So glad I moved 11 years ago ! 
This is my Jeep and this is my truck. My Jeep is for Jeepin and my truck is for fun
...doesn’t really work the same way as your quote but it’s the best I could come up with. SEMPER JEEP!
Well the thing is, is that it was from Texas. It passed Texas emissions with flying colors. Texas emissions make sense. The guy here in CA literally looked at the weld that was done to re-connect the original one piece cat piping and said “no way this will pass.” He didn’t even test the actual emissions because it failed the visual. I was hoping that if I did decide to sell it, that I would sell it out of state.Did the PO do a pre-sale smog or did you just buy it and are now getting around to smogging it?
Reason I ask... state law, owner is required to smog the vehicle prior to sale and the smog for transfer of ownership is only valid for 45 or 60 days(IIRC).
That being said, I don't think anyone is going to report you, but to be legal, you would have to smog the vehicle prior to selling it to someone else in the state of California. When I bought my TJ in January, all the Jeeps I looked at, owners understood and had plans to smog before I would give them a penny. You might have trouble reselling it if your prospective buyer knows the law and expects it to be smogged. Your miles may vary...
Back to the original question... I'd say put the money into it. Having been in the automotive field for more than 10 years, all in wholesale, a clean jeep will retain its value like no other and there has to be a reason you bought it. Fix it up, mod it out, and enjoy driving PCH with the top off.
Lets see- if i do the math-— granted I was not the sharpest knife in the butcher block when I was in school--
I just installed new cats in my 06. I'm planning a road trip to visit my buddy in Cali over the summer, I will pass every smog station I see. So, I will be passing smog in Cali.
Magnaflow, Eastern, and Bosal. If you check through craigslist you might get lucky like I did. I found an OEM cat from a part of that was in great shape with sensors for $300
So with my recent experience, it just has to look factory. The new smog check is super dumb. They hook up to your OBD-II port and check all the sensors, and do a visual check. So unless the aftermarket cat screws with the sensors (which mine didn’t), you should be ok as long as it LOOKS stock.
