Where in the world did you come up with this nonsense? First of all, the "East Coast" runs from Canada to Florida. There is NO typical "East Coast" driver. Secondly, being from Washington DC (the middle of the East Coast), you are completely incorrect. Don't spew "statistics" you can't possibly back up. Every car on the continent is different. Have it looked at by someone who knows what they're doing- just like you would do with one from California, Ohio... or anywhere else. If it's okay, buy it. I wouldn't hesitate buying one, anywhere in the country, assuming the price was right for the car. Good luck.

 

Thank you sir.

The location of that rust is exactly what I was talking about when I said it's carbon steel (or even cheap stainless) parts that you're seeing all the rust on. This includes the exhaust, brake line connectors, and many other things on the underside of the car. I used to have an '88 VW Jetta (first car I bought for myself) and yes it did have rusty spots on the body at several locations, but it also had 170k miles on it when I bought it, was 13 years old at that point, and had lived its life in CT. So I'm not arguing the underside of the car will have significant rusty spots. Any of us that have done exhaust swaps on a car know stock exhaust including all of the fittings are one of the first things to rust, and do so pretty significantly. When I swapped the exhaust tips on my first Porsche (a 996 C4 I bought new that was a daily driver in Boston, including winters) it had about 20k miles on it and I sheared one if not both of the bolts that tightened the ring clamp to hold the tips on. But any location close to salt like FL is going to have the same thing or pretty close to it.

Is that a C4S in your photo? And you don't let it out to play in the winter? For shame that's when they're at their best!

On this flip side of your point is the fact Porsches do much better reliability-wise with regards to seals and other items if they're DD and not weekend garage queens. I'd rather get a DD because mechanically they're usually a lot more sound than cars that aren't.

You sir are 100% correct! I totally had a brain fart there and put the wrong thing. You'd think I'd remember this since I've been doing electroplating for over 15 years!

Most zinc is mined far from where it's used, and it's very heavy, so there's a lot of transportation costs involved depending on where the car is made. China, the US, Australia, Canada and Peru are the major supplier countries around the globe. There's a couple of other drivers that contribute to thinner rust proofing being used. First of all is gas mileage. Galvanizing steel adds a lot of weight to it and can really hurt fuel consumption. Secondly electroplating technology is constantly advancing and there are significantly better techniques available every few years. It used to require a heavier coat to ensure all spots were covered, but these days they're using new mixes, higher currents, and other changes to the baths and their components that are allowing for 100% coverage more easily, and with a thinner coat.

There are also some fittings, piping, and other random bits that are stainless, but yes, by size/weight the exhaust easily wins (unless you count the brake rotors). Most bolts and other connectors are carbon steel. There's also the fact not all stainless is created equal. Stainless just means it's more resistant to corrosion, but not immune. I've seen more than a few aftermarket exhausts where fonodnpthe manufacturer cheaped out on materials and the exhaust started rusting pretty quickly.

Good callmentioning the mixed metals causing a lot worse f= corrosionl=l

 

You're correct on most of what you say... I made the assumption that the SF resident was referring to the snow bound east coast... those areas that suffer the most from bad weather during the winter months... The "statistics" I'm referring to is that you will not see a Porsche on the road in the the snow states during winter months. I could drive from Detroit to New York and probably wouldn't see one Porsche on the road during snow season. That's a visual statistic that has come from many years of making those drives to the coast....If I took some liberties in answering the question then sue me..
I stand chastised...See you in court,.
Completely incorrect from Ohio..

 

Yes that is my car in the photo but it is a C2S not a C4. From what I have read these cars do awsome in the snow with a good set of snow tires. For me that was a non issue as I have an X5 to tackle the snow and salt of NJ winters. Better clearance height and I don't need to have a dedicated set of winter tires for it. All season tires have served me just fine.

I think you missed the point that I was trying to make about the DD cars. The OP seemed concerned about rust due to being on the east coast. The cars most likely to be exposed to the salty roads the most would be the DD. If the OP was planning to keep the car as a DD (depending on his annual mileage) he would likely be done with the car before any significant rusting began on the car.

I agree with you regarding these cars are made to be driven and that garage queens often have problems due to sitting idle for long periods. My car is far from a garage queen and is driven as it was intended. If there is no salt/snow/ice etc on the ground and I get the urge I take it out for a spirited drive. We can have a whole thread about the pros and cons of DD vs Weekend cars etc. No point in getting into that further.

Ken

 

I live in Minnesota. When it snows it stays until spring just not this winter. I put my car away from end of Nov till April. My 99 I just sold looked just as good under as any California car. Go check the car out and you will know. Of course you may have to get on your hands and knees to inspect it. I would never buy a car without personally inspecting it. If you don't know what your looking for when your on your hands and knees then you should only buy new.

 

I live in the east specifically ct. And while I certainly don't take offense at your question I can tell you none of my east coast cars came with rust. I would think you just have to do your due diligence when purchasing. And don't forget the east coast doesn't have flood damaged cars like some of the non east coast states. You just need to take everything into consideration and be careful. Best of luck where ever you decide to purchase.

 

If your buying from the east coast. I recommend buying from the southern east coast. There is no snow in FL or salt being put on our roads. I know Zen Motorsports deals with alot of Porsches in the Tampa Bay area.

 

Not sure I agree with some of the toughts put forward.... Ever see the salt the the air carries to everything in costal FLa.and other areas like this? Very damaging.... Bottom line I wouldn t buy or not buy a car based on what area it is from but would check certain thing depending on where it was from... I am in the northeast snow belt but I bought a C2, so it will never see snowy roads...

 

If the car hasn't been driven in snow/bad weather I think there's no significant downside to buying a car in the northeast let alone the whole east coast....I just bought mine locally (live in NJ) and the car checks out just fine