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In this economic times instead of buying a new car, most families are going to opt to buy used cars.

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 major things to be aware of is having to do a smog test.The last thing you probably did not want to do is make expensive repairs due to a failed smog test.  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 car has been sold and registered in California for the first time, you will have to get a smog check.

Otherwise, if the car is in it’s 5th or 7th year, a smog test done biennially will be needed.

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.  Generally California is much stricter.

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 mentioned above, that is not the big cost.  The big cost is if you need costly repairs.

So when purchasing the used car, make sure you find out if the vehicle has recently passed a smog test.

You don’t want any surprise expenses popping up when your goal was to save money by buying a used car.

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