How do I purchase a car outside California and bring it in state?

I live in California, and I am about to purchase a car private party out of state.
With California's SMOG test requirements, I cannot obtain registration for the
car until it's SMOG tested in state. Has anyone had experience doing this in
the past? How have you gone about the process of transferring title,
transporting the car, then obtaining registration in California for a car
purchased out of state?