[gregfisk]

Hi Fellow Members,

I'm hoping to get some input from people who live on the East coast regarding the longevity of the cars that have been driven there. I live in the Seattle area and I'm looking for a used SUV for my daughter. We have a broker here that mostly buys cars from auction and sells them well below blue book as a fixed price no haggle type of deal. Such as used car costing $25,000 would sell for $2000.00 less that what you would expect from a dealer. I took a car I was going to buy to my mechanic for an inspection and he put it up on the rack and said don't bother this car is from the East coast and is rusting from the roads being salted. After looking at cars from this broker almost all of them are from the East coast. When looking at carfax from regular dealers almost none of the cars are from the East coast. My mechanic says people on the East coast know the cars don't last which is why they sell them with low miles. I can only surmise that this is why the broker buys them figuring the people in Seattle don't know any better.

Does this make any since to you?

Thanks,

Greg

[Don_S]

Greg,

I do not understand how there is money to be made after shipping costs.  At any rate when I lived in Ohio I had several cars "dissolve" even though I had an aftermarket undercoating applied. That was years ago so maybe newer cars hold up better.

I also had an 18-year old Subaru that I bought and drove in CA that had zero rust on it when the engine failed. My 9-year old Highlander has zero rust. Personally I would not consider "importing" any used car from any area with severe winters where salt is used.

[strider]

The salt definitely takes it's toll on the undercarriages out here on the East coast. We have a technician at the dealership I work out from Colorado. Not a day goes by when he doesn't have something to say about how much more corroded everything is out here. We'll get recalls issued every now and again that deal with corrosion, and they are always directed at cars from the "salt belt", which is basically the East coast.

[macrojack]

Your buddy in Seattle may have bought himself a shipload of Sandy survivors.

[TF1216]

I moved to the midwest from the east coast four years ago.  During the winter month I saw a lot more salt on the roads in the east coast than I do here. 

[Devil Doc]

Your drive train will easily outlast the body of your care here in the N.E. I usually drive vehicles into the ground. I can't remember ever junking one because of a drive train failure.

Doc

[gregfisk]

Thank's for all of your responses, It sounds like it is a legitimate problem and I think I will steer clear of these cars. So what do people do as the cars get older and need repair? My mechanic says he hates it when they come is as you start to fix one thing and then something else breaks because everything is rusted out and together.

This broker has been in business for years so I don't think these are Sandy cars, he gets cars in on a regular basis and while I know you can hide a lot, these cars are really nice and look to be in great shape.

Thank's again for all the help.

Greg

[Don_S]

Possibly true and definitely scary.  Think about it. Why would someone spend a lot of money shipping used vehicles across a continent if they could be sold locally for a competitive price when shipping costs are considered?  Beware of used car salesmen wherever they are located. 

Your buddy in Seattle may have bought himself a shipload of Sandy survivors.

[thunderbrick]

It's not just the salt, it's the lousy condition of east coast roads that beats a car to death.  Certainly the case in Balmer, Merlin, where I grew up.

GO O's!  Go RAVENS!   

[Don_S]

I forgot about the "car-eating" potholes.

It's not just the salt, it's the lousy condition of east coast roads that beat a car to death.  Certainly the case in Balmer, Merlin, where I grew up.

GO O's!  Go RAVENS!   

[*Scotty*]

Before you pay a dime for any used car be sure to have it inspected by a professional familiar with the signs of water damage.
 Thousands of cars were drowned by Hurricane Sandy. Instead of finding their way to a crusher where they belong, they are in the used marketplace nation-wide. Purchased at auction by used cars resellers, with monumental problems ready to be passed on to you.
Scotty

[rif]

They use sand, not salt, in my part of NJ.

[gregfisk]

They use sand, not salt, in my part of NJ.

They have not used sand here in Washington State for as long as I can remember, does anyone know what states do and don't use salt or where to find out? I guess it doesn't matter as so many states are so close. Out here it takes awhile to get to another state and I don't know of any that use salt.

We have our share of pot holes but I'm pretty sure it's not as bad.

Thank's for all the input, you guys are great

[Ericus Rex]

Not all the east coast stated use salt.  You're probably just fine if you get a car that was originally driven between Florida and Virginia.  Sure Virginia, NC and SC may get some snow and use salt but no where near the quantities we use up here in Boston.

[vortrex]

what year is the car?  there's a huge difference in longevity with the steels and coatings used these days.  I don't think you have to worry about any modern car dissolving.  when I grew up in MI you would see so many cars rusted out.  nowadays it's somewhat rare to see one.

[vanderstephen]

Not all the east coast stated use salt.  You're probably just fine if you get a car that was originally driven between Florida and Virginia.  Sure Virginia, NC and SC may get some snow and use salt but no where near the quantities we use up here in Boston.

+1. No need for him to blanket statement the east coast. I'm in the central part of NC and we may have a salt brine put down once or twice per year.

[strider]

+1. No need for him to blanket statement the east coast. I'm in the central part of NC and we may have a salt brine put down once or twice per year.

Good point. Guess when I think of east coast I really should say north east; even then not everyone uses salt.

[gregfisk]

what year is the car?  there's a huge difference in longevity with the steels and coatings used these days.  I don't think you have to worry about any modern car dissolving.  when I grew up in MI you would see so many cars rusted out.  nowadays it's somewhat rare to see one.

I'm looking at small SUVs around 2006 to 2008. These cars all have from 25,000 to 50,000 miles on them and to the eye look perfect. I'm really glad to here not ALL cars from the East coast get rusty. The only bummer is having them checked out by a mechanic costs me around $100.00 so I don't want to do that too many times

[Bob in St. Louis]

Your buddy in Seattle may have bought himself a shipload of Sandy survivors.

I've got a 2013 Volvo with a few miles on the odometer, and the sticker still in the window that's a Sandy Survivor in my shop right now.
It's a mess. It's been several days since I looked at the cumulative days our tech has invested in the car, and how many computers he's replaced....so far....

We got a safety warning/caution from Volvo today that we should be very careful as the air bags and side curtains may deploy at any time and for no reason.   

If it looks like a deal that's too good to pass up..........   

[Ericus Rex]

+1. No need for him to blanket statement the east coast. I'm in the central part of NC and we may have a salt brine put down once or twice per year.

I read somewhere a while ago that the city of Buffalo, NY has more salt trucks than the states of LA, AL, GA, FL and SC combined!