California an overpopulated car-hating wasteland? Please help keep the rumor alive

Since I arrived in LA a little over a month ago, I have been driving quite a lot. My commute was temporarily over 60 miles each way, and on my days off, I explored nearby areas.

Whenever I leave the city, I am struck by how beautiful all of the roads and scenery are out here.

Just this past weekend, I drove west to Santa Monica and up the PCH through Big Sur. I stayed in a place called Ragged Point, which overlooked the ocean below and had mountains behind. I simply wasn't prepared for the sheer beauty of the place; 70+miles of never ending chicanes and elevation changes 300-500 ft above the Pacific-facing cliff. No development, traffic, or even cell phone service. Hitting Monterey, I then cut inland, and drove the 350 miles through agricultural lands back to LA. 80 mph in a shallow bowl between two mountain ranges, again without traffic or delay.

Prior to moving here, all I read was that CA was hell for modified and performance cars. Yet, I see more of either category here than anywhere else I have ever been. This place is Mecca for car lovers.

While California has some big pluses it also has some huge negatives.

In reply to rebelgtp:

Agreed, I've never registered a car or dealt with the carb inspection nonsense but everytime I visit LA or San Diego I start thinking that it just might be worth dealing with it.

rebelgtp wrote: While California has some big pluses it also has some huge negatives.

Out of curiosity, is there any place that doesn't?

In reply to Mitchell:

CA's visual smog test requirement may be the dumbest law in all the land.

"Well, your car will probably pass the tailpipe emissions test, but since I can see you've changed your air filter, we can't even test the car to find out."

Oh, and I registered my Camaro last week here in TN for $24. It's a flat fee for every car statewide, old or new, regardless of value. What's it cost to register a new car in CA these days?

CA's government does, in fact, hate cars.

Will wrote: CA's government does, in fact, hate cars.

Truth. I lived in L.A. for six years. It has an amazing collection of ridiculously expensive cars, and gorgeous driving roads. It also costs 6x as much to buy\register a car

Driving up hwy 1 is beautiful (did it this week). Did you notice the continuous traffic and cyclists? Pretty drive but nothing for an enthusiast.

My brother is a starving actor living in LA. He bought a car a while back and then found out it hadn't been registered for four years prior.. So guess who gets to "catch up" the registry fees...

He surely should have known better, but didn't. Paying some "stupid tax" (Dave Ramsey show reference) seems to be how Califormia government operates as a practice.

OHSCrifle wrote: My brother is a starving actor living in LA. He bought a car a while back and then found out it hadn't been registered for four years prior.. So guess who gets to "catch up" the registry fees... He surely should have known better, but didn't. Paying some "stupid tax" (Dave Ramsey show reference) seems to be how Califormia government operates as a practice.

That rule is the same here in Michigan.

That was one of the reasons my dad gave me the Opel GT I have now. California car that wasn't registered for about 10 years (he didn't know about the non-op registration CA has that's $5 a year, full price to catch up if you didn't have a non-op registration) plus no smog equipment on the car either. He mailed me the title in TN and I had plates for it before I went and drug it home.

Oh yeah, I grew up just north of Santa Barbara. The canyon roads out there is what got me into sports cars. Start checking out canyon roads around the area.

In reply to KyAllroad:

I suppose that I was there at a good time; I was never held up by cars or cyclists.

There are lots of great roads once you get out of the Greater Los Angeles <etro Area. When I was growing up, my dad had a book called "Backroads of California". While I'd assume some have been succombed to freeways and other urban sprawl, the roads that have survived would make that book a great library find.

Suggestion: one of my favorites, which I call a "trip through the land that time forgot"... take the 33 from Ventura all the way through the mountains to the flatlands, then head west on the 166 to Santa Maria or the 46 to Paso Robles. This daytrip takes you on some wonderfully scenic roads through parts of Cali that nobody has ever been to or knows to exist. So remote, that is where they relocate condors. In other words, my favorite part of the whole state.

Will wrote: In reply to Mitchell: CA's visual smog test requirement may be the dumbest law in all the land. "Well, your car will probably pass the tailpipe emissions test, but since I can see you've changed your air filter, we can't even test the car to find out."

QFT. Just because a specific small manufacturer didn't pay the CARB sticker bribe (that's what it is) their power adding parts are illegal in California. God forbid you have a high flow cat that's unapproved. The CARB can toss you into a special group, that I'd argue is discriminatory, for as long as you live in the state.

