I want to preface this and say I am not trying to stir the poo in light of the locked thread regarding the 70 Mav on ebay but it has me wondering. What is your opinion on rust, when is it a rust bucket and when is it no longer rust free? I feel that surface rust is no worse than dead paint, it can be removed and then you move forward with the project. With that I would consider that car "rust free". It's when you need to remove and replace sheet metal that I consider a car rusty.
Rust is rust...Be it flash rust on bare steel or rot holes cats can get into your car through...Either way it can not be left unattended or, it will consume all the steel around it... In any form, it has to be removed or neutralized in some fashion to halt its insideous progress. As you point out...Corrosion (Rust in this context) comes in varying degrees. Most is repairable, Some cars can be rotted to the pint of breaking in half...If it were the Fabled Shelby maverick...It would be worth restoring to some people. If it were a plain jane mav...Strip it and find a good shell...It all depends on the individual and what that person deems rotted beyond repair and restorable...Any rot box can be fixed, it comes down to wether or not the individual can afford to, or is willing to fix it.
I guess around here we see so much surface rust on cars due to the sun baking the paint off I don't think much of it. Normally if you see a car with actual rust through it's from out of the area. Makes sense though, you guys see a little rust in your area it likely just leads to more so your more particular about it. Kind of like differences in dialect from one area to the next.
In regards to the car "in question".....I would consider the car very solid, with only surface rust. I would even say rust free. One doesn't find cars that nice around here. That car would be an easy restore.
Rust is a brownish-colored corrosion that occurs when iron oxidizes. If someone tells me it is rust-free, it better not have any brown on it, unless it is brown paint. There is absolutely nothing wrong, or even a turn-off, to describe something as having "light surface rust" followed by a description of the size and location(s) of that rust. I would never turn down a good looking and solid car due to "a 12"x14" patch of light surface rust on the hood, and an 8"x12" patch on the rear quarter panel" etc. On the other hand, if it said "rust free" and I drove a distance to purchase the car, I would be either talking the price down or refusing to buy the car from that buyer, even if it only had light surface rust.
I agree with Craig. Surface rust shouldn't scare anybody. If it does then they probably don't know the real difference anyway. True surface rust can normally be sanded off, metal treated, prime, and refinish. Rust through requires surgery. True...surface rust can and will turn into rust-through if left un-attended for long enough but even that depends on the environment and location. I'll take a car with surface rust any day and if I don't find bubbles under the paint or rust holes, I consider it rust free. Yeah, I know...rust is rust...or is it??
My Drove 3 hours 1 way to look at a seller described "rust free" car only to find the bottom 3rd of the rear quarter panels cut away and replaced by NO PARKING signs that had been pop riveted into place and bondo'd over. When I lost my cool with him he protested and said it was no rust, as described. Well, I guess you could say technically he was right. Ethically he was a moron. If reading or writing an ad - "Rust free" to me means no rust. If there is some light surface rust, I would word an ad to say "some surface rust with no rot". If it has some rot holes in the quarters or fenders, I would like to see it stated as such. I don't fear any rust or rot, as long as I know what I'm in for ahead of time and not surprised by twisting definitions of "rust free car" such as the parking sign guy.
I agree with you 100% Eric. I would definitely describe any surface rust and show good pics and if I describe anything as rust free it will be known that there are no rust holes anywhere. I've done the same as you, driven a good distance just to be disappointed. I want the buyer to know exactly what he's getting.
Rust Free = Zero Rust, and I've seen cars with zero rust. As for a certain Ebay car, it had more surface rust than other Mavericks I've seen in the past even up in the north. I've seen my share of rust, and I'm not scared of any of it, but if you are going to call something "Rust Free" then it better be. It's getting at the rust, that's the trick, unless you dip a car, you'll never get it all, when it's covered in surface rust.
