Howdy. I live in Tucson, 100 miles south of where you're moving to. We
affectionately call Mesa/Phoenix/tempe/Chandler the "Brown Blob" because
when you drive up there from here, the smog is something terrible. It looks
like a big brown blob in the middle of I-10 as you approach. There are no
mountains to see, and damn few cacti in Mesa. It will take about three
years to adjust fully to the heat (110-115 in the summer, usually). Your
blood will thin out and you'll actually need to wear a coat when it dips
below 90. But, here's some advice:
>- Along the same lines, what am I going to have to go through regarding
>emissions inspections? In the Atlanta area, she's exempt, being a '73,
>but I understand she'll have to be inspected every year in Phoenix. She
>should be able to pass a static tail pipe sniff, but I don't know how
>she'd do on a rolling road, a visual inspection, or a gas cap test. How
>would they do a gas cap test, anyway? In Georgia, I think they take the
>cap off of a "normal" car and put it on a test stand to see if it is
>functioning properly.
Emissions consist of a tail pipe sniff, visual inspection, and gas filler
test. The gas test is where they take a nozzle from a leaded gas fuel
nozzle and try to insert it into your gas tank opening. If your car is
supposed to be unleaded only, the leaded nozzle should't fit. If it does,
you failed! The visual is looking for PVC valve, air pump, and catalytic
converter.
>- Does anyone have a recommendation for a good parts house and/or
>mechanic in the Phoenix area? I feel a little spoiled with Atlanta
>Imported fifteen minutes away, and I'm going to miss that quirky bunch
>of guys.
Welcome to LBC limbo. At least nothing rusts out here.
|