New 200 buyer::question about region/rust (1 Viewer)

[McFly2001]

Hello all. Selling my Tacoma to upgrade to a 200 now that I have a family to haul around. I am looking nationwide through multiple car buying resources. I have set my criteria at $40k or [preferably] less, as few miles as possible, preferably '13 or newer, and black or dark interior.

I have found a few that have caught my eye. One in particular is a '14 with 77k on the clock in the right color combo. It is a one owner truck, but has spent its life in CT and is for sale in Springfield, MA. The dealer happily sent me some photo's of the undercarriage and it does have small amount of surface rust along the welds, as most vehicles do in that area.

I guess my question is to those folks that live in the northeast. How have you seen these trucks hold up to winter roads and the beginnings of undercarriage surface rust? Ideally, I'd love to find a truck in the south/southwest, but they seem to be going for a bit more of a premium down there.

 

[Mogwai]

It would have to be a screaming deal for me to ever purchase a car in a rusty area. Period. If you like this one, have the dealer confirm they can turn the KDSS valves.

 

[McFly2001]

It would have to be a screaming deal for me to ever purchase a car in a rusty area. Period. If you like this one, have the dealer confirm they can turn the KDSS valves.

How would I walk him through that? It was traded in to a Mercedes-Benz dealership so they likely are not familiar with the system.

It's the best "deal" I've found yet. 77k miles for $39k

 

[afgman786]

If mileage isn't too big a deal for you, I'd look for around 100k or so in south southwest. Wouldn't have any rust and just have to worry about keeping it that way
Could some of the bigger maintenance already taken care of

 

[Mogwai]

How would I walk him through that? It was traded in to a Mercedes-Benz dealership so they likely are not familiar with the system.

It's the best "deal" I've found yet. 77k miles for $39k

Check out the "KDSS Rust" thread that just re-reared it's head.

 

[40Man]

Post the pics.

 

[McFly2001]

Post the pics.

 

[bloc]

Frame is one thing. Obviously structural weakening is bad. But another issue often overlooked is all the hundreds of threaded fasteners along the frame and suspension that will be an absolute pain in the ass to remove in 10yrs if you still have it. There are a bunch of captive nuts welded to the inside of the frame rail that can spin if the bolt rusts into them.

For that reason I only buy rust-free.

 

[40Man]

Yeah, that isn't horrible, but I'd personally keep looking.

 

[Chocolate]

The paint Toyota uses on the frame is totally inadequate for salty environments. I believe this is the true culprit behind the unusual rust on welds I see on young Toyotas. Perhaps a chemical reaction with the welding material is involved. If it hasn't been undercoated early and it's lived in salt-using environments, you can expect rusty welds like above. Even if the owner is proactive in washing the vehicle. Get a clean one, and use fluid film, POR-15, or another undercoating.

Not an apples to apples comparison because they are unibody, but we have a 2015 Audi in the family that doesn't have nearly as much corrosion on its underside as some 2013-2014 200s I've seen. Same with our 2008 BMW.

 

[Weedhopper]

MB of Springfield ? That’s not bad for CT / Northeast. Looks like a good blast of Fluid Film would neutralize a lot of the surface rust and lube up the E brake cables, etc.

Lots of vehicles don’t see salt, like my Tundra so this could be a vehicle that stays inside during storms.

 

[Chocolate]

MB of Springfield ? That’s not bad for CT / Northeast. Looks like a good blast of Fluid Film would neutralize a lot of the surface rust and lube up the E brake cables, etc.

Lots of vehicles don’t see salt, like my Tundra so this could be a vehicle that stays inside during storms.

That one has definitely seen salt!

 

[Whiskerz]

I would buy a southern truck and take a flight down. I found a 2 owner Texas/ Georgia truck in south Georgia. No reason to buy rust. There are enough southern trucks to avoid rust.

 

[tincan45]

If I had the choice between 70K with rust like that or 100K without. I'd choose the 100K for the same or less money. Be patient, they are out there. No need to settle.

 

[McFly2001]

Anyone in here have any experience purchasing a LC through CarMax? I'm not their biggest fan due to past experiences, but found a pretty great deal on one through them and they make shipping/transferring so effortless.

 

[tincan45]

Anyone in here have any experience purchasing a LC through CarMax? I'm not their biggest fan due to past experiences, but found a pretty great deal on one through them and they make shipping/transferring so effortless.

Considering they usually low-ball trades and have a pretty rigorous inspection process, I would imagine buying from them could be a good deal. If the price was right and the car checks out, I wouldn't be worried about buying from them.

 

[BillyG2014LC200]

OP, not sure where you live but I just saw this 2014 LC200 on Facebook @ Star Toyota. It's gray with black interior and pretty low miles. If you trading your Toyota truck in you may by able to get their price down. Dealers probably don't move these babies too fast so they are always looking for a buyer who knows about them. You can always get them to extend the warranty out further after they try to sell you on how reliable they are.

24 Used Cars, Trucks, SUVs in Stock in Bayside | Star Toyota of Bayside

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[ScoobyDooandAce]

Sorry I’m new here and I could end up completely regretting my decision but I bought a 2013 LX570 this past February from a dealer in Massachusetts and it didn’t look so dissimilar from your pictures. Aside from that it looked brand new. I spent a few weekends with a wire brush, an angle grinder with a wire wheel and some paint from Eastwood and it came out great. If I can figure out how to post pictures I’ll upload them this weekend. There were a few parts that i just ended up replacing. In the end the price was right ( for me) and it was close enough that I couldn’t pass it up. I plan to undercoat it with Fluid Film before this winter.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

My '14 LX spent all its life in Western Canada, and it looks nearly identical to those photos. I have surface rust in all of the same exact spots, just less of it. I recently spent time brushing some rust off, applying rust converter, and just last night, spraying self-etching primer. After I get a few coats of this primer on, I'll do a few coats of paint, and then fluid film the entire undercarriage. I believe that with this work done, and with annual application of fluid film (or similar), I will greatly extend the life of the car. I don't anticipate any serious rust issues for the next 10 years or so.

The above work isn't all that difficult, just time consuming, and you'll likely have some overspray on the undercarriage from the work done. Not a big deal IMO, and I wouldn't be afraid of a vehicle with such surface rust, because if you live in a snow/salt area, rust is inevitable. You simply cannot beat it and will have it. Best you can do is slow/delay the onset.

 

[NicaNorth]

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That rust is minimal. I wouldn’t pass on that if it’s what you’re looking for, within your price range and has a clean title/history.

Also, welded joints is where rust usually starts. If the rails themselves are as smooth as they appear and not scaling or flaking, this 200 shouldn’t scare you away.