Sorry if this gets to be too wordy...

So about 2 years ago I had some smoke coming from the steering column that lasted about a minute or so. After that, the dashboard indicators were kind of wacky, the cruise control and HVAC went out completely. The audio system kind of comes and goes as do some of the indicators (gas level, etc.). I don't drive the car much so I don't sweat it too much. But the other day I went to get smog tested here in CA and it failed because the OBD II apparently wouldn't talk to the system the smog guys hooked it up to (don't know the specifics, not much of a car repair guy). So now I'm at a crossroads where I have about a month to decide what to do with the vehicle. Should I just try to sell it as is or try to get it fixed up a little bit to keep it compliant and working a little better? That's the type of question I'm really trying to figure out. I know it's pretty broad as it could be plenty of things, just trying to get some ideas here. I've checked some of the fuses as best I can (I have a Chilton's for the make/model/year). More info for kicks: sometimes the doors don't unlock, the windows won't roll down - sometimes they will; can't pin it to a particular temperature level...

Based on what I've written, any ideas at all on the difficulty level I'm looking at here? I know it's a broad topic, thanks for any advice.

 

You have a short. Find it and repair it.
not much else to say.

 

Do you think I should start checking around the ignition switch? (Based on the smoke emitted...)

 

I'd say that's a very good place to start. You can find diagrams and repair procedures on charm.li