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If you are moving to one of the warmer states that don’t have much of a winter or you are looking to buy a vehicle from one of those places you might be wondering whether vehicles from those states will rust or not.
Afterall, rust severely reduces the life of a vehicle because even if nothing else it makes the vehicle look ugly and old. Well, the good news is that in most of those states the winters are mild and if you are looking to buy a used vehicle from there then chances are that the vehicle will not have any rust.
However, that isn’t always the case.
Cars that are used in warm climates will typically not have any rust on them however, if the vehicle is used near the ocean or in parts of the states that receive winter weather then the cars from that area will rust like cars from most other states.
For example, a car that is from the Phoenix, Arizona area will likely not have any rust on it as there is no winter weather in the Phoenix area that requires the use of salt or other chemicals on the road. However, a car from Flagstaff Arizona (up in the mountains) will rust just like a car from the Midwest since Flagstaff gets snow and ice during the winter as well.
So not all cars from Arizona or any other state will be rust free. It depends on where in the state the car has been used.
The same holds true for a vehicle from California. If the car was mainly used in southern California and wasn’t parked on the beach every day then rust will be unlikely. However, if the vehicle was owned by someone who lived in the mountains of California then rust could certainly be present on that vehicle.
Another thing that makes predicting rust difficult just based solely on the state the car was from is that cars that are regularly used or parked near the ocean can develop rust as well from the salt water even if they were never driven in any winter weather!
Most cars from California, Florida, or Texas that are kept and mostly used at least 10-20 miles away from the salt water should not have an issue with rust while those people that live closer than that to the water will have rust on their cars even faster than cars that deal with salt and chemicals in the winter.
So, although not all cars from those states (and others) will be rust free, you are more likely to find a car that has no rust in those areas than you are in places where the winter weather requires chemicals and salt to be put down on the road.
If you are still concerned about rust on your vehicle there are many rustproofing products on the market that you can use.
Do Cars Rust In Arizona?
If you are moving to a warm area of Arizona (such as the Phoenix or Tuscan areas) then your vehicle is unlikely to ever rust as those areas are extremely dry and never get any snow/ice which means that the roads won’t get salted or chemicals applied to them that will cause your car to rust.
However, there are many areas of Arizona (in the mountains or by the Grand Canyon) that get a lot of ice/snow over the winter so cars from those areas would rust at about the same rate as cars from other parts of the country.
Another thing to consider is that the rust is likely to begin to develop if you buy a car in Arizona and then take it to a different state that has winter weather. Although it will likely take a few years before the rust will develop it will start to happen overtime when you move the vehicle to another state.
Another thing to consider if you are looking to buy a used car from Arizona is that there will likely be sun fading on the car’s paint. Although that typically isn’t as damaging as rust is to the important parts of the car, it can make the vehicle start to look ugly as well.
Since the sun is so intense in Arizona (especially in the areas around Phoenix) the paint on the car will start to bleach out especially on the hood and roof of the vehicle. If you can get a used car from Arizona before the paint has started to bleach out and then take it to another state where the su is not as intense then you will get the best of both worlds.
You won’t see rust for a very long time and you will also keep the sun from damaging the paint job of the vehicle entirely.
Do Cars Rust In Florida?
Florida is very hot and humid during the summer and the winters are typically very mild as well. That means that a car from Florida is very unlikely to have rust on it. However, just because it is unlikely doesn’t mean that there won’t be cars from Florida that will have rust. If a car is stored or used within 10-20 miles of the shore then the vehicle is likely to start to rust from the salt in the ocean air.
Being close to the salt water will actually make it where the vehicle will rust out even faster than those vehicles that are exposed to salt and chemicals during the wintertime.
So, just because a car has been used in Florida its entire life does not mean that it won’t have any rust on it.
Do Cars Rust In Texas?
There are two different questions when people ask about rust in Texas. First, does the weather cause rust in Texas? Secondly, does living near the salt water in Texas cause the car to get damaged like in other states.
The answer to both questions is yes. The weather in Texas is not warm all of the time (in fact there are times when it is very cold) and there are places with snow/ice that will cover the roads just like other parts of the country. Therefore, if you live outside of an area that gets milder winters (such as San Antonio) then your car will probably rust at about the same rate as cars from other parts of the country.
Being close to any body of saltwater in Texas will also cause your car to rust at an accelerated rate just as being close to the ocean in Florida or California will.
If you live in a part of Texas that gets mild winters and stay away from the salt water though then you are unlikely to ever get any rust on your vehicle and it will stay looking nice for many years to come.
Do Cars Rust In California?
California is mostly composed of areas near the ocean or mountainous regions (that will get snow and ice). If a vehicle is from a mountainous area of California or from near the ocean then it will definitely have rust on it.
If you live in an area that doesn’t get salt from the ocean nor has snow/ice then your car will most likely not get any rust on it at all! However, the places in California that are away from the ocean and also not in the mountains are much less densely populated which in turn means you are much less likely to live there or buy a car from there.
If you are looking to buy a used car with as little rust as possible then getting a car from Texas or Arizona is likely a better choice than buying one from California.
What Is The Best State To Buy A Rust Free Car?
If you are looking to buy a used car you will likely want to get one that will look as nice as possible for as long as possible. What that means for most people is that they will look towards a warmer state to try and get a used car with little to no rust, but which state is best to look for a car with no rust in?
When looking for a rust free car the best states to look at are Arizona and Texas. You will have to make sure that the vehicle was owned and used in parts of the states that don’t get winter weather.
Looking for a used car from Florida or California is also a good choice however those states are much more likely to have damage from the ocean salt which in turn means you are less likely to get a rust free car from there.
I currently live in Arizona (after moving here from the Midwest 5 year ago) and the vehicles that I brought with me have absolutely no signs of rust despite being used for 5 years before moving to Arizona.
Both vehicle have no signs of rust at all despite being over 10 years old as of now so I can certainly say that buying a vehicle from the Phoenix area (where I live) will allow you to get a rust free car the majority of the time (unless it was used in another state or in the mountains prior to being sold).
Which Cars Rust The Most?
If you are wanting to avoid rust then you will want to make sure that the vehicle that you buy isn’t prone to rust in the first place but are there certain cars that rust worse than others or are they all about the same?
Some of the worst cars when it comes to rust over the last few years have been Hondas, Toyotas, and Mazdas. However, proper regular cleaning of your vehicle during the winter months (or year around if you are near the ocean) will help any car last considerably longer without showing rust.
No car is immune to rust and eventually all vehicles will start to rust but you can prolong the rusting process if you regularly clean your vehicle. Many people will go all winter without once cleaning their car as it’s “just going to get dirty again”. However, that leaves the salt and other chemicals on your car for far longer which in turn causes them to rust out much faster.
Regularly cleaning your vehicle over the winter months will cause it to last a lot longer and keep it working and looking a lot better over its life as well!