Common rust areas - Is there hope for a LC100 purchase in the midwest? (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Sep 18, 2015
Threads
20
Messages
178
Location
Chicago
Hey gang, newbie to the LC forum here but long-time 4R owner (3rd gen then 4th gen) and serial BMW enthusiast which means I turn my own wrenches, and often.

I've always admired the LC 100's and it's time to get one. I'm on the hunt.

My 06 4th Gen 4R has zero body rust after 9 winters in Chicago. Nothing anywhere. Certainly a lot of surface corrosion underneath but the body is perfect. I recently looked at my first LC100 candidate, a 2006, 1 owner, Chicago-area-always car. The rust was shocking, including: Deep corrosion in the rear right wheel well, particularly behind the mudflap, and peeking out on the forward side of that same wheel well, on the left rear wheel well, along the ENTIRE pinchweld on the bottom tailgate portion, bubbling up heavily, some on the front fender and then again along nearly the entire top of the windshield, of all places. Just starting to bubble up there but not good. From 10 feet away the car looked great. The closer inspection is what was really sad.

So, questions- with the newest possible LC100 being 8 years old and the rust on this 06 being so bad, is there actually hope for getting a body-rust-free car anywhere around here? Did I just stumble upon a bad example? Is the rustproofing significantly different than the 4R rustproofing? This has me now eyeing financing a LC200 as I'm starting to lose hope for the 100's. I'll certainly look at a few more 100's first. Could I fly somewhere and buy one from the south? Yes, but I'd kinda prefer not to if possible. Time and energy for such a trip is short this time of the year and time is somewhat of the essence in this search.
 
You can certainly find rust free bodies in the salt belts. Back in March I bought an 04 that lived in Michigan and Toledo it's entire life. No rust anywhere on any painted surface. Under carriage was rusty but it was actually better than most rigs I had seen in the rust belt.

Keep looking, they are out there.
 
My '04 is a Michigan/Illinois truck and it's not too bad. No body rust and just some spots on the frame. It makes a big difference to find one well cared for.
 
I purchased a 2000 lx470 in Feb of this year. From my research it was a two owner from WI and SD. It has undercarriage surface rust. Only rust on the body is on the upper tailgate, around the license plate lights and there is a bubble under the paint on the lower tailgate near the lower tailgate handle... not too bad I guess...
 
Think you just stumbled on a bad example. When I was searching in New England, the telltale sign for me was the clam shell latch area. If the top latch was very rusty, the rest of the rig was going to be far worse where I couldn't see. Windshield rust is not as common - unless the seals are not properly reinstalled on a glass replacement.

You certainly should be able to find an LC in your area with zero body rust. The underside is a different story :(
 
image.jpg
Get the new 200 and rust proof and take care of it. If you have the time but you say you really don't buy one that lived in Texas, Navada, Arizona or any other state that does not use salt. Rust is about the only thing that can kill these vehicles. I really like my 100 more then my LX570 because it has a more truck like feel, but you can't beat an200 series. This is what a 2005 from Las Vegas and Austin looks like.
image.jpg
 
Another place to watch for rust is the lower front fenders in front of the doors. Leaves and debris fall down in there by the hood hinges and collect at the bottom. Leaves turn to dirt after a while, then can cause rust. I blow and suction mine out with compressed air and a vacuum cleaner a couple times a year when its been dry for a while. Part of preventive maintenance. You can see in there with a good flashlight with the front doors open wide. I actually wrapped nylon window screen loosely around the hood hinge arms so when the hood is closed it blocks most of the stuff from getting through. It's worked pretty well so far.
 
Keep looking, but being in Chicago, you're a quick flight away from a lot of cities. You'll have more to chose from if you keep the search broad.

Also, my '06 came from Kansas and has very little surface rust underneath and no rust on the body.

Good luck
 
I'm in Pittsburgh PA and bought a completely rust free example that was garage kept. I was welding metal onto the cab corners just ahead of the rear wheels and sand blasting the area around the windshield a year later. I do park it outside, though. I think it's just as important to garage keep these things as it is to buy one that's rust free because otherwise the result is the same in the end.
 
They use a special salt on steroids in some parts of the country that will eat any vehicle if your not a nut about keeping it salt free and protected.
 
Screw salt! I will never buy anything from salt states. It gets into places, creeps into bolt threads and other stuff you can't see. Worth a flight and road trip to get a dry one from out west.
 
I wouldn't say all hope is lost, just keep searching and be willing to travel a bit. I found my '06 in Harrisburg PA (drove there from Boston) but it had spent most of it's life in VA so the undercarriage was squeaky clean at ~150K.

If a dealer/individual is serious about selling you should have no problem getting them to send you some under body pictures. Then you will at least know what you are going into before you make a trip anywhere. Plus, then you can post those pictures here and get some 2nd opinions.
 
I am original owner of an 06 and live in NJ close to Philadelphia; travel often to NYC etc I have lots of rust! its just a fact of life here if anyone tells you these cars do NOT have rust they are lying. I try to take care of my vehicle but its often difficult when its 3 degrees out; our new car color is grey/white salt and last thing you want to do is go to the car wash.

Rear hatch is a problem design due to leaky 3rd brake light?? but it gets in there somehow bottom half of tail gate is rust free so go figure

all of my skid plates that came from factory are rusted up i guess from the snow/slush crap that would make its way up there and then sit and dry

exhaust pipe is total rust covered waiting for it to fall off lol

those are the problem area I have; vehicle has no crashes so if you see any rust in other places I did not mention it would be good to do more research into the vehicle. My engine bay is all good, fenders etc no rust on any part of body EXCEPT top half of tail gate.
 
View attachment 1136305 here you can notice some parts have rust others are fine

That looks pretty good for a life-long NYC/NJ truck! Nothing from the northeast will ever be truly rust-free, but that's looking about as good as one can expect.
 
Rear hatch is a problem design due to leaky 3rd brake light?? My engine bay is all good, fenders etc no rust on any part of body EXCEPT top half of tail gate.

Love your winter salty white color change! Mine resembles that especially after last Winter in Boston! I garage mine and use fluid film underneath and on the clam shell to try my best to keep rust at bay. At the end of the day, we all bought these great rigs to drive them in all weather conditions! I love knowing I can take my family of 5 safely to the mountains and back through whatever old man Winter delivers.

Got any pics of the top half of tail gate?
 
Not sure how "garage kept" is of any use in preventing rust. The rust happens while it sleeps in the garage... after driving on those salt crusted roads. I wouldn't consider a N.E. Land Cruiser (or any used car, truck). Compared to dealing with and paying for the repairs from rust, the cost of shipping - or flying to get - a S.W. or even S.E. 100 is a no-brainer. On second thought... leave our rust-free trucks out of that salty, metal-eating wasteland.

Full disclosure: I left NY for GA 13 years ago... and won't go back... never. ;)
 
Hasnt snowed in Tampa in 70 years....actually we havent had a major hurricane in more than 90 years, so it has snowed here more recently than we've had a big storm

prayers sent to all those rusted frames up north
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom