Autotrader picks best cars for 2015's college grads

[AutobahnSHO]

lol wut.  Salt is corrosive on its own.

I'm aware. Utah and Idaho salt, and Wyoming started a few years back. But never heard of such craziness.

... They also use more than regular rock salt (sodium chloride) in many places as a de-icer, as if regular salt wasn't corrosive enough.  ...

I would also point out that NY (where I live) and Ohio (where 206 lives) are the #1 and #2 users of road salt, respectively.

gotcha, thanks.

[SVT_Power]

Maybe if you live where cars don't rust.  I've seen many a car scrapped not because there was anything wrong with the drivetrain, but because the body and frame had dissolved.  Typically happens in about 15 years, give or take.

Or if it's a Mazda, probably in like 5 years 

[MX793]

Or if it's a Mazda, probably in like 5 years 

Mazda is arguably among the worst for corrosion resistance as a brand.  Tacomas are known to have major problems, but other Toyotas fair a bit better.  I've seen 13-18 year old Subaru's rotten to the point they won't pass safety inspections.  My grandparents' 2000 Lincoln had structural corrosion issues which prompted them to get rid of it when it was ~12 years old.

I think that things are especially bad here because the roads are almost perpetually wet during the winter because it snows so frequently and the salt trucks run almost 24/7.  It snows, on average, 1 out of every 2 days from December through February.  That salty water and slush on the roads ends up spraying/splashing up onto the underside of the car constantly.  No way to really keep things clean because no sooner do you leave the car wash, your car will be coated in salty spray again in the mile(s) it takes you to drive from the car wash to home.

[SVT_Power]

Mazda is arguably among the worst for corrosion resistance as a brand.  Tacomas are known to have major problems, but other Toyotas fair a bit better.  I've seen 13-18 year old Subaru's rotten to the point they won't pass safety inspections.  My grandparents' 2000 Lincoln had structural corrosion issues which prompted them to get rid of it when it was ~12 years old.

I think that things are especially bad here because the roads are almost perpetually wet during the winter because it snows so frequently and the salt trucks run almost 24/7.  It snows, on average, 1 out of every 2 days from December through February.  That salty water and slush on the roads ends up spraying/splashing up onto the underside of the car constantly.  No way to really keep things clean because no sooner do you leave the car wash, your car will be coated in salty spray again in the mile(s) it takes you to drive from the car wash to home.

I've noticed Mazdas rust on the body (anything above the skirts) A LOT more than any other brand.

[cawimmer430]

Those were never a good idea for anybody.

I imagine they must have been popular low budget cars for college kids back in the day.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I can tell you what kind of car is recommended for 2015 high school dropouts. Used Nissan Altimas from buy here/pay here dealers.

[12,000 RPM]

I imagine they must have been popular low budget cars for college kids back in the day.

Until they got rear ended

I saw a Pacer on the road recently. Wow, what a hideous car. Theres nothing right about it, its no wonder AMC went under.

[cawimmer430]

Until they got rear ended

I saw a Pacer on the road recently. Wow, what a hideous car. Theres nothing right about it, its no wonder AMC went under.

Yeah, the Gremlin and Pacer are pretty nasty.

The only AMC products which were good looking were the Matador sedan/coupe and the Ambassador IMO.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Yeah, the Gremlin and Pacer are pretty nasty.

The only AMC products which were good looking were the Matador sedan/coupe and the Ambassador IMO.

Bullshit, asshole

[Soup DeVille]

Until they got rear ended

I saw a Pacer on the road recently. Wow, what a hideous car. Theres nothing right about it, its no wonder AMC went under.

The Pacer was designed for a front wheel drive rotary engine platform that GM was going to build, but the deal fell through, so the whole thing was redesigned at the last minute to be dropped onto a shortened version of the rear wheel drive BOF Hornet chassis.

Which is pretty much what the Gremlin was already.

[cawimmer430]

Bullshit, asshole

Ewwwwww! Gross!!!!

[MX793]

Yeah, the Gremlin and Pacer are pretty nasty.

The only AMC products which were good looking were the Matador sedan/coupe and the Ambassador IMO.

AMX and Lancer

[cawimmer430]

AMX and Lancer

Are you talking about the Chrysler LC Lancer (aka badge engineered Mitsubishi Celeste)?

[MX793]

Are you talking about the Chrysler LC Lancer (aka badge engineered Mitsubishi Celeste)?

Meant Javelin, not Lancer.  Brain fart.