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I frequently work on my own car. I don't care how good the "rust treatements" are. You will be much better off shopping closer to home. The only problem is that in the dry areas in the SW you get a fair amount of dust intake and that wears engines out unless air filters are regularly maintained, oil changes, fluid changes, etc. The rust is terrible. The frequency of repairs are much higher in the NE because the salt and corrosion are terrible. Sure, maybe surface rust issues may have been partially ameliorated but fuel and brake lines, undercarriage, etc., are still the same. I remember buying cars in the SW and driving them back to the NE because they were so much easier to work on (not rusty). If you want to keep the car an additional 10 years or something, I would definitely not buy it. I am speaking from experience. On the other hand, if the mark-ups are as high as you say, you might consider buying it for four years or so then dumping it on to some poor sap down there because your resale will be high.