Buick...
 
What are your opinions of the Coasta Mesa area? I'm not looking to live in a major city, more like a suburb/outskirts of one. I have no interest in living amongst the "L.A elite" anyway, even if I were rich, since I'm not materialistic nor snobby.

Like I said, the GN and T/A would stay here initially, until I find a place I feel comfortable in. And I'll probably just leave everything registered in Ohio when/if I ever do bring them to California anyway, since there's no way my T/A would pass inspection (at least conventionally). Since my 2 toys have Ohio "collector" plates on them, they no longer need to be inspected/tested here in Ohio.

I'm completely single with no kids and the only extra financial baggage I'll be bringing with me is a cell phone and a $300-ish a month car payment and insurance. That's it. So I can't see not making it. I'm no longer a partyer or even a drinker, so that's another expense I won't have either. Just gotta deal with the $900+/month rent for a 1 bedroom apartment, that's all. From what I hear, it's worth it. Rent here for a 2 bedroom apt is (average) about $600/month..but it's in Ohio and after 2 days here, I guarentee all of you would be bored out of your minds...especially in the winter where temps were averaging 0* (yes, zero) and there was at minumum 3 feet of snow on the ground all last winter, with snow plows running hours behind, people with brand new 4WD SUV's sliding off the road and getting stuck and the nearest beach worth mentioning is like 7 or 8 hours away. And in the summer it's not much better. The car "scene" is mediocre..on the weekends.. at BEST. I think it's worth the trade off..

The only thing I'm going to slightly miss is Summit being only 35 minutes away from me. I think I'll manage..
 
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