What are the Best states to buy rust free cars from?

 

I don't know if there's a 'best' state to buy from -- while there's plenty of states that don't get winter weather, that doesn't mean their cars are safe from other elements. Some of the worst rust and corrosion I've seen has been on Florida cars, due to the amount of salt in the air. Not to mention that the added sun tends to wash the color out of everything on the car.

Best advice I can give is to inspect a car yourself and run a Carfax, as that will tell you exactly where the car has been since it was sold new.

Nonetheless, if you want a straight up answer, I pretty much never see any rust or corrosion on cars here in Georgia that haven been here their entire life.

 

Southern cars seem to be best - no salting of the roads in winter - NC, SC, GA, AL, etc. Some states you need to look for issues on Carfax and look under carpet and such for damage. For example NC - 11 years ago we had a hurricane that flooded the entire eastern 1/3 of the state, water levels rose 20+ feet above ground, flooding entire towns, malls, etc. - alot of sewage, drowned livestock (and corpses from flooded graves), etc. were floating around for months, so alot of cars completely submerged, filled with mud, sewage, etc. - alot like Katrina in MS. To this day you can still see the waterline marks on the trees about 20ft up

I understand alot of Cali cars are in really good shape - again no road salt. But on the flipside, there are alot of great cars everywhere - just depends on how they were kept up more than anything. Price is a consideration depending on area, here in NC we have alot of cheap 3rd gens around - many aren't that pretty, but easily restored given the low cost (I've had 3, my current RS was the most expensive at $800 for a good straight rust-free running V8 with little body/interior damage).

 

West coast is great the only thing that damages cars here are the sun and the army's of idiot drivers, lol(sun especially hated thirdgens here, it jus kills the clear coat) but not many floor, qp rust, mainly surface rust of roof, hood, etc.

 

Arizona... Almost every Camaro I've seen here is pretty darn rust free, as long as its not an import from another state.

 

(beat me to it)

Arizona Baby!!! All of my third gens don't have a drop of rust anywhere on them. Not the whole state though, lots of rain and snow in the top third of the state as well as the eastern border with New Mexico.
Even old vinyl covered roofs don't rust here. (The vinyl just rots off)
All that heat and sun are no good for interiors though. Also, I think transmissions have a real hard life here too.

BTW I have a rustfree '85 Z-28 body that's looking for a new owner.....

 

Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Central & West Texas (south gets sea water salt).....

I know here in Central Texas, Just 1 spot of rust can cause a car to be looked over by buyer after buyer.

 

Yep West Coast is your best bet.

Southern states are probably second best, excluding coastal areas. Though we get quite a bit of rain, so a lot of cars get rusted from that. Doesn't help when someone leaves the windows down or t-tops off on the car you want lol.

 

Certainly not Ohio, that's why I bought an Arizona roller!

 

Went to Oklahoma to pick up a 1976 Torino 5 years ago.. Honestly, every bolt came off without using Kroil.. It's a long drive, hot as hell (When I went, was like 98* in march)

But yea, the south is worth checkin' out.. We bought a 76 Torino from missouri, and it was rotted out like a local car..

 

I would have to say that the best place is from the north. Here's what to look for. If the car was never driven in the winter, the paint, undercarriage and interior should be in great condition. Plus, if it wasn't driven in the winter, then the car might have been driven for about 6 months out of the year, instead of the full year. Here's another thing about northern cars, the sun doesn't get so hot that the paint fades, blisters and cracks. The interior will also be better. My car was perfect until I moved to Florida. There is no exterior damage, but the headliner fell, belts and hoses deteriorated and weatherstripping deteriorated. I have seen northern cars the same age as mine without any of these faults. The ozone in the southern air damages rubber components. My car was purchased new in Minnesota, I bought it when it was 13 from the original owner. I would rather own a northern car that hasn't been winter driven than any southern car. The heat really does a lot of damage!

 

Wouldn't recommend Iowa or Missouri. Most every car I have seen has some sort of rust on it. I think it all depends on the car though like others have said. Any car can be rust free depending on where it is stored and what conditions it is driven in.

 

Very True and good points. Problem is finding northern cars that people will part with at a reasonable price....

 

The northwest isn't too bad. Winters don't create a lot snow so no undercarriage damage. It does rain quite a bit, but it's mainly just surface rust problems.

 

California baby.

Only cosmetic problems out here are faded fabric, cracked dash pads, and clearcoat peeling.

My car had no clearcoat for years. I still see no sign of this fabled "rust" you all keep talking about these cars having.

I see people replacing floors and rockers and think "HOLY CRAP, JUST GO BUY A NEW STRAIGHT ONE FOR $600" lol

 

nevada

 

You're right about Northwest cars being in better interior and paint shape because of half the sun. But facts are facts and salt is everywhere, "no rust" cars have salt in the rockers and rust in the inside corners all the time. "Never driven in winter" is 90% of the time not true and just words from someones mouth who is trying to sell a car, which kinds of kills that aspect of it. They do look a lot cleaner asthetically most of the time, but I wouldn't buy a car from anywhere with harsh winters unless I was THERE and able to tear into it a little bit.

Southern cars still have the salty air and humidity problems that get really bad when coupled with the heat (just like in Florida) plus they have sun damage problems like out here. I personally don't buy into the notion that southern cars are less rusty. The sea air coupled with the humidity and heat is almost as bad as salt on the roads. You have to find cars in the inland south that are off the coast, and have been there their whole life.

Out here you got peeling paint and dried out interior plastics from direct sun contact. There is no humidity so the sea air doesn't carry inland. Rubber is fine. Undercarriages and engine compartments are always PERFECT on Cali cars which is my biggest draw. My car had no clearcoat for years and never had a speck of rust anywhere. Working on it is no problem because there isn't dirt and grime and salt and rust covering anything. You can definitely find cars cheaper in other states a lot easier though.

 

well tennessee is a really good place for rust free cars as well

 

I think Oregon or Washington are the best by far....

Reasons:
1) Very little snow so very little salt on the roads--no rust

2) Its cloudy here alot--the paint and seals on our cars last wayyy longer than other states that get really hot..This also means that our interiors dont get baked in the scorching sun. Most interiors here look new minus damage or neglect from their owners.

To me, it would be worth paying $600 to ship a car from Washington to (for example) Michigan--how much will you spend fixing rust, paint or replacing the interior?

 

I live in California and I've never actually seen rust on a car before.

 

Michigan = Rustbelt translated literally in english..which is where I got mine. Stay away.

 

I think Nevada or Arizona would be the best places to get cars from. In nevada I have never seen a car with rust on it... The air is so dry here it makes my eyes itch and water. Even the clunker cars I have looked at have absolutely zero rust on them.

 

Im from Michigan so I know about rust. lol. Seems like out west is the best,but that is a little too far of a drive.
I would have no problem going down south to pick up a rust free f body though.

 

I'd say the southwest would be a great place for a car. Mine is from California and it has no rust at all. Only thing bad was the dashpad was cracked thanks to the hot Vegas sun.