http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/2477603835.html
Is this kind of thing common? Should it be as big of a red flag as I think it is (huge). Any other thoughts on this particular car? Can one of you buy it so I can't?
http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/2477603835.html
Is this kind of thing common? Should it be as big of a red flag as I think it is (huge). Any other thoughts on this particular car? Can one of you buy it so I can't?
My first Miata had some rust at the top of the a-piller under the weatherstip but nothing like that.
Talk him down to $800 and do this:
It's not common, but it's not unknown either. I'd take it as a sign that there is going to be so much crust under the car that you'll never be able to work on it, never mind the structural implicatons.
The blue car above did have a pillar rust. So have a few other rusty miata I've bought. I would say it's common for very rusty miatas to have a pillar rust. Also, I agree with Keith that everything will be hard to work on. With the above blue car, I think at least half the bolts required to change shocks and springs were either cut out or need a torch. The other half just needed lots of penetrating oil and long breaker bars.
Rust like that is usually from a poorly done windshield replacement and does not necessarilly mean there will be rust elsewhere on the body. Still, check it carefully since it can lead to rust in uncommon areas.
3rd gen F bodys rust there as well.
I briefly had a 91 Camaro with a 350 TPI that looked cherry pretty from the outside, but if you got underneath or looked close, the car was completely gone. It had a hole in one A pillar big enough to get a pack of cigarettes into and was rotted beyond believe under the ground effects.
That's one of the reasons Miata buying sucks in the Northeast: all of the garaged/stored cars are overpriced and rust got to the rest. If you decide to buy the car anyway and tackle the A-pillar rust, then this episode of "Wheeler Dealers" can give you an idea of what you are in for:
I actually just tackled typical Subaru A pillar rust.
The entire A pillar was covered in horrible surface rust. Paint peeled right off with a scraper. I wire wheeled, flap sanded, wire brushed, acetoned and bondo'd it. Then I sanded it and shot it with some primer. Looks pretty freaking good if I do say so myself. There were only two places where the rust went through, they were each about 1/8" x 1/2". My goal is to have this car last me 4 years (until end of college), and I feel like I have handled the A Pillar rust enough for me to feel confident in this goal.
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