Rust rust rust
Discussion
They do not necessarily all rust automatically. I have had a 1992 NA for the past 8 years now with 245,000km and it has not been pampered or rust proofed (we live rural and have a track to the house that can get muddy and I only occasionally water blast the mud off) The car is pretty much completely rust free (I'm not making that up) and is great to drive.
The car was imported from Japan in 96 presumably from an area where they do not use salt on the roads in winter. I think that has a lot to do with it (we also live where the climate is mostly warm and dry and salt is not used on the roads)
My brother in law in Sheffield has an NC and when we visited a couple of years ago it was well rusted underneath so it looks like a problem across the range if salt is left on and not washed off.
It might be worth trying to find a car that has recently been imported. In any case have a good look underneath before buying - take a torch and look into all the difficult to see areas underneath, also under the doors, inside the boot, the suspension control arms/wishbones etc. Give the sills a god tap along their length to see if they sound right - nice and hollow - not dull or thick with rust or filler or have water in them. You are right to flag rust as the major concern as most mechanical issues on these cars can easily be fixed.
Happy hunting!
The car was imported from Japan in 96 presumably from an area where they do not use salt on the roads in winter. I think that has a lot to do with it (we also live where the climate is mostly warm and dry and salt is not used on the roads)
My brother in law in Sheffield has an NC and when we visited a couple of years ago it was well rusted underneath so it looks like a problem across the range if salt is left on and not washed off.
It might be worth trying to find a car that has recently been imported. In any case have a good look underneath before buying - take a torch and look into all the difficult to see areas underneath, also under the doors, inside the boot, the suspension control arms/wishbones etc. Give the sills a god tap along their length to see if they sound right - nice and hollow - not dull or thick with rust or filler or have water in them. You are right to flag rust as the major concern as most mechanical issues on these cars can easily be fixed.
Happy hunting!
Edited by mazzer1 on Sunday 6th September 00:25
Chimune said:
My 1owner '99 NB was garaged its entire life and hardly ever driven in rain or winter.
I've had it 3yrs now and have had the chassis rails done. Expecting sills and arches in next 2.
Just accept it, build it into your budget and enjoy ??
Unusual for a garaged car to suffer rust to that extent or is the NB even worse for rust than previously thought.I've had it 3yrs now and have had the chassis rails done. Expecting sills and arches in next 2.
Just accept it, build it into your budget and enjoy ??
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