Should I pass on this car? I fear rust...
 

Wife and I are looking for a 245 daily driver. We are considering picking up one cheaply, in need of TLC, that way all the parts we replace are known to be new. Found one recently which is a good candidate, but has lived in ocean-front town for many years and has what I think is minor rust. Am I correct -it is minor, have no fear? Or should I assume the body will rapidly decay? Opinions please! We don't want to spend mucho dollars on a car which ends up crumbling.


http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s...en/1991%20245/

It does not look all that bad I have seen alot worse.

That rust around the front shock towers (on pg 2) looks worrisome to me. Has this car been painted recently? If so, that's generally a tip off that the rust you see is actually worse than it looks.

Should you pass? Depends on how long you want to keep the car. If you're planning on eventually restoring it to its former glory, then i would pass.

But if just need a daily driver for the few yrs or so (and then make it a parts car), then it's probably OK.

Even so, I would definitely take the rust into account with regards to the price i would be willing to pay. I have lived near the ocean before; once the cancer starts you really can't stop it.

That's not bad! You know there's stuff that you can spray on the rust and essentially it changes the chemical composition of the rust so it stops decaying! You can find it at some hardware stores. I think rust was a huge concern 10 years ago, but now there are products that can stop it. BTW, nice wagon! This one looks better than the one with the screw holding the molding in place....

Thanks for the opinions guys! It definitely looks better than the one with screwed-on molding! I don't believe it's been painted. The hood has sun-bleached damage to the paint, which wouldn't have been left if it was painted. The more I think about it, I doubt it was driven on the beach much if ever. The rust probably developed from the salty air of living near the ocean, because I did not see it more extensively through the undercarriage.

I am still worried about the cancer-like nature, and the possibility there's something deeper that hasn't become visible yet. If we end up making a deal I'll buy stock in the company that makes the rust converter stuff. :D

I use a weak refrigerator magnet to look for body work. Assuming it has none, this looks like a perfectly acceptable used car clearly in need of some TLC.The oil filter looks like it's been there for years, which means it's highly unlikely any of the filters or fluids were maintained. If you can, check the compression and test drive it 'till it's hot then push it hard to hear any engine issues.

On the other hand if you follow autotrader, nationally these cars are going sky high lately (a '93 940 was listed last week for 7 grand and sold!)

So if the price is right, anything can be fixed... WTF, give it a go.

We decided to pass on the car. When I took the wife down for a look-see and possible test drive this afternoon, we looked close and found signs of the front having been repainted, which of course makes you worry about the rest. We also found a couple of tiny bubbles in the body. Wife said she might want to keep the car long-term, so we decided fighting on ongoing battle with rust wouldn't be wise. We'll keep looking.

Smart choice then! Go with the gut feeling! I'm sure you will find a few others down the road.. Good Luck in your search