Worst state to buy a car from

What is the worst state to buy a car from due to rust, on the opposite side who gets the best rating for having the least rust.

 

The only place worse than where I live (Atlantic Canada) would be if you bought a car that was used IN a salt mine... We have harsh winters with lots of freeze/thaw cycles often within days, which means lots of aqueous salt and wet conditions. Even late model cars here have rust blisters by the time they are 4 or 5 years old. Electronic anti-corrosion modules have proven ineffective here as well. Slathering the underside of the car with petroleum products every fall is the best way to prevent rust, but even then, it still happens.

Unless a car has been kept out of the winter driving and stored inside, I would say to avoid New England altogether, unless it's a transplant from another state/area.

 

Don't have any idea which is the WORST State .. I can attest that FLORIDA is ONE of the BEST States to search for a car with less Rust Conditions ! But they're drying up fast .. Difficult to find a really "Clean" Maverick or Comet 2 Door for a reasonable price .. There are many advertised but usually they have a thick coat of ' primer ' on them when you see them Up Close .. I'am careful with ' those' since its difficult to determine whats ' Under ' the primer without a Magnet ..
Cometized
(Chip)

 

I'd have to say Arizona, IF you can find a Mav that has spent its life there, that would be my choice. Colorado isnt too bad, I bought my latest Mav about 40 miles from my house, was sitting outside for about 30 years, when I first saw it, it was surrounded by a foot of snow, but only had one rust spot, behind the passenger rear tire. I even used the front part of the hood for grafting to my grabber hood.

 

It depends upon how often the car was driven and the season in which it was driven. Being an older fart, I owned Mavericks from brand new to one year old in NE Ohio. My 72 Grabber was driven extensively year round and washed and waxed often. I still had rust coming from the inside out on almost every body panel by year three. My buddy's dad was a Ford body shop manager and he knew the car well.

Michigan, Ohio, NY, IN, IL,WI and the NE in general are probably among the worst states if a car has been driven year round. Lots of road salt and brine. On the flip side, the interiors might be in better shape overall.

 

When you say Florida you must mean not near the coast, living on the opposite coast you do not want to buy a car that has sat in the beach area as the salt from the ocean is a killer of cars. We dont use salt on our roads here but use the chemical deicer and have to wonder how harmful it is. The central and eastern area of Oregon and Washington are good areas to get a car from, mostly dry and mild winters as far as snow accumulation. I guess if you drove your car in the rust belt the best thing you could have is an under carriage wash station set up, probably be pretty hard to keep it from freezing though

The 72 Maverick that I bought from original owner in 2008 came from Salem Oregon and spent its whole life there doesnt have a spot of rust anywhere on it

 

I wouldn't want one from any of the eastern United States.
Arizona destroys interiors, but the bodies & frames fare so much better.

 

My son just got a clean zero rust 1973 Maverick from Minnesota previously from Washington State. I would have never recommended a car from either of these 2 states, but it was stored right. The interior is also clean, no mice smell (they can't survive the cold winters up here). So.......

 

I bought my Thunderbird from a Portland, Oregon owner. Zero rust. Interior is still very nice as well. Weatherstrips were oxidized and hard, but I would rather have that than rust.

 

The two most rust free Mavericks I have ever owned came from Ohio....so go figure.

Otherwise...I would say Michigan is the worst.

 

Most people think Seattle when they visualize Washington State but it isn't representative of the whole state. Where I live our annual precip is under 10" and the cars are usually very clean.

The whole California rust free car is a myth! My first Maverick was a California car and the inner roof structure, floors and quarters were toast.

 

Regarding Florida beach cars .... that would have to be right next to the beach to see cars rust top down. I have lived 2 miles from the beach at 40 feet of elevation for decades and salt air is not an issue here.

Interiors get used up by the sun here.

If getting a Florida car, you would want to be sure it didn't start out in the midwest or northeast. A lot of cars get transferred down here when an owner retires, etc.

 

I live about 8 miles as the crow flies from the beach and have not had any rust issues with anything I have bought. It would help if people kept the car clean an waxed in the first place. I just never would have guessed Florida was a good state to buy a car from.

 

I would say Pennsylvania. Or at least NW Pennsylvania. The winter's here are unbelievably long, and the salt trucks run non stop. When you see an ad for a vehicle that says rust free someone is lying, or at least not being completely honest.

 

They're not lying. They're letting you have the rust for no extra charge.