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I didn't truly understand what a rust bucket was until I tried buying a used car in Northern Virginia (I had just moved from California). Everything below $200

I didn't truly understand what a rust bucket was until I tried buying a used car in Northern Virginia (I had just moved from California). Everything below $2000 USD was a rust covered death trap that couldn't pass a vehicle inspection. I test drove a $1500 car and cut myself on the rust as I got into the vehicle. Another $1900 car was kind of low rust, but it couldn't pass the vehicle safety check. Snow & road salt is not nice to cars.

ghaff 8y ago
Yeah. It used to be a lot worse believe it or not. But, still, anything over about 10 years old in the Northeast and other snowy regions are pretty much at EOL. I made the mistake with a prior vehicle (which I bought used) of doing a couple fairly major repairs when it was about 12 years old and it ended up being just a cascading set of failures due to rust.
- mixmastamyk 8y ago
  Isn't that what the "under body" coating supposed to help with?
  - PopeDotNinja 8y ago
    Think of an under coating like underwear you never take off. It's not going to protect you for long if refuse to wash your underside.
  - ghaff 8y ago
    "Help" is the operative work. Modern auto manufacturers do a lot of things to help vehicles resist rusting out both in terms of the structure and in the various brake lines and so forth. So now they rust out in maybe 10+ years rather than 5 or less.
  - rasz 8y ago
    no, its cosmetic, water ingress between the layers and eats the car in a way you cant see @19:30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INNMrAGl0Bg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INNMrAGl0Bg @4:15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn-cqoVYQR0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn-cqoVYQR0 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZJS6Md1UOg2Wsc48Hr7x-CtlxBGfpbfV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZJS6Md1UOg2Wsc48Hr7x...
- rightbyte 8y ago
  Uhm ... I drive a -98 Volvo V70, 300 000 km, in central Sweden. It's no way where near EOL and it's snow and salt on the roads. If I change the brakes it's good for maybe 2-8 years more before the gearbox might give up. The secret is to to preemptive rust measures. Just paint it like you would on a boat and change rusty parts on the underbelly before the rust spreads to the car body. Preemptive measures are cheap and not that much work. When it's too late though ... I wonder how much greater the average car life span would be if the drivers just took a oil dispenser every third month and oiled the parts.

ghaff 8y ago

Yeah. It used to be a lot worse believe it or not. But, still, anything over about 10 years old in the Northeast and other snowy regions are pretty much at EOL. I made the mistake with a prior vehicle (which I bought used) of doing a couple fairly major repairs when it was about 12 years old and it ended up being just a cascading set of failures due to rust.

mixmastamyk 8y ago
Isn't that what the "under body" coating supposed to help with?
- PopeDotNinja 8y ago
  Think of an under coating like underwear you never take off. It's not going to protect you for long if refuse to wash your underside.
- ghaff 8y ago
  "Help" is the operative work. Modern auto manufacturers do a lot of things to help vehicles resist rusting out both in terms of the structure and in the various brake lines and so forth. So now they rust out in maybe 10+ years rather than 5 or less.
- rasz 8y ago
  no, its cosmetic, water ingress between the layers and eats the car in a way you cant see @19:30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INNMrAGl0Bg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INNMrAGl0Bg @4:15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn-cqoVYQR0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn-cqoVYQR0 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZJS6Md1UOg2Wsc48Hr7x-CtlxBGfpbfV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZJS6Md1UOg2Wsc48Hr7x...
rightbyte 8y ago
Uhm ... I drive a -98 Volvo V70, 300 000 km, in central Sweden. It's no way where near EOL and it's snow and salt on the roads. If I change the brakes it's good for maybe 2-8 years more before the gearbox might give up. The secret is to to preemptive rust measures. Just paint it like you would on a boat and change rusty parts on the underbelly before the rust spreads to the car body. Preemptive measures are cheap and not that much work. When it's too late though ... I wonder how much greater the average car life span would be if the drivers just took a oil dispenser every third month and oiled the parts.