What states salt their roads? What states to avoid buying a car from? (brake, truck)

[ranger17]

WI salts heavily as needed, and also has mixed in beet juice to stretch it's capacity. Sand is also used, especially when it hits teens and below ( which it often does ) as salt stops working at a certain point.
Wash your car once a week, paying attn to the underbody; and it should be fine. But if you don't you will notice the corrosive powers of salt.
A side issue to salting too much, it can pit your drive and apron as well when the salt trucks go thru and have to spread larger amounts due to depth of snow/ice packs. Oh, and the salt & sand loves to do damage to car windows over time, the grains flying all around leaving pitting marks on the glass.
hmmm, why did we move from there???

[topmeat69]

I just bought this 94 caprice from an Ohio EBay seller,,none of this rust was disclosed, I was able to poke my finger through the lower control arm that attaches the rear axle to the body.

[harald]

i see that some dont think salt causes rust only after 5 years ? that is the most bull**** i ever heard .then you havent been under your car.

[GTOlover]

the best solution if you can afford too is buy a cheap reliable winter beater and have a nicer car for spring and summer that way when the beater rusts out you can just get rid of it

[Deez Nuttz]

Ouch topmeat69. You're definitely going to want to get that trailing arm replaced. Can't say I've ever seen one rust out like that.

Ditto on what GTO lover said, get an old beater for the winter months if you live in a salty state.

[Lux Hauler]

Originally Posted by topmeat69

I just bought this 94 caprice from an Ohio EBay seller,,none of this rust was disclosed, I was able to poke my finger through the lower control arm that attaches the rear axle to the body.

That really does not look like salt damage to me. I don't see any rust on the axle, spring or shock. Those are all areas wear the paint eventually flakes off.

[RamCharger1985]

NJ uses a lot of salt, for the most part if a car is over 15 years old its going to have rot on it

[square peg]

I love older Volvos. But I always try to buy them from anywhere that is south of Vermont - where there isn't a need to salt as frequently. And I agree that it is most prudent to have a winter beater as GTOlover mentioned. A good indicator of which states use the saltimus maximus formula is that evergreens near the roadside will be anything but green.

[Tennesseestorm]

Originally Posted by topmeat69

I just bought this 94 caprice from an Ohio EBay seller,,none of this rust was disclosed, I was able to poke my finger through the lower control arm that attaches the rear axle to the body.

Ugh, thats bad. I have a 1991 Caprice (same body style) with a perfect undercarrige, but its a local (southern) car.

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

Originally Posted by marmac

-"I'm pretty sure PA does"-------

using sand on roads w/o salt added would be a waste of time and money and accomplish nothing in winter regions.

My state used to sand/gravel roads without the use of salt. It worked fine on rural roads. There was a layer of ice and snow, but you had some "bite" to it, plus cars and bridges didn't rust out. Unfortunately, the clean air cops got involved, that sand put a little dust in the air and they had to shut that program down in favor of salt or other liquid deicer.

I escaped from NY, where salt was heavily used. Up until the late 80s, it was common to see 5-7 year old cars with major body rot and holes through body panels, especially on Japanese cars. Corrosion resistance has been improved on everyone's vehicles over the last 20 years.

Nearly as big an issue is infrastructure damage. Salt attacks concrete and the steel in reinforced concrete and other structures, leading to premature failure of bridges, etc.

I also went to school in Michigan, they were worse on salt use than NY, after every little snow fall your tires would crunch on rock salt like it was gravel. Always figured it was a plot to help the auto industry sell more new cars.