Are cars outside of rust belt truly rust free? (7 Viewers)

[odessit]

I am in NH and am planning to get used GX 460/LX 570 /LC200 some time over the next 6 months.

Both of my current cars (GX470 and LC100) have some rust even though first one came from Florida and second from California but spent at least some time in Massachusetts before I got them. I put FluidFilm on the cars every fall, so delaying surface rust build up, but can not reverse it

My question is - are cars outside of rust belt truly rust free? How far South/West do I need to go? I keep my cars for long time so do not mind getting there to pick up a right car. Just want to make sure that I am not deceiving myself with a premise of 4-6-8 year old truck being rust-free.

Thank you!

 

[xychromosome]

I live in NC and my GX was originally from FL. Even though I often drive on the beach throughout the year (I'm pretty pedantic about rinsing the undercarriage as soon as I get back home), I don't have any rust at all. So to answer your question, a southern truck should be rust-free.
I'd look south of DC and be wary of any carfax report mentioning time spent in the noorthern or midwestern states.
Caveat: nothing beats your own eyeballs on any potential purchase, you never know what may be hiding.

 

[jeremy j]

Mine has been in TX since new and has no rust at all.