I recently smogged and registered a '90 Westy, in California.  Originally
Canadian, it had been registered in Colorado before I purchased it.  It
appears that the later models (at least) are "49 state" compliant:
Somewhere on the vehicle there is a sticker or plate indicating some degree
of compliance with US EPA regulations.  A full CA-compliant one would say
"This car meets USEPA and State of California regulations for emissions
controls..."  In either case, your vehicle will probably pass with respect
to configured original equipment.  My understanding is that virtually all
Vanagons in later years were identical with respect to smog equipment.

See:
 http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/smogweb/Consumer/bringing.asp for out-of-state
smogging specifics, and
and
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vehinfo/vehicles.htm for general CA registration info.

ChrisR

Date:   Fri, 14 Apr 2000 20:20:51 -0700
From:   Daniel Schmitz <djs@GENE.COM>
Subject:        California resident, purchasing out of state van...

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Thanks for all the feedback so far on my questions about purchasing a
water-cooled Westfalia. The answers have been most illuminating!
I went and looked at a metallic blue '89 Automatic camper in my area being
offered for $10K. It appeared to be all there, but it's general exterior
condition was a little less than I was looking for (a whole lot of paint
scratches that had been touched up with paint that doesn't quite match,
etc.) Plus, it had 140K miles on it, and the exhaust and general amount of
grime on the engine looked like it. I think I will pass on this one.
But I have a question about purchasing a van from out of state. I live in
California, and we have among the strictest smog regulations in the country.
What do I need to comply with or do if I buy a Westfalia from out of state?
I have seen many nice examples all over the country via various web
classifieds, but I don't know what my responsibilities would be come vehicle
registration here in CA. We used to have a one-time smog transfer fee of
$300, but that has recently been repealed. Would my van have to comply with
CA smog equipment requirements?
Does anyone have experience with bringing out of state vehicles into
California?
Thanks again in advance!!!
...Dan