Buying an East Coast car. Should I?
02-26-2015, 11:27 AM
#1
Super Member
Thread Starter
Buying an East Coast car. Should I?
So I'm in the market for a '12 E550 coupe. There's a handful here in Cali but they're close to 10k more than ones I find on the East Coast. I know I'll have to pay a transit and multiple taxes/fees but there's no way it would come close to the 10k.
My buddy tells me the price difference is because of the snow/road salts which brings me to my question. Has anyone purchased a car from a "snow state" and experienced bad rust or other corrosion type issues?
My buddy tells me the price difference is because of the snow/road salts which brings me to my question. Has anyone purchased a car from a "snow state" and experienced bad rust or other corrosion type issues?
02-26-2015, 12:16 PM
#2
Member
I'm an East Coaster and a Detroit guy before that (Michigan winters, anyone?). I can't imagine 2 seasons of snow/road salt is going to have that big an impact (certainly not worth $10,000) on a car.
02-26-2015, 12:29 PM
#3
Super Member
Thread Starter
Thanks for your input and I hadn't thought of it that way (only 2 seasons) either. Plus, and I'm assuming here, the undercoating/sealing technology has improved vastly. We're not talking about a 1970's ride.
02-26-2015, 04:40 PM
#4
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2012 E550 Coupe
East Coaster here...and owner of a 2012 E550.
I've owned 6 cars here. The only one with rust issues was a 2004 Wrangler that was previously owned in North Carolina and driven on the beach. All the others have never shown any salt damage on the undercarriage. My MB isn't new to the area either. It has spent its whole life in DC and is clean underneath.
I do take care to wash the underside of all my cars after every major snow event. I built a undercarriage washer out of PVC. Don't know if this keeps the rust away, but I figured for $20 and some time it can't hurt.
You probably have a better than 50% chance of not having to worry about rust from the east coast, but buying a car unseen from anywhere in the country is risky. The rustiest car I've ever seen was an 84 CJ I almost bought in Pismo beach California.
I've owned 6 cars here. The only one with rust issues was a 2004 Wrangler that was previously owned in North Carolina and driven on the beach. All the others have never shown any salt damage on the undercarriage. My MB isn't new to the area either. It has spent its whole life in DC and is clean underneath.
I do take care to wash the underside of all my cars after every major snow event. I built a undercarriage washer out of PVC. Don't know if this keeps the rust away, but I figured for $20 and some time it can't hurt.
You probably have a better than 50% chance of not having to worry about rust from the east coast, but buying a car unseen from anywhere in the country is risky. The rustiest car I've ever seen was an 84 CJ I almost bought in Pismo beach California.
02-26-2015, 06:05 PM
#5
Super Member
Thread Starter
...but buying a car unseen from anywhere in the country is risky.
The rustiest car I've ever seen was an 84 CJ I almost bought in Pismo beach California.
02-26-2015, 10:33 PM
#6
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2014 E550 Cabriolet, 2014 Porsche Cayenne Diesel
Many owners of high end rwd cars drive them sparingly in the winter. I've put about 200 miles on my E550 Cab since the start of December. It really won't go on any icy incline, so it stays in the garage until the streets are clear. Exposure to road salt is minimal. You should be fine with a '12.
03-03-2015, 04:08 PM
#7
Super Member
Thread Starter
Many owners of high end rwd cars drive them sparingly in the winter. I've put about 200 miles on my E550 Cab since the start of December. It really won't go on any icy incline, so it stays in the garage until the streets are clear. Exposure to road salt is minimal. You should be fine with a '12.
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03-03-2015, 05:04 PM
#8
Former Vendor of MBWorld
You can always have it checked at a local shop that someone on here can recommend as well. $10k is a big enough of a difference to consider getting a car from the east coast instead of over here.
-Don
-Don
03-03-2015, 05:20 PM
#9
Member
Unless the car's from Florida, I wouldn't.
People trying to sell a car will tell you what you want to hear anyway.
It's usually the other way around. Folks love our West Coast rides, no harsh winters and snow salt.
People trying to sell a car will tell you what you want to hear anyway.
It's usually the other way around. Folks love our West Coast rides, no harsh winters and snow salt.
03-05-2015, 11:02 AM
#10
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03-07-2015, 01:37 PM
#11
MBWorld Fanatic!
Most of the RWD coupes and cabs on the east coast are put to sleep in the winter, incl mine. Have not seen one for quite a while
