Hey guys I'm considering purchasing a 2000 Land Cruiser that is in great condition aside from rust in the engine compartment and on various parts seen through the wheel wells and from the underside of the truck. There is no rust that I can see on any of the body panels. This is a New England truck so definitely exposed to salted roads and what not. The dealer says it's just surface rust but it's definitely concerning me. Any opinions on if I should walk away or how much it might cost to clean up the rust would be very much appreciated.
Looking for opinions on rust
- Thread starter Cruiser20001
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kelly saad
Supporting Vendor
I never never buy any car that has spent years in New England or Midwest. Salt destroys and can't be stopped once its in the cracks and creases. It may just be "surface rust" now but its spreading. If you just want a beater to drive then fine, go for it, but if you want to keep it and build it then only buy one from areas of the country that do not drop salt and have it shipped. Its so disappointing, so much is destroyed by road salt.
Do you intend to drive it year-round? Are you in New England as well?
The guys in the southwest are spoiled. They throw away rust-free cars that we'd probably kill to own.... Ultimately, unless you are buying a truck as some kind of museum piece it's going to rust eventually.... So whether you start out with an existing New England LC or buy a rust-free car from out west, you are going to end up in the same place.
Speaking existentially, people and trucks ALL end up in the same place (back in the soil). If the truck is mechanically and structurally sound and is priced correctly for its condition, I wouldnt run away from it.
-G
^^ I agree with both these guys. I would never buy a vehicle with that much rust, but then again, I live out west and don't drive on salted roads in winter. I used to live back east, but no more...
That said, if you live in NE and will drive year round, then no harm in buying a "pre-rusted" 100, since it will eventually get rusty anyway - as long as you get what you want at a fair price. If the price is right, nothing I see above is a deal breaker. Give us more details, and maybe we can get more specific on the advice.
That said, if you live in NE and will drive year round, then no harm in buying a "pre-rusted" 100, since it will eventually get rusty anyway - as long as you get what you want at a fair price. If the price is right, nothing I see above is a deal breaker. Give us more details, and maybe we can get more specific on the advice.
I'd look for one where it doesn't snow and have it shipped or drive it back.
Yuck. I'm with LEX. Especially if you do your own maintenance.
You'll never get it all cleaned up. Best case, it isnt body where you can't see (rockers, fenders). I personally wouldn't buy a rusty truck unless it was a really good deal. Add a few hundred dollars to your purchase and fly a few hours and get a rust free and start with a clean slate.
Seems strange that there is no chassis or suspension rust but there is that under the hood. Am I looking at these pictures right?
If you live in the northeast the chassis looks brand new. If you live in the south look some more.
If you live in the northeast the chassis looks brand new. If you live in the south look some more.
kelly saad
Supporting Vendor
I thought the rear axle picture looked like someone painted black over the rusty sway bar and axle. Detail shops invented this technique. Pathetic.
- Thread starter
- #11
Thanks for the advice.
It will be kept in New England and driven year round. It only has 102K miles on it and is priced at just under $14k. All the electronics work, one owner with dealer service history and the body is perfect but my concern is that the rust will kill it well before it would have other issues given I will only be driving it about 5k miles/year. But I am new to this so I'm not sure if that's the right assessment.
- Thread starter
- #12
Yeah I was confused by that as well. All of the nuts and bolts in the engine have rust and the photos looking through the wheel wells show rust on the parts connecting to the wheel but the rest of the underbody does look coated black and rust free but I assumed that was a factory coating?
It's hard to tell form the pictures, but the undercoating COULD be a coverup job.... If it's thin enough, you can lol for signs of "texture" in the framerails as an indicator of deep, rust pitting and possible structural damage. If they really laid it on thick, you won't be able to see that sort of detail.
It is concerning that someone (dealership) is trying to tart-up the truck a bit and prevent you from making an honest assessment about its condition. The best advice I can offer if you can't tell what's going on with that undercarriage, is to take it to a different shop and pay them for a pre-purchase inspection. It will cost you $120-$150 but if they find major structural issues, you'll be glad to have only lost $150...... And not $14,000.
-G
Looks like a "paint over rust" job to me.
But I ain't gonna rust unless I get some metal parts installed before I croak.
But I ain't gonna rust unless I get some metal parts installed before I croak.
At $14k, then no...just move on.
You should be able to do way better for $14k. You could ship one from the west coast with 0 rust for that much.
If a '00 with that much rust is $14k then my totally rust free 2003 with162k mi. must be a $20k truck ! And I paid $22k for it six years ago with 88k on it....
Seriously, I didn't notice mileage mentioned, but I wouldn't pay that money for that truck. You guys say they all rust up there, but why start off behind the curve? I wouldn't want to wrench on that rig at all. PITA.
Keep looking
Seriously, I didn't notice mileage mentioned, but I wouldn't pay that money for that truck. You guys say they all rust up there, but why start off behind the curve? I wouldn't want to wrench on that rig at all. PITA.
Keep looking
I agree too. This deal looks fishy. I also have a 03 100 series and, it is worth 10 grand with over 200k miles. Mine has rust but, not as ton as the car shown above. Why would the engine block have rust and, not the chassis?
It all depends if it has structural rust or not...
The OP is looking at a truck with 102K miles.... That's a long way from a truck with 160K or 200K miles. At 15k miles per year (avg) he's got 4 - 6 years of driving before its at an equivalent amount of overall wear and tear....
If the OP buys a "rust free" truck with those sort of miles on it, he will be pushing 300K on the odometer after that same time period, and guess what? That truck that used to be rust free will end up rusty anyway. The end-result is the same, why pay a premium for a rust-free example?
That's not to say the OP should be cavalier about rust.... If the truck is basically solid, it still makes sense to deal with any bad rusty spots IMMEDIATELY to slow the creep of future rust.... Rust inhibitors, or rust encapsulators are better than doing nothing. Getting into a habit of doing yearly oil undercoating treatments will help a lot too. Most New England mechanics would prefer to work on an oily undercarriage, than one that's completely rusty so that every bolt must be torched-out to do repairs.
To be clear, this advice is for buying a "year round" driver in New England (or any other salty region). If you want a truck to enjoy only in nice weather, then absolutely seek out the cleanest and most rust-free one you can afford!
-G
