Steel does rust, but good metallurgy and coatings help. I live in the upper Midwest where road salt is used quite heavily, yet the prevalence of super rusty car

Steel does rust, but good metallurgy and coatings help. I live in the upper Midwest where road salt is used quite heavily, yet the prevalence of super rusty cars has really diminished. Steel items that are not exposed to salt either rust much more slowly, or develop a patina that slows further rusting. That's not quite so easy in coastal areas.