I may be transferred to south of Houston. Will my '77 need to be smog tested? Is there a "visual" test? My '77 currently has no smog equipment and has true dual exhaust with no cat.

Thanks!

 

Register it as an Antique Vehicle. No inspections required, period. 5 year plate is about $80 (I forget). There are restrictions on the amount you drive, but no one checks. If anyone ever asks, just tell them you are off to a club function. You can wear the Antique plate or a 1977 Texas plate & it's rear only. I'm really sorry to hear you are going to Houston.

 

Thanks! So I can just walk up to DMV and tell them it's an antique (with a straight face) and they'll exempt it? Just like that?

Are the restrictions similar to the ones for Hagerty insurance (which I have)? Hagerty has never asked for proof or odometer readings.

 

Ha..Lived there for 11 years....hated it. Tried San Antonio....hated it.
Now 20 years in Austin....

 

Just like that. They won't even blink an eye. 25 years old is the minimum.

 

BTW...what's wrong with Houston? I'll be working at Johnson Space Center by Seabrook. I haven't been there before but Lockheed is transferring me.

 

You must be a liberal Austin is a nice place, but darn expensive any more.

 

Swamp

 

Not a chance. Here to keep the weirdos honest. Yes, taxes are totally out of control.....

 

I spent 10 years in Cocoa Beach, FL so I expect that Houston is similar (hot, swampy, humid, hurricanes, insects)?

 

All that and you get to enjoy all the refinery/chemical stench from Pasadena and Deer Park.....

 

Then you'll be right at home, that describes Houston perfectly. Oh, & the traffic sucks.

 

I love it when no nothings from Austin, San Antonio (where the traffic also sucks)( and as for stench, that guy is a real loser!! The air in Seabrook smells great. Pasadena is nowheres near. What you do smell is the the Gulf which to me smells great. Nothing like good sea air!!) or California try to tell you how Houston is!! Been here 15 years from Philly, Pa. Love it!! NASA is great as well as the surrounding area. Talk about fine clubs, Try the Seabrook Beach Club right on the water, as well as many others. And if you are into clubs, Vette Shows and Vette Cruises, this is definately the place for you!!
The weather here lately has been pretty rainy, and it is hot in the summer, but from October to July, the temps are heaven!!

Welcome to Houston. You may also want to check out the Sothwest Forum for happenings here in Houston, which are far more than Austin or San Antonio!!!

Oh and as far as smog, I also have the Antique plates. Had them for the past 6 years. No inspections whatsoever, no stickers on the windshield, and registration is good for 5 years. Although there says that their are driving restrictions, I have never been bothered by any law dogs, and they have been in front of me, behind me and beside me!!! you can basically do anything you want to your 77, such as taking off the smog pump, working the engine as much as you want and running sidepipes like I do!!

 

OK Guys, give our left coast friend a break.
From where you are coming from, You are going to wonder why you didn't move before. And guess what? You can have Hot Rods, guns, BBQ pits, lawn mowers that run on gasoline, and no-one will give you a second look when you buy a bid azz pick-up truck.
The only thing you need to do is get a Jeff Foxworthy book on redneck lingo and lose the left coast accent. We do have an occational hurricane, but God only provides it for parties.
I was born and raised in the area (Pasadena). The area is rich in history. Learn it, live it. Good Luck.
Al

 

Oh yeah!! And since you work for Nasa. If you get a couple of those astronaut diapers, you can make it here from Florida in no time!!!

 

Now Now, Houston only sucks in a friendly manner. It's much better than Jersey.

 

I said I was from Philly, genius. Jersey does suck!!! And instead of putting Houston down, you should be welcoming anyone to the great State of Texas.

Like the saying goes: I may not have been born in Texas, but I got here just as fast as I could!!

 

Whatever

 

Loser?, I think not. Lived in Houston for 11 years, every day you see the brown haze hovering over the city. Every year I go the the Corvette/Chevy expo at the George Brown convention center, the traffic and pollution get worse every year. I have no love lost for Houston. BTW, I escaped from N.Y. many years ago...glad I left there too. Just my humble opinion.

 

Get real!! Every Day, yeah right!! Listen, don't come to the Corvette/Chevy Expo anymore. Wait til it comes to Austin!! You sound like a New Yorker!!