Looking at buying an 02 Outback. Spent half its life in NY. Wheels show some nasty corrosion. Picture shows worse of the 4. I don't mind stripping them and powder coating them, or getting new rims in the long term. Probably would try and clean them up in the short term.

 

My real question how well these model year Subarus handle body rust. No body rust showing right now. How well is the anti-rust treatment on Subaru under coat? This will be our weekend mountain hiking/skiing car so I'm not too concerned about it looking perfect. Thanks for any thoughts on this.

My advice, you are in Seattle, buy one from CA to WA area. Its not just body rust on the quarters, fenders, rockers, its ALL areas underneath that rust. Shock bolts, axle stub ends, exhaust, tailgate hinge release handles, everything you need to repair on the car, down to brake slides, calipers, will break when you take to a shop. The shops out there do not know how to deal with that type of rust in normal repair estimates. You will be really mad in the long haul.

Stay away from east coast rust belt car, same for one from midwest.

Yeah, I know it can be a pain. I bought a 96 OBW from MA before. Had to chisel the axle nut off when changing CV Axle. And one of the control arm nuts was painfully frozen/stubborn too. Never good when a 2 hr job takes 5 hours because of rusty bolts/nuts.

 

But hard to pass up a good deal...

 

And our DOT just starting using road salt around Seattle last year so we'll be dealing with that from now on.

A job in the book at "2hours" is going to be double or more on a salt belt car, and you will need replacement nuts, bolts parts just to get it done.

 

I still give good advice.

seized rear wiper motor

rusted out fuel filler necks

brakes that have frozen slider pins

etc

Damn....hate to hear all this! Moving back to PA!

Well ... I will tell you this ... cars that live in NY and are driven in the winter, if they make it maybe 8 years without showing body rust that's pretty good. IF they are treated say with krown annually they can usually live rust free for a good long time.

 

Main issue even if it isn't showing body rust, is all the ancillary parts that rust out - rear brake lines, fuel filler pipe, emissions tubes, stuff like that. Not to mention that pretty much any fastener you have to remove you're going to have to fight with to remove or snap off. Usually end up needing a bolt out because the head is so rusted it rounds off. Then replacing with a new fastener.

Edited October 30, 201213 yr by porcupine73

I grew up in New Hampshire. Trust me, don't buy a rust belt car if you don't live in the rust belt. My 87 wagon started flexing, which cracked the windshield, because the subframe had completely rotted out. I had to put her down in about 2000. Rust won't stop either once it starts.