If you’ve read any of my recent threads you’ll see I’m all over the place with what my next purchase which is in the next several months.
Im starting to look at late 90’s Civics etc. but I’m not looking to buy another rusty POS. Just how far south generally speaking do the gems start to show up? At least stuff without holes in the floors.
I'd say at least DC or farther south.
Stick to genuinely Southern States (per the civil war) and you'll be fine.
It depends on the car and how hard you're willing to look. It seems like getting down to the NYC area (including that corner of CT, Long Island, etc.) can yield some decent finds that aren't rusty. There's still road salt, but not nearly as much and more chance of cars not being driven much in the winter and also being garaged, etc. But for something like a Civic that would be unlikely to have received any special treatment, you'll probably need to go further south, unfortunately.
I looked a little for you. I know you want a simple car with little in the way of electronics.
This could be the poster child. Not even the complexity of a AM radio. I think that knob under the would-be radio is a pull knob for a manual choke. Take that, you damn digital world!
Or, this 1991 Corolla
+1 to DC or further.
I mean you'll definitely find some north of there without holes in the floor. But you get down to NC and you'll find a lot of them that have no rust spots on the body whatsoever.
Flights are similar in price whether you are going to CLT or ATL, so why not start in the deep south?
John Welsh said:
This could be the poster child. Not even the complexity of a AM radio. I think that knob under the would-be radio is a pull knob for a manual choke. Take that, you damn digital world!
That's a cigarette lighter.
Why walk the tight rope? Just search LA or Phoenix or Dallas or Atlanta CL (and pull a car fax to verify the car didn’t spend time in the rust belt).
You could fly into DFW real cheap on Southwest and really get into rust free land.
My Civic as an example is a typical 2000 dollar Texas car. You can buy them all day long without trying at that price. It is completely rust free down to its bones. Not like "up north rust free", I mean fully rust free down to the threads on every single bolt. I don't know how you guys up north stay motivated for the hobby when your pride and joy is returning to earth.
I was in Iowa recently and noted how rust free everything looked.
#perspective. #imfromthelandoftenthiusandlakescoveredinsalt
yeah at least D.C. Most of my vehicles have no serious rust except for one but that started out as a New Mexico car I believe even though I'm thinking it was the Big Box store grade mulch that was housing an ant colony inside the plastic inner fender covers. Hondas do definitely have the dreaded wheel arch rust around here. Maybe I notice that because it's been talked about 'round these parts (the forum) but it's definitely noticeable and I don't gawk at Hondas too much. 
Virginia cars have that hidden rust. I grew up there. I live in texas and was in Cali before then.
On the east coast no further north than South Carolina.
Midwest no further north than Oklahoma.
West, beware of the coastal and mountain areas get a little surface rust.
I will also say VA line. It starts getting way easier to find rust free stuff.
I will say that MD has some, and you can find some here in PA, but they're few and far between. I just snagged a 94 Fordzda Branger in PA with ZERO rust. Not sure how that happened, but I did pay a couple hundred over market value to snag it.
In reply to Cousin_Eddie :
Yup here in San Antonio, civics aren't at all popular and go for cheap. All while being truly rust free. Clean civic
Cars are surprisingly rust free here in Denver. Extremely dry here. They put mag chloride down in the winter but I think they just changed to salt.
Nonetheless, none of the fasteners on the underside of any of my cars here show the slightest bit of rust, let alone the bodies...
Tennessee cars are great I know that much! Plus I have a cousin there that might be willing to check on a car and do legwork for you on it for a couple hundred bucks. I got one car through him so far and it was awesome. I should go check the Knoxville Craigslist again...
You know it's funny though. In looking for a manual shift BMW E39, I find that a lot of cars you find for sale in Virginia ( and the same is probably true most everywhere) grew up in the rust belt. Three cars for sale locally that I ran carfaxes on were originally titled in MA, PA, and NJ. Be careful, you don't know where that thing has been! Unless you run the carfax.
yupididit said:In reply to Cousin_Eddie :
Yup here in San Antonio, civics aren't at all popular and go for cheap. All while being truly rust free. Clean civic
Perfect illustration.
Go north enough that it is too cold to salt the roads, and they just grade the snow instead of plowing down to the road.
When they plow down to scraping depth, the roads are covered in grit and iron filings. That erodes the painted surfaces by abrasion, or collects in cavities and attracts/retains moisture, and then the salt attacks.
Find the southernmost city that has snowblowers on Craigslist. Travel another 150 miles south for your car search.
John Welsh said:I'd say at least DC or farther south.
Stick to genuinely Southern States (per the civil war) and you'll be fine.
We Call That The Mason Dickson Line, Today I look South WEST Like Texas
I had good luck going down to the DC area (it was actually in Leesburg, VA) for my E36. That was driven year-round for 12 years down there, but they didn't get significant snowfall.
I second the notion about flights to DFW, my plan for our next car is to fly down there, and then drive home. Similar story in ATL.
Just watch anything that's lived by the ocean, as you can get a surprising amount of rust for a southern vehicle.
I'm in Knoxville TN. DC is definitely still rust belt from my perspective. I consider Knoxville the northernmost area that is out of the rust belt. KY and NC stuff even gets rusty.
I often look to Atlanta. +1 for a Carfax....if it has ever been registered in a rust state, forget it.
+one more for carfax. Here in Phx, they buy Canadian vehicles, touch up the paint and sell them as AZ cars. The lifted truck places are the worst about it, they will paint all of the suspension, control arms and outside of frame rails black. If you look close you can see the corrosion through the paint.
Has hit 2 of my buddies in the last couple years. 1st on an Avalanche that was failing apart at low miles. Another got a Wrangler that had the head rocker issue and was denied the extended warranty as it was a FCA Canada vehicle, not US. 2k normally covered ended up out of pocket.
Example below, scroll through the pictures and take a look at the Canadian DOT sticker. Canadian truck, have to watch out.
John Welsh said:I'd say at least DC or farther south.
Stick to genuinely Southern States (per the civil war) and you'll be fine.
That would include Maryland which I would not necessarily consider prime hunting ground.
North Carolina. One day's drive from MA and home to rust-free cars as far as you're inland far enough to not worry about storm surge.
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