I actually grew up in Burien. Getting old cars/trucks from up there that have been their it's whole life is sketchy as hell. Wet things rarely get a chance to dry out. It's not "if it has rust, it's how bad is it rusted." Rust is like an iceberg, what you can see is only a small part of it.
Of course if a vehicle was treated poorly enough for long enough that’s the case.
And no arguing that the LEAST rusty vehicles are those that never left the desert. But the only part of the vehicles that fair better in the desert are the steel parts. Everything else gets burned to a crisp.
Having lived in many parts of the country, I feel the PNW is the best balance of considerations for a good older vehicle. Plenty of them with little to no rot. No salt unless used alot in the mountains. And a fresh water undercarriage wash every day you drive it from Oct thru April!
Once you’re talking 30-40 years old or older, it’s a mixed bag up here whether clean no rust or not.
Without exaggeration, I could sell that thing for double the asking price in a matter of minutes here in western PA. More realistically, I would list it for $5000 and buyers would be knocking the door down for it here. Solid frame and good glass is all it takes for people here.
It's too bad it costs so much to ship something like that across the country. We could make a killing buying there and selling here.
Haha, I’ve thought about that soo many times. Having close friends in IL and WI, could just pack em up and ship em back.
But yeah by the time you tack on a couple grand for shipping, sure it’s worth it for a private party to find the “right” vehicle and pay extra for their one personal purchase. But I feel it in general cuts out a bunch of the potential profit. Especially if it’s getting split between 2 parties (in my hypothetical scenario).
