We all love the little Suzuki Samurai. A traditional flat-fender gets us to smile and a Gen 1 Bronco is something we all admire. Travelall, Montero, Land Cruiser all have a place. Suburbans are our go to tow pig.
but what compact SUV (not crossover) is the least plagued by the metal cancer?
Anything modern. For real, newer you go the less likely it is to rust.
Buy something under 5 years old from not-rust-belt. It'll last forever.
Blaise wrote: Anything modern. For real, newer you go the less likely it is to rust. Buy something under 5 years old from not-rust-belt. It'll last forever.
Ok there are "15" modern SUVs left.
Wrangler-It rusts.
Tahoe/Suburban and family - not compact
Mercedes G-wagon - maybe?
Expedition family - not compact
Armada - Not compact
4Runner family - not compact but compact-ish compared to the rest of the list
Land Cruiser - not compact
Sequoyah - not compact
So G wagon and maybe 4runner. If you stretch the rules a bit.
Not as straight forward a question as it seems.
Range Rover
I have a p38 that I have been trying to kill, but it refuses to die - as it is aluminum bodied, it is rust proof.
It has never left me in a position I couldn't extricate myself from using a rubber mallet, an adjustable wrench, and a screwdriver.
Blaise wrote: Anything modern. For real, newer you go the less likely it is to rust. Buy something under 5 years old from not-rust-belt. It'll last forever.
I'm confused. If something under 5 years never rusts... why does it matter if its from the rust belt?
ProDarwin wrote:Blaise wrote: Anything modern. For real, newer you go the less likely it is to rust. Buy something under 5 years old from not-rust-belt. It'll last forever.I'm confused. If something under 5 years never rusts... why does it matter if its from the rust belt?
sush!
ProDarwin wrote:Blaise wrote: Anything modern. For real, newer you go the less likely it is to rust. Buy something under 5 years old from not-rust-belt. It'll last forever.I'm confused. If something under 5 years never rusts... why does it matter if its from the rust belt?
You could say things less than 5 years old have rarely begun to rust much, or buy from outside the rust belt?
What is your definition of SUV? What are you looking for specifically?
I think in the rust belt, everything rusts. Buy something cheap, drive it until it falls apart, repeat.
Shockingly, I have a Samurai and a XJ that have no rust. I also live in the South. 
Add Toyota FJ cruiser and Nissan Xterra. Both can be had in manual with rear lockers I believe. For smallest probably the Xterra.
German things tend to rust less, but they don't make a whole lot of capable SUVs.
In the Jeep world, XJs and Wranglers of all forms rust. WJs rust, but not quite as badly and usually not in terminal ways unless it's allowed to get really bad. ZJs rust a bit less than the rest and mostly in specific spots, but being that they're all 19+ years old at this point, you'd either have to find a clean one from down south or plan to give some attention to the problem spots (should be solid once that's done).
Toyman01 wrote: I think in the rust belt, everything rusts. Buy something cheap, drive it until it falls apart, repeat.
It does, but newer stuff doesn't rust nearly as quickly.
Volvos have had galvanized bodies since the early '90s, for sure on the P80 and newer FWD chassis and their related models and progeny. So XC70, XC60, XC90.
I don't know about JKs, I assume so, but the last few years of the YJ and all of the TJ Wranglers had galvanized bodies. Frames aren't rust proof, but the bodies don't rot.
In reply to bigdaddylee82:
Galvanized bodies help, but the ZJs and WJs prove that galvanized unibodies can still rust. Mostly in areas that get continuous blasting by salt spray off the tires and areas that can hold / trap moisture and dirt.
Well the answer is definitely NOT Jeep Patriot/Compass/ect. I think it's been decades since anyone has produced a vehicle that rusts that badly.
In reply to bigdaddylee82:
I see TJs with big holes in the tub, particularly around the front and rear fenders and in the rockers, all the time. I know the Wrangler is supposed to be galvanized since like '94 I think, but TJs definitely still rot around here and this is far from the worst part of the rust belt.
I don't think I've seen a rusty JK yet, though.
Had an '02 KJ for eight years, no rust in upstate NY.
Even my D90, with a mostly aluminum body, still had rust issues. Body capping, door skins, rear frame horns, plenty of places to rust. Some of them critical like the frame.
Everything has some kind of rot/rust/corrosion issue.
My 06 Highlander Hybrid has been a New England car its entire life and is remarkably clean.
Ricky Spanish wrote: Range Rover I have a p38 that I have been trying to kill, but it refuses to die.. It has never left me in a position I couldn't extricate myself from using a rubber mallet, an adjustable wrench, and a screwdriver.
Care to elaborate? For my next purchase?
Wranglers don't rust, they simply "become one with the ground on which they tread". 
Most anything will rust if not cared for properly. I agree that anything relatively newer will hold up fine to rust, especially if you take simple measures like taking salt, mud, etc... off of them instead of wearing them like a hillbilly badge of courage.
If you're in the rust belt, everything rusts. Literally. I don't care what anyone says. I've seen 2 year old Durangos with rust on the hatch, 3 year old Escapes that have rusty rear fenders etc.
Here's how you find one and keep one without rust. Don't buy one. Everything else will rust.
Every time someone thinks they have a solution to rust, the highway maintenance people up their game. This is the latest evil:
I swear they get paid by the OEM's to do this. Yea adding water to salt will help the corrosion problem.
Personally, I say they need to mandate snow tires in any area where it snows more than occasionally (or at least say that if you get into an accident without them, the accident is automatically 100% your fault). And then require significant reductions in salt usage.
It's insane to watch states like NY brag about how many millions of pounds of salt they use in a winter...
In reply to NGTD:
I remember reading a few years back that they had started adding some kind of beet sugar to the mix as well to help it stick to the road. And everything else as well 
I'll second the FJ Cruiser. Mine is 10 years old, 165K miles, driven daily. Not only is it durable its the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned.
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