Get the lead out

[Fireball]

I used to have a small Chevy Blazer - great car.  The check engine light came on and we did everything suggested to fix it.  It wouldn't pass emissions here and I couldn't renew the registration without that.  Car ran great and it was nearly pristine (I am often the only one that travels in my car).  Husband is a mechanic but we weren't able to get it fixed without spending a fortune.  We sold it to my daughter who needed a reliable car and she lived in a state that didn't test emissions.  Pissed me off as I had to buy another car in order to have legal transportation.  Daughter drove it for a few years and didn't have any trouble with it till she just wore it out, as she is known to do with cars.

I swear those emission tests are a pain.

I live in Iowa, where a Republican trifecta rules.  Being poor I appreciate them on this one.

You're lucky, only in the sense that the smog is rinsed from the sky by copious amounts of rain, and runs downhill to Louisiana or blows over to New York or something.  . You still have to smell the pig shit thawing in spring. I have first party experience with that, and it ain't roses. I live in the South Coast Air Basin (pretty much having SCAB as an acronym is appropriate) where there is an inversion layer that holds the smog close to the ground. If it gets over 105º, the inversion layer breaks up due to convective flow. I don't like it when the ambient temperature is 105º Fahrenheit. Even if it is a "dry" heat. It isn't in all of California, though. The biennial emissions inspections (IIRC) are pretty much only performed in the SCAB, and the SF Bay area. In your area, I hope they are still inspecting for mechanical issues related to salt on the roads. As far as "poor" goes, if one is below a certain level of income, one is not required to make repairs to the emissions equipment (though the state does have a program that helps the poor get at least partially compliant). So, there are some serious smoke belchers, even here.