In California, it's a pain in the neck for people who physically buy their cars out of the state.
I'm a California resident who bought my car in Kentucky and drove it back home. I made sure that I asked my dealer to order the California emissions package, and indeed it is a "no charge" option. In California, if you purchase a car out of the state and bring it in with less than 7,500 miles on it (I had 3,200), you are not allowed to register it, are not even allowed to retrofit it with CA emissions, and are told to immediately take the car back out of the state if you do not have the CA emissions equipment. I feel very bad for the people who are not aware of this.
When I registered the car last week, the DMV inspected the car to ensure that it had the CA emissions package. In addition, I actually had to leave the DMV office and go get the car smog-checked -- then go back to the DMV! An incredibly silly rule, the silliness of which was confirmed by the smog-check people, who said, "We hate this rule. It's a brand-new car, for cryin' out loud!"
Finally, whereas people who buy their new cars in California get a 4-year reprieve from getting the cars smog-checked, I get no such reprieve -- even though the car clearly was fitted with the CA emissions system!
Our state has some of the greediest DMV regulations in the country.
