Originally Posted By: jrustles
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
Originally Posted By: jrustles
I'd oil and seal problem areas myself, personally just because I hate rust so much.
Who doesn't?
It devalues your car.
It can make your car unsafe.
It looks like [censored].
And it can make your car a royal PITA to work on.
There is nothing good about rust, and that is why there is no brand lower on my list to own.
If I lived in a southern US state, I probably would have bought a first generation Speed3, because I think the car is awesome. My experience living here with friends cars (Mazda) has been nothing but negative.
Well as a mechanic, I agree with your sentiments on rust, but I think your solution is too extreme. You really have to do nothing for years to get any car to rust out (no washes, no rust prevention, sprayed regularly with salt) I've seen later model (2000+) BMWs, Benzs, Lexus' etc with big unsightly rust spots and rust stains running down from the side moulding and around the wheel wells and window treatments, and you know what? They look like sh*t; like they've never seen a wash before. And those are high end models, not run of the mill rusted out EF/EG/EK Civics, the latter actually being built in a salted market.
Agreed, I recently saw two late model MB's, guessing early 2000's, the luxury liners, looking absolutely grotesque, as if weeping rust from every seam and crevice, top to bottom. I was shocked.
