Rust on the body

[RG501]

Im going to go look at this 1996 Firebird tomorrow. it has 84k miles looks like it is in good shape just from looking at the picture. My mom told me that she doesnt want to buy it if there is rust on the body. i dont see why this is a problem. any help?

[Philo]

Originally Posted by RG501

Im going to go look at this 1996 Firebird tomorrow. it has 84k miles looks like it is in good shape just from looking at the picture. My mom told me that she doesnt want to buy it if there is rust on the body. i dont see why this is a problem. any help?

Rust is expensive to fix and generally does not last a long time. If the car is rusted on the body, it could point to major problems underneath. If I remember correctly, the metal in '96 was galvanized on both sides, so if that is true and you have rust through anywhere on the fenders, I would walk away from this car. I bought a '72 Camaro one time for the engine (SS-350) and kept the car in my back yard so I could start the engine once in a while until I pulled it. A tire went flat, so I jacked it up to put the spare on - got to the top of the jack and the tire was still on the ground. I looked at the side of the car, and the sail panel (between the door and back window) had warped. The body was so rusty that it was bending up in the roof area.

Hope it is not rusty - good luck!

[cooltc2004]

Rust is like a cancer, unless you remove the rust spot and some good metal around it (in order to get all rust), youll never get rid of it. And untreated rust will just spread.

[importeater38]

a portion of 4th gens are fiberglass or fiber based plastics from what i understand. Im really not sure what parts are what, cept for the obvious plastic bumpers and sheet metal hood and roof. I know the insides of the doors are made from some kinda fiberous material, cuz i had to drill into it to replace my window motor. So, if there is alot of plastic and fiberglass, less to rust = less to worry about. The underside of the car is a different story.

I know one thing, my car looks nothing like my buddy's shit box rusted out 5.0 mustang.

[volkerc]

Originally Posted by RG501

Im going to go look at this 1996 Firebird tomorrow. it has 84k miles looks like it is in good shape just from looking at the picture. My mom told me that she doesnt want to buy it if there is rust on the body. i dont see why this is a problem. any help?

Rust? The front fenders, doors are all composite material. The roof is metal, so are the rear fenders. So the only area you realy have to check for this problem is the underside of the car.

[RG501]

ok, thanks for the help.