I enjoy the roads here but I also enjoyed them in the Poconos and the Smokies without the hassle.

Mitchell wrote:

rebelgtp wrote: While California has some big pluses it also has some huge negatives.

Out of curiosity, is there any place that doesn't?

Well on the car front where I live in Oregon (and really the vast majority of the state) there are no inspections, no testing and no government busy body poking their head under my hood telling me what I can and can't do with my car. I renew my tags every two years and that is that. Hell I can do that online and they will mail me the tags. We have some hellaciously fun roads up here but you gotta know where to look for them. High plains desert, rain forests, mountain peaks and the coast each with unique views that will take your breath away. The town I live in has one of the few drive in theaters still in operation. There is another on the other side of the state.

Our biggest problem up here is generally caused by Cali people moving up here. Thankfully they tend to stay mostly on the I5 corridor. However in those area they tend to drive up home prices as they are use to paying more in Cali. They also try and bring Cali style politics to Oregon and we have to fight them tooth and nail to keep what we have. Oh and you can't pump your gas here (unless you are on one of the many reservations) but it's not that big of a deal most of the time and at most becomes a minor annoyance if they are being slow. Oh and if you can't drive in the rain don't bother moving here. Even on the dry side we get down pours that give you flowing water an inch deep on the roads in the matter of minutes. If you can't drive in snow and ice stick to the west side and even then you may have issues at times.

Mentioning California is like New York. Disregarding the laws. When I meet an out of stater , I am always careful the mention that I am from UPSTATE NY. Any where 60 miles away from the city. California has a lot of nice places. Just stay away from LA

rebelgtp: I too live in Oregon, just on the "wet" side of the Cascade barrier. There's lots of nice drives from my home, which is 20 minutes due west of Eugene. Not only do Californians move here, but they seem to be bringing their wineries with them, as there are about a dozen within a few miles radius of my place. But it does make the scenic routes that much more so.

iceracer: I also lived in Western NY at one time, a small town a few miles from Watkins Glen. I can attest to some beautiful drives in that part of the world. Seems the drive to any of the few dozen bullring tracks was always interesting.

My problem with California is threefold: 1. The sprawl 2. CARB 3. Cost of living

If not for those three, I'd move there in a heartbeat.

This place is awful. Stay away. Don't come near here...

The roads, the weather, the people. All terrible.

Mitchell wrote: Just this past weekend, I drove west to Santa Monica and up the PCH through Big Sur. I stayed in a place called Ragged Point, which overlooked the ocean below and had mountains behind. I simply wasn't prepared for the sheer beauty of the place; 70+miles of never ending chicanes and elevation changes 300-500 ft above the Pacific-facing cliff. No development, traffic, or even cell phone service.

Flyin Mikey J wrote: Suggestion: one of my favorites, which I call a "trip through the land that time forgot"... take the 33 from Ventura all the way through the mountains to the flatlands, then head west on the 166 to Santa Maria or the 46 to Paso Robles.

A month ago a friend and I rented motorcycles out of LAX and rode up the coast highway through Big Sur. Then on the way back we hit 33 from Maricopa to Ojai. Incredible roads with epic scenery, and both so different from each other. That section of the coast highway has got to be one of the best driving roads in North America, if not the world.

Sky_Render wrote: My problem with California is threefold: 1. The sprawl 2. CARB 3. Cost of living If not for those three, I'd move there in a heartbeat.

Don't forget how all the politics are driven by the far left population centers who more or less want to wage a war on fun (if you like cars and things that go bang).

If CA was split up to leave the southwest quarter to whatever they want to do to themselves only. I'd pack my E36 M3 up and move to northern California immediately.

i keep seeing Z cars on this FB site super cheap $1000 or so datsuns 240 s

Kenny_McCormic wrote: ...If CA was split up to leave the southwest quarter to whatever they want to do to themselves only. I'd pack my E36 M3 up and move to northern California immediately.

They already have that... it's called Oregon.

Cone_Junkie wrote: This place is awful. Stay away. Don't come near here... The roads, the weather, the people. All terrible.

Yes, and the houses here are super expensive just because we just like to pay more for houses, that is all.

California really isn't that great. There are other places with nice weather and good roads, but without the socialist politics, silly regulations, and restrictions on freedom.