PreCat in Massachusetts
 

Hi,
I was going to order a 49-state precat for my '02 millenia s. Found it on ebay for only $229. But my mechanic just told me that Massachusetts has adopted the California emissions standards and that the 49-state probably won't work. Does anyone know if this is true? I really don't want to buy one that costs a fortune.
Thanks!

yup. i think now there are 13 states that are carb. BUT, the biggest question is do retrofit emissions now have to meet carb standards? if you order a genuine cat from mazda, and mazda sends you the cat designed for your car, and you install it, what happens? what if tomorrow you go for a state emissions inspection, can they fail you because your car is no longer carb? i dont think so. and any shop should know this. call your state(Massachusetts Vehicle Check) and ask. then, if you find out your mechanic is full of it, find another. could be he just dont wanna install your part, because he gets extra profit if he sells you his. also, i caution you on ebay stuff. i got a 'Y' pipe from a canada ebay seller, and it didnt fit worth a sh*t. i got a front precat, and it was off, i had to make it fit. so make sure you got your ducks in a row, because if it dont fit, you are gonna pay anyway, and then you gotta send it back all beat to heck. check ebay return rules, and go thru someplace like paypal, and make sure you check their return policies, too.

Magnaflow may sell one for your vehicle:
The Official Site of MagnaFlow Exhaust Products - Exhaust Systems For Trucks, Suv's, American Muscle, Diesel, & Sport Compact Vehicles

Turns out for retrofit on old cars I do NOT have to worry about meeting the CA standards, so that's good. As for buying from eBay - it is a Canadian company, could be the same one you bought from, but they seem to have very good reviews, and the savings is so substantial ($229 vs. $500+) that I think it might just be worthwhile going with it. I will definitely check the return policy and pay with paypal.

Thanks!