I know a friend looking at buying a used car 2016 model the car fax shows it spent two years from new in Pennsylvania before it hit Washington state Out here we have mild weather So no salt on roads I’m assuming Pennsylvania still salts ? Any other weather conditions that affect the cars from there?
Yes,we salt in Pa. I drive a snow plow on I 80 in central Pa. We also spray salt brine as well. On a 16,I can't see there would be rust yet,but I would believe it's inevitable ....I bought my 95 F350 from Baltimore area and they use minimal salt.I still have the paper tags stuck to my frame..Not many around here have that.
I always bought my cars out of state when I lived in PA to avoid buying one that had been run in the salt. Some areas of PA use more salt than others. Can you tell by the registration if it was a full two years and did it run through two full winters and how many of the miles? I wouldn't worry much about a couple years on a newer car in the salt, people travel so much any more that even cars that are from non salt areas often end up driving salted roads at some point.
Thanks !! Leased new out of Allentown PA Feb 2016 then always serviced at that dealer until April 2018 spent time around Summit New Jersey as a couple tire checks in that area 2018 Had about 20 k miles a year put on it. Then auctioned and sent to west coast, I do have the ability to put on a hoist and look under neath, just havnt got that far yet as wanted some input from east coast guys first.
The southwestern part is harsh. The mountains channel all the bad weather right through here. Lots of freezes and thaws throughout the winter here, also.
If it spent time in Summit I would have to wonder if it didn't do some NYC commuting which would be some rough use
A HOIST?? Power wash the crap out of it! Most of the sheet metal is plastic now. Get everything clean and spray it well with oil; like until its dripping wet. 2-3 years of eastern/midwest service isnt a killer if yer pal likes the car and the deal was good. The older stuff? Not too much consideration was given to "lavage"... ws
Has PA always used salt? My 68 GS came from the Scranton area (sold new in Kingston) and the frame and floor boards show no sign of salt attack. I know what it looks like from where I live and its not pretty on those cars. It was not a papered garage queen, just a regular driver as witnessed by the hole in the drivers side carpet where the ladies high heel dug in.
Mike, Yes they always used salt as far as I know, and the Scranton area is in the hills, so they use a lot. My Dad was from there. If your car came from the Scranton area and is that clean underneath then it was not driven much in the winter. There are 2 types of old cars there, ones driven in the winter and ones that were not, and you can tell the difference immediately. Beth's 70 Chevelle convert came from there and I had to replace 3/4 of the floor with all the braces, both inside rockers, 1 outside rocker, the entire trunk and area under the rear seat, both quarters, drops, inner & outer wheel houses, both doors, etc.. Now this was an old car without any of the e-coatings like they use today. If your buddy cleans everything up underneath it would probably be ok. Duane
Funny how conditions can vary, I have seen cars that have never left Florida that are pretty crusty from the humidity. I recently picked up a 71 Skylark Convert that was sold new in Bayside Queens NY, I googled the address off the original dealer paperwork and the house has no garage, thus the car must have sat outside and probably did some commuting in to the city, underside is original and dry as a bone.
I'd be looking closely at brake lines and other bare metal components. On these modern cars there is quite a bit that is unpainted or uncoated on the underside.
The most rust I ever saw on a vehicle was down at Daytona Beach Shores. It was a Chevy Blazer that some guy drove on the beach. To tell you how bad it was I watched him check his oil without opening the hood. All that was left of it was a little skin here and there and some of the bracing. Here is a pic of the Chevelle while I was cutting the floor out. I had not even got to the trunk or the quarters yet. The NOS rocker is sitting on the trunk floor. Enjoy. Duane
Thanks for all the input guys, Ill pass on the advice and let him see if he can beat them down on price
