I'm looking to get a V8 and there seem to be a few on the east coast. I know living in the midwest rust is always an issue but not sure on how far up the coast the rust issue goes. Someone said that VA it's not too much of a worry but if I'm traveling all that way I want a good frame. I have a 3rd gen and know the pain of a rusty frame.
What do y'all think? Is VA a relatively rust free place?

Really doesn't matter where it's from as long as the previous took care of it and had it sprayed regularly.

I lived in Virginia for a year. Yes, it is rust free for the most part. Along the coast there can be some rust if the truck was driven on the beach often and not washed. But overall 99% will be rust free. Nothing like the rust up here.

The spirit of your question is asking if Virginia uses road salt like we do in the north. No they don't. They are still in hurricane country.

That's good news then. the flight is short and I don't feel so bad that it would be a bust to go look at a couple I found.

Road salt is horrible stuff. Ruins everything.

Why not skip the east coast and just go for ones in the southwest?

Hot, dry, rust free.

Longer drive back but you can make it a road trip. I did a 2200 mile drive back from Prescott, AZ and loved it. (not my car)

I live in northern VA and hell yeah they use a salt mixture. I have to hit my truck with fluid film every year to make sure the rust doesn't get bad. But like everything else, if the owner took care of it you should be fine.

mine came from VA Beach with 194k on it. i dont think it got washed much, if at all, and it has zero rust anywhere on it. ive also purchased 4 other used cars from the Richmond area with no rust. i would imagine you would be pretty safe with most cars from VA, seems to be a lot less salt used there than farther north.

You VA guys are lucky. In NJ (NY and PA too I think) the brine solution they spray the roads with is instant cancer to metal.

If you want 100% rust free, stay Tennessee or below. I was looking for 3 months before I found my 08' V8 here locally in Nashville, Tn. I say this cause I drove 2 times North of Tennessee border into Kentucky and looked at one that come from Virginia (all private sellers) and all were very well taken care of, clean and maintained carfaxes but, were still riddled with rust. Now granted the rust wasn't bad and maybe I have higher standards when it comes to that but I passed on all 3. Double check the inside of the frame holes cause sometimes that's where its the worst. There are many private dealers down here in Nashville that can find you something cause we have one of the biggest car auctions in the country (Manhiem). Pm me and I can hook you up with a few private dealer guys that I used before and are credible by me. Also remember that sometimes owners and you might have two different expectations when it comes to rust which is what I found out. Plus Nashville is an awesome vacation spot for the weekend.

theres little to do about it in this area (MA) i did look at 4 different runners (3 of them aweful rust and immaculate exterior (deceiving) but thankfully on the 4th one i got a clean frame and the only rust is on brackets and hardware, not the actual frame. all my hoses/lines and system components as well frame are damn nice for NE. and now it is garaged every day with 139k miles.

Agree with you there. I doubt the VA Beach or Richmond area sees much snow.

Virginia doesn't have the snow/salt/chemicals of the NE but it does use them and you will see more rust than you generally see out west or further south but nothing compared to the NE. A lot of the smaller dealers in the Richmond and DC areas seem to have a lot of NY and NJ vehicles on their lots that have significant rust. We are close enough that they must be getting good deals on them and I think the average consumer in this area doesn't think of undercarriage rust as much of a concern so they are probably an easier sell than if they were up north.

I'm at the point I don't even call or look at any vehicle that has spent time in the NE (per Carfax) because heavy rust is almost a given.

I don't know what The NE uses but the DC metro area does use Sodium Chloride as their primary snow/ice control. And Magnesium Chloride as well as Calcium Chloride is also used at lower temps.

http://www.virginiadot.org/news/reso...actSHEET_3.pdf

As the owner of two toyota trucks that spent their first 10 years in the midwest, NE, and SE, I can assure you that the only place from where you can be fully confident you will be rust free is the SW.

After moving to Tucson, I frequently checked out the frame and undercarriage of similar year Tacoma or my 4runners I'd see in a parking lot. I was shocked to see a complete absence of rust, even on trucks >15 years old.

You pay a premium on the trucks from Arizona and run the risk of sun-damaged leather, plastics/rubber, and paint if the vehicle wasn't garaged, but believe me, having replaced the frame on my Tacoma and spent countless hours removing and remediating the rust on my 4Runner, it is worth the extra price.

In addition to the SE, vehicles in the NW are rust-free as well. When it snows there, sand and coolant are used instead of salt. Also, the copious amounts of rain they receive has no effect on rust. It's salt that eats through the coating.

You'll see cars from as far back as the 1980's rolling around without a hint of rust. I bought my 4Runner from Seattle and it came completely rust-free. Had a fair share of rock chips on the front end from the sand used in winters, which I am completely okay with.

Another advantage to buying a NW car is the lack of UV damage to the exterior and interior. They don't receive as much sunlight as the rest of the country.