Any cars known for not rusting?

In reply to Iusedtobefast:

I spent the evenings over two weeks cleaning off the rust on the frame and suspension components of a 1969 427 4speed Vette. Sure the bodies won't rust, but there is still lot's of steel in Corvettes.

Yeah figured somehow it'd end up that the northern and European countries would come out with some stuff that fit the bill. Just had never occurred to me that while I know of a good number of cars that have a reputation of rusting, never heard of any known for the opposite.

I assure you, just like everything burns, everything in Michigan rusts.

Lotus Esprits don't rust.

Iusedtobefast wrote: Corvettes?

Someone here mentioned Googling for images of "corvette birdcage rust". Apparently the birdcage is what they call the firewall/windshield region of the car.

I haven't the stomach to look at picture like that.

Want to know something perverse? GM still makes cars that rust moderadely (nowhere near as bad as Japanese cars of course) but their aluminum subframes are awesome. I have never seen one with any corrosion, even on cars where the mount boxes on the body are so rusted away that the subframe is ready to fall off. It's like the opposite of B6 Audis where the body is perfect and the subframe comes out of the car in three pieces.

I hope Ford licensed that magic for use on the new F150.

pointofdeparture wrote: In reply to bastomatic: That's right, Volvo was another company that used galvanized bodies. I don't know when they started but I know they all had it by the time the 850 was in production.

My 2nd 850 had a large paint chip, like the size of a quarter or bigger, on the quarter panel from where the PO put a big ass crease in it. The bare metal underneath didn't rust at all through the three winters I had that car in upstate NY.

The frame rails ahead of the rear wheels on a C3 corvette will disapear too. I've seen a few fill with debris and rot from the inside.

everything rusts in cleveland unless we put it away for winter.

Jeep Wrangler tubs are galvanized, I think they started last few years of the YJ, and all the TJs, I assume the JKs are too.

Volvos as already mentioned have galvanized bodies, but there's still plenty of brackets and mounts that aren't. The rear bumper brackets were pretty crusty on my 850 after 3 Ohio Winters.

patgizz wrote: everything rusts in cleveland unless we put it away for winter.

Not true. I never drive my RX-7 in the winter and it was rust free when I got it in 2008. Three years later I had to patch holes in the driver's floor, a couple years later I rebuilt the driver's side rear wheelwell (pass side needs done too, although not as bad) and now the front fenders are ragged and I have to rebuild the rear link boxes especially on the right side. (Must get a new welder)

I wonder if being "put away" outdoors vs. in a garage has anything to do with it. Theoretically, sitting under a mound of snow for three months should prevent salt fumes from getting near the car, right?

It certainly lasted better than my first one, which came from Texas, and three years later was so bad that the roof had rust holes in it. Of course, it was my only car so it saw many miles of driving in rocksalt slurry.

I'll second 00-up Hondas. Wife has an '03 accord with no body rust. It also helped that it spent the first half of it's life in California.

04+ Jaguar XJ - aluminium body.

This whole thread just makes me want to avoid moving to the salt belt.

Of all the cars I've owned, German ones avoided rust the best. The worst was a Dodge Caravan originally from Toronto. Speed holes appeared in the hood and doors by the time it had 85K miles. It's equal (but not surprising really) was an '85 Subi wagon. It's rear fenders eventually were made of expanding foam insulation......

The Mark VII seems to fight off the tin worm much better than a similar year Mustang.

BlueInGreen44 wrote: Tupperware

The sw2 i bought as a fixer upper, has the most ridiculous underbody rust i have come across yet. Trailing arm mounts are non existant ... Looks good on the outside though

As for cars with zinc coatings 90s nissans and Toyotas have it too. They still rust any way same with the 04 saturn ion... at least on the metal trunk.

I have found homemade coatings are the only soultion to stopping and preventing rust. Its also a must to pull fender liners and clean out the muck that collects periodically and take out any carpet or sound padding that stores water.

For homebrew rust prevention i have found sometimes candle wax mixed with petroleum jelly or mineral oil (or just the 2nd two ie vaseline and baby oil) makes a great slimy sealant. I have deemed the mix slurm

Just heat it up and spray it on. The trick is getting it thin enough to "soak" in to hard to reach seams. Its very water resistant but also sticky and works even if mostly wiped off.

Brian wrote: I'll second 00-up Hondas. Wife has an '03 accord with no body rust. It also helped that it spent the first half of it's life in California.

My mother's 05 accord is a one owner car with no accidents that has been kept clean and has rust enough so that she's getting a new car. 150k miles.

Someone already mentioned the Audi 5000, which is the only car I've ever seen go double-digit years without a speck of rust on the body. Thick sheet metal, hardcore galvanizing and factory cavity wax goes a long way.

It all depends on the year.

The older the car the less likely you will want a car from Europe or Japan. The cheaper it was the less likely it is that it won't rust. American cars were a bit better but it was more like they didn't disolve in less than five years. Watch out for vinyl roof lower edges.

Most modern cars, mid-90s and up, are pretty good. That is compared to older cars.

BlueInGreen44 wrote: Tupperware

Quoted for truth. Sometimes I wish mine WOULD rust. Its lost half of its paint and still has little/no rust, even on the metal parts. Just watch the door sills.

In reply to BlueInGreen44: The 740 Turbo I had was pretty rust-free on the outer body panels, but there's a crossmember under the front seats that catches all sorts of crud and rusts the floors out. I also had holes I could never find that leaked water and dust into the trunk.

Our 1999 V70XC is still going at 190,000 miles rust-free, now owned by a friend of mine.