Are cars better or worse for not being built to last forever anymore?

[Cookie Monster]

OH lawd:

[Eye of the Tiger]

Nice rimz

[Onslaught]

If you have a car in a part of the country that salts the roads all the time in the winter then your car has rust. If you drive your car on the beach then your car has rust. Perhaps you can't see it right now, but it's there. Every last fucking one of you.


And if I lived up north (I never would) I'd probably not buy a Mazda. For whatever reason they seem to rust out more the others these days. Down here it's not even a problem but I've seen too many people bitch about it up north to think it can't be a problem.

[hotrodalex]

My mom's Mazda6 is pretty bad. Might get fixed after my car gets painted, though. We'll see.

[Cookie Monster]

I want to live in the Northeast but if I did, Miata would never see the winter.

[Raza]

I want to live in the Northeast but if I did, Miata would never see the winter.

Lots of washing and you should be fine.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I want to live in the Northeast but if I did, Miata would never see the winter.

Why, oh why? The only good part is Maine, but you're not allowed there.

[Cookie Monster]

Lots of washing and you should be fine.

Even with a lot of washing, I feel like the car would just rust from the inside out, since it's hard to wash every bit of the underside where salt could collect.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Even with a lot of washing, I feel like the car would just rust from the inside out, since it's hard to wash every bit of the underside where salt could collect.

Yes, it will. It gets behind body panels where you can't warsh, and destroys all exposed steering, suspension, brake, and engine components.

[shp4man]

Sometimes rust appears here in California. This old '61 Chevy I had a few years ago had little spots in the lower front fenders. Dirt gets in there, holds moisture and after 25 years...

[2o6]

Rust was a huge reason why I didn't buy a Mazda3.

[2o6]

Even with a lot of washing, I feel like the car would just rust from the inside out, since it's hard to wash every bit of the underside where salt could collect.

Most people don't have their cars that long, so it's really a non-issue.

OH lawd:

77! Summit county! That car is near me.

[cawimmer430]

Hey 2o6, it's mid November now, time to change the "Car Of The Month" in your signature!!! 

[S204STi]

My Ram was absolutely trouble free for the three years I had it.  Why wouldn't you buy a Dodge?

  Sort of joking.  Well, the joke in the business is that if you could put the Cummins together with the Allison in the Ford body, you'd have a truck that lasts forever.  As it is, the Cummins is a great engine wrapped in crap, or so they say.  I actually don't mind their trucks that much.

As far as Dodge cars though... that's a different story.  El Cheapo.

[SVT666]

Dodge trucks (or Ram I guess)  are awesome and I would probably buy another if I were looking.   The Charger,  Challenger,  and Durango are awesome too,.   The Dart is too new to know,  but I wouldn't touch anything else.

[VTEC_Inside]

Something about Hondas and rear wheel arches. Same with Chrysler minivans and rocker panels.

Honda has changed a few things that used to contribute to the rear arch rust.

- They used to have a rubber piece over the entire 'fender' lip. At first it seems like a great way to keep rocks from chiping that pain, but all it did was trap water and dirt and once it abraded through the paint that was it.

- The bottom of the inner forward edge was basically a pocket for dirt to collect. I used to scoop crap out of there on my Accord all the time. On the newer cars there is very little 'shelf' there for anything to build up.

- They started to add a bead of sealant on the inside of the lip. It cuts down on the area that crap can sit on and if it does, its not sitting on painted metal, but painted goop.

[VTEC_Inside]

The biggest cause of rust happening like that is that the metal behind those lips rarely gets cleaned.  People don't think about it when washing their cars. 

After life with the Accord, I spray up in there every time I wash the car. You could eat off that lip on my RSX.

[Rupert]

  Sort of joking.  Well, the joke in the business is that if you could put the Cummins together with the Allison in the Ford body, you'd have a truck that lasts forever.  As it is, the Cummins is a great engine wrapped in crap, or so they say.  I actually don't mind their trucks that much.

As far as Dodge cars though... that's a different story.  El Cheapo.

New Dodge trucks are pretty nice all-around, IMO. Much better than the previous generation.

I haven't driven a current-gen Ford or Chevy, though. New Dodge is better than previous gen Silverado.

[S204STi]

Yeah, the new Rams are nice enough.  Previous two gens were junky, as was the Silverado.  Ford trucks from that era, on the other hand, were built well.  Just had a lame diesel engine and transmission combo.

[Rupert]

Eh, I dunno. I like the couple of 2005 Chevy 2500/3500's I've used at work.

[2o6]

Eh, I dunno. I like the couple of 2005 Chevy 2500/3500's I've used at work.

I don't like the new ones. They're far more cumbersome on the road to drive.

[SVT666]

I had an '05 Ram and it was awesome.

[Onslaught]

I've worked on many new Ram trucks. They seem like they're screwed together fine. I just don't trust anything made by Doge or Chrysler. Or "RAM" or whatever they call themselves these days.

[Rupert]

I had an '05 Ram and it was awesome.

No it wasn't.

[Soup DeVille]

I love that body style. It's so sexy!

Not that one. The little one.

[S204STi]

Eh, I dunno. I like the couple of 2005 Chevy 2500/3500's I've used at work.

I like them, actually.  They just weren't built as well as the Fords from the same era, IMO.  Again, put the GM powertrain in the Ford and it would be a perfect truck.

Also, easy to drive and park would be perks of the GM trucks.

[S204STi]

I don't like the new ones. They're far more cumbersome on the road to drive.

Not really at all, actually.  Easier to drive.

[2o6]

Not really at all, actually.  Easier to drive.

I misread that as 2500. I mean the lesser grade 1500 to 1500. I like the previous generation better.

[Byteme]

Actually, I see a lot of rust on early 2000s Benzes.  My old E class had some rust, my mom's S class (2002) has a lot of rust, and I see plenty of E classes with rust in the same areas (trunk, by the license plate). 

Don't you live in the rust belt, with winter salt?

[Rupert]

I like them, actually.  They just weren't built as well as the Fords from the same era, IMO.  Again, put the GM powertrain in the Ford and it would be a perfect truck.

Also, easy to drive and park would be perks of the GM trucks.

The only experience I have with similar era Ford trucks is with the beat to shit Excursions we used a few years ago. I wasn't impressed with them, but then, they were beat to shit.

One major minus point on the Chevy side is that they had super low-hanging frame rails. The Dodge and Ford trucks had much better break-over height. I am also unimpressed with IFS in a 3/4 ton truck, though that does make the thing nice to drive.