Michael: In the USA, there is no TÜV (the German Technical Car Inspection Association). You can really drive around in the most rusted-out junk car. As long as the fenders don't fly off on the highway, it's okay. The TV show "Pimp My Ride" with host Xzibit, which is also a big success in Germany, shows how to turn a falling-apart car into a good-looking ride.

In America, the condition of parked cars plays an important role in assessing a neighborhood. If there are only rusty old wrecks, it's better not to be there after nightfall.

It can certainly happen that someone who is selling their house asks that you don't park your junk car right in front of it. That lowers the price of the house. Our beloved PERLMAN has already driven house prices down and left real estate agents in despair.

Once a year in California, however, a notice from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) arrives in the mail, requesting payment of the annual registration fee and proof of the vehicle's liability insurance. Illustration 2 shows our notice.

The registration fee depends on the type of vehicle and for our extremely sporty but materially undervalued PERLMAN, it is only 65 dollars. This is composed of a $40 registration fee, a $51 license plate fee, an $8 San Francisco surcharge, minus a $34 Arnold Schwarzenegger discount (Rundbrief 03/2004).

Because we have the personalized license plate PERLMAN instead of an anonymous number, we pay an extra $25. However, this goes to a good cause, like the conservation of the Grand Canyon or something similar.

And every two years, the notice includes a surprise message: You have to go for a smog test, the American version of the emissions test. There are two types of this test, the regular and the strict one. For the regular test, you simply go to any gas station with a "Smog Test" sign and pay about $60. However, if the notice states that you must go to a "Smog Test-Only" station, the options are more limited, and super-accurate inspectors will conduct the smog test.

To the "Smog-Test-Only" you are only invited if you drive a vehicle that a) has previously failed the smog check or b) is known to be not particularly environmentally friendly. And then there's a lottery where c) you draw the short straw and are randomly selected by the DMV. Detailed explanations and tips can be found at http://www.smogtips.com.

Newer cars, by the way, are being connected to a computer at the smog test station, and the test rig extracts values from it. A colleague of mine once had to have a new board computer installed in his perfectly functioning BMW M3 for over $1,200 because its smog test interface was broken. Otherwise, he wouldn't have passed the smog test, which is crazy! Fortunately, PERLMAN doesn't have an onboard computer yet. But he still received a certificate for passing the smog test, as shown in Figure 5. Passed with flying colors!

When you buy a used car in California, you have to pay California sales tax on it, approximately 8.5%, depending on the county. If you buy a car from a private individual, the DMV collects the tax amount when you register the vehicle. If the stated price is suspiciously low, the market value is used instead.

The value of a used car is determined by the so-called "Kelly Blue Book," which can now also be viewed http://www.kbb.com. It actually says there that our beloved PERLMAN, a 1991 Acura Integra with 170,000 miles on the clock, is only worth $1165. Outrageous! However, it has been running perfectly for years without any maintenance (just oil changes) and was very happy for the four new tires I recently bought for it for $320. We'll stay together until the fenders fall off, Perly!

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• More topics you might be interested in:

  	Visiting Vancouver, Canada
  	Colorful life
  	Record of the Month
  	"Don't call it Frisco"
  	Top product: "Goo Gone"
  	San Francisco Views: Noe Valley