Too much rust to walk away?

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

bctlex

bctlex

10 Year
Joined
Jul 25, 2014
Threads
12
Messages
670
Location
Bluegrass state
Hi all,
I had ordered a PPI for a vehicle. 2000 LX 150K miles. Everything looks good. Interior looks really good. However, underneath and rear hatch is showing rust. Should I walk away? Is there a price point where this vehicle makes sense to purchase?

Appreciate any input.
Chris

R1.webp


R2.webp


R3.webp
 
I would say post the asking price, but in this case, I'm going to go ahead and say walk away. Rust isn't fun. There are plenty rust free units out there that would be worth paying a little extra coin for. Good luck on the search.
 
@tplane2 Owner is asking 9K.
 
Come to Texas and find a nice clean one.... you'll hate trying to get things apart on that.... any service records on this ? if not really solid I'd say for sure to walk...
 
@RS6tofj80 Yes, TB and water pump was replaced at 115K miles. Service records is good. Everything seems to check out. The only thing that would stop me from buying this is the rust.
 
You will get differing opinions on rust. My '99 came from south Florida and I was underneath it this morning. No rust is a beautiful sight. Even the exhaust is near perfect at 16 years old.

Buy one with zero rust even if you have to travel to find it. And then spray the underneath with fluid film if you live in a rust belt.
 
Last edited:
Yeah it's rusty but it's also 15 years old and priced fairly and accordingly. TB and WP being done with service records also don't hurt. Unless you're in a rust-free area, I wouldn't let that be a dealbreaker. Some members here are more rust-averse than others. It doesn't bother me, but remember I live in an area where rust is in abundance. Just a fact of life for some.
 
@lhommec13 Same here. I am in KY, and they use salt in winter. My 01 Sequoia looks worse underneath than this...decision... decision...
 
As you live in KY, it is relatively convenient for you to find trucks both local or better even more South. If I lived in the Rust Belt, it would most likely not dissuade me though.
 
@bctlex When I was shopping over the past few months in the Northeast where i live, and I walked away from what otherwise real decent 2003 LC, simply because of too much rust underneath and at lower bod panel edges, rockers, etc. Admittedly, it was a touch worse off than what you appear to be considering but here is my logic:

I want to run this truck for at LEAST 10 years and I am not sure that's what I'll get to do if the frame, supports, bolt points etc do not hold up. For $9k, maybe you are not as invested to care if you get 10 years out of it...but part of the reason you buy these trucks is the rock solid drivetrain... I did not want rust to be the limiting factor.

I found a super clean truck in AZ instead! Just my 2 cents - good luck!
 
That is not maintained. Thats a typical salt belt vehicle where the owner was either lazy or ignorant to wash it off throughout the winter underneath. When I moved to the east coast I high pressure rinsed the bottom of my vehicles off around once or twice a week during the winter. Makes a huge difference in stopping rust. Even Toyota recommends doing this in the owners manual. I just considered it part of the necessary responsibility of maintaining a vehicle in that climate as preventative maintenance. Only takes 5 minutes to do. Plus I worked hard to plop down the money to purchase my vehicles, its just stupid to let it rot away. Once the rust is their, its a losing battle until the frame is unsafe, then its not worth squat. Find one thats really been taken care of, or travel to a rust free area to buy one.
 
I've seen worse posted on here. That appears to be mainly surface rust and can be cleaned up and treated. You just never know where more rust is hiding waiting to come out and bite you.
 
I've lived in the rust belt my entire life so I've got some experience with rusty rigs. I just picked up a 2004 LC that lived in MI and northern Ohio for it's whole life. It is pretty rusty, but maybe a tad less than your sample. I think the pix you provided aren't that horrible because you are only showing some of the major components where surface rust isn't much concern. I'd try to get pictures of things like brake lines and ac lines and fittings. Those are the expensive rust prone areas in my opinion. Exhaust work will be a nightmare as well as all the joints are probably rusted together at this point. Also be ready for lots of broken bolts. Here's a sample from this weekend where I removed the running boards.

IMAG3428.webp
 
Pantera, wrote a song called: WALK
 
Thanks everyone for the feedback! Really, really appreciate them. The vehicle is not close by, so I am relying on carchex for PPI (they took these pictures) and everyone's opinion here on the board.

@jhanley - lol. I actually googled this.
 
For myself, if everything is as presented, there is no rust out, and the rust can be handled with a weekend or few of sandpaper, touch- up paint, and POR-15 I'd grab it. Unlike my old GMC and VW, these mechanicals can get pretty pricey. Pass if the rust has ruined or is testing the integrity of panels and chassis members, though.

Otherwise, shop and go enjoy a weekend in Atlanta :D
 
bctlex said:
Thanks everyone for the feedback! Really, really appreciate them. The vehicle is not close by, so I am relying on carchex for PPI (they took these pictures) and everyone's opinion here on the board.

@jhanley - lol. I actually googled this.
Click to expand...

Awesome. Great song!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom