Bah, fasteners-smasteners. That's what the smoke wrench is for. You southerners need to learn how to use torches properly! 
Bah, fasteners-smasteners. That's what the smoke wrench is for. You southerners need to learn how to use torches properly!
stuart in mn said:The good thing is cars for the most part have much better corrosion protection today than they used to. However, there are always some exceptions, you'll see a particular make or model that has rust in specific spots a lot sooner than they should. One that comes to mind is Hondas, which always seem to develop rust in the lower quarter panels right behind the rear wheels. Also remember that besides sheet metal, you have to be concerned about the condition of bolts and fasteners underneath the car. They can often get frozen in place making it tough to repair or replace things like suspension parts.
Depending on what you're looking for, sometimes buying a northern car can be a plus - say for example, a Miata, a Corvette, or other sports cars. Many of them get stored over the winter, so they will actually be in nicer condition than a southern car. Another thing is northern cars generally don't get as much sun damage, so the paint on the roof/hood/trunk doesn't get burned up and the interiors tend to last longer.
Exactly. There are completely rust free cars in the rust belt. Or they are total trash
. We racers like that since we are prone to blowing up motors and gearboxes etc . We find a rusty wreck with low miles, grab the mechanicals for chump change and can thrash without hurting the wallet.
As a southerner who started going to N. MI for work, it astounded me to see 5-6 year old cars with gaping rust holes. Nope. I won't buy anything that even spent a year or two north of TN, ever. I'm a slow learner and every time I have wavered from this rule I have suffered.
Ruck Fust.
Well that would make my E28 that spent its life in NY, PA and MI till about 2009(I bought it in 2010) a rust free example(for those areas.) that never saw winters. Never had a problem with fasteners on it in my eight years of ownership. I'm feeling pretty good about that now.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-2013-Chevrolet-Caprice-c27092#listing=218397735
Not sure the history but this one is in GA now. Has been on the lot for a while..
Tyler H said:As a southerner who started going to N. MI for work, it astounded me to see 5-6 year old cars with gaping rust holes. Nope. I won't buy anything that even spent a year or two north of TN, ever. I'm a slow learner and every time I have wavered from this rule I have suffered.
Ruck Fust.
Don't buy Korean. Or Mazda, or Mitsubishi.
Or just buy a second car...
I've owned one northern car. I bought it before I knew better. It's an experience I don't care to repeat. The sheet metal was perfect, but the rest of the car was a rusted mess. Axles, suspension arms, and every fastener on the car was a mess. Every bit of maintenance on that car took twice as long because of fighting corroded hardware. Not a mistake I will ever make again.
I'd avoid buying a Northern Rust Belt car. Our plan for our next vehicle purchase is to fly to a rust-free location, and buy there.
Some examples from our 2005 and up vehicles (all with no visible body rust):
- Had to replace OEM Toyota steel wheels because of rust. After one winter season of previously rust-free wheels, they're rusting.
- All 5 OEM TPMS sensors on our RAV4 failed, likely due to rust.
- Replaced a coolant crossover pipe up by the top of our Rav4's radiator due to rust.
- Coolant line for the water pump on my '06 RAM rusted through.
- End links in our Rav4 rusted away
- Rear bumper supports on all vehicles are questionable (check under the plastic bumper covers)
- OEM hitches rust within 2-3 seasons
- Don't get me started on brake parts, just buy all new hardware to be safe
- Suspension work means liberal use of a sawzall/dremel
In short, I would got out of my way to avoid a northern vehicle that's seen any winter driving.
I ran my 2002 KJ for ten years in upstate NY and I didn't have any rust failures. Maybe keeping it in a garage helps.
My dad’s 2000 S-10 was the only vehicle I’ve ever seen without a spec of rust on the body but whose frame was badly rotten. It actually had a spring hanger let go. His 2000 full size Chevy doesn’t seem to be doing much better.
By contrast I had a ‘98 XJ that I drove on salted roads for 12 winters. It never spent a night inside a garage. Other than the muffler finally rusting through it looked new underneath.
My ‘13 JK is showing a bit more corrosion on the underbelly than I think it should at this juncture.
Knurled. said:Ovid_and_Flem said:In reply to Pete Gossett :
That's what worries me.
Why? You can fix all those things. You can't fix a rotted shell except for buying a new car.
Because the act of fixing it is 10x worse when the rusted fasteners start snapping off. Sometimes just getting brake rotors/drums off requires WMDs, and then you’re left dealing with the aftermath.
In reply to Pete Gossett :
Yeah, but you're removing the rotor to replace it, so who cares.
Usually a smack or two with a five pound sledge will knock 'em right off.
In truth I rarely fight rusted fasteners except for exhaust, but that would happen no matter what. Exhaust is a worst case scenario for corrosion.
I spent 2 full days trying to replace the original front brakes on a 6 year old F150 with under 80k miles. I had to cut the rotor between the studs with the angle grinder, cut a slice into the rotor from the stud hole all the way to the edge, crack the rotor off in 2 chunks, then drill overlapping holes in two lines from the studs to the center hub register so I could cold chisel the center piece off. Then I had to wire brush everything, thread chase every hole, and install new fasteners to put it back together again.
Buy down south. Let the rust belt stuff return to the earth from whence it came.
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