smog issue - practical ideas?

So, here in CA you need to smog before selling, and the engine light is stuck on.
seems it needs a new cat converter. the car runs beautifully, even at 200k+ miles.
can't see spending $2000 for new cat, and can't bare the thought if car getting junked.
need to smog in 8 months anyway.

sell it in texas? sell it for parts? pragmatic ideas appreciated.

 

illegal in california to buy and install used cat converter

 

if you see the verbiage on the vendor in ebay with new cat converter , it is 49 states only. different emission standards here. i assume other cat converters are the same.
Can a California member chime in ? If there is a cheap new, CA-compliant converter, the folks at my trustworthy (i think) hybrid-only repair shop don't know about it.

 

it seems illegal to sell it, but not illegal to buy it

 

sorry, i don't understand "CARB buy-in states"

 

well, i hoped to get more practical ideas from this well informed, helpful bunch. but i guess the awards go to jimbo and jc91006. I'm not a DIYer, just a driver.

1st - cleaning the catalytic converter so that it passes smog sounds lovely- but is there a technical basis for this ??? what % of success, and who will do it ? if I drive to LA, will you do it? how much do i have to pay? ( 1/2 serious) anybody want to chime in?

2nd - repairing the and selling the car out of state seems to be the only purely legal way to do this. I think its legal, does anyone have a comment on this?

Many people will be in this same situation very soon, so it is not a fringe issue. on another thread I saw this posted:

Apparently you can not buy or install those cheap $100-$300 weld-in or even direct fit aftermarket "49 state" parts legally, and SMOG TECHNICIANS have been warned and trained to look for proper markings "CA COMPLIANT OBD II" or whatever it is they look for -- so don't expect to get away with that, either.​