Opinions on Surface Rust...

[DeanP]

Hey gang,
I'm looking to buy a 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT with only 25K miles and would like your opinion on the surface rust in the undercarriage. The seller sent me these pics. I'd like to keep this car for many many years, since V8s will be a dying breed in couple years. I was hoping you guys could give me some opinions on the severity of the surface rust on this one. Basically, some questions are... Does the undercarriage look pretty clean? How bad is the surface rust and will it spread and get worse on its own? Should I get some type of weather sealer to prevent further rusting? Or is the current rust very minimal and nothing to worry about? I appreciate your opinions before I pull the trigger on this one, thanks everyone... 
 

[DeanP]

more pics...

[DeanP]

final 4 pics...

[Mytur Binsdirti]

In spite of the low mileage, judging by the filth on the fear bumper and rust on the exhaust, I'd say that it wasn't garage kept. It's not good for a daily driver to just sit out in the elements for 10 years. I would hope that you are going to see it in person before you decide to buy it. 

[DeanP]

Hi Mytur, yes I plan to check it out in person, but to save some time now, I asked him to send some undercarriage pics first, before I go all the way out of state to check it out. I did notice some stuff on the back of the right muffler which looks different than the left one, but wasn't sure if it's rust or something else. I figure I could get some more expert opinions on here about the overall condition of the undercarriage. Since the day of these pics, he did wash it and the paint and interior look pretty good...

[Old Moparz]

The amount of surface rust you're worried about depends on the asking price. If the car is in the high part of the price spectrum it may not be the greatest deal. If it's priced lower than it may be worth it. From the underside pics it doesn't seem very different than the 2013 300C I bought last August. I didn't buy mine with intentions of saving it as a collector car but I try to keep it nice.

If you do get it, a lot of labor intense cleaning underneath & maybe some paint will help. Will you keep it in a garage? Drive it in bad weather? Did you compare it to others?

One red flag is the filth on the entire car. While dirt isn't a deal breaker, it could be a sign that the rest of the car was never taken care of. If you go see it in person make sure you start to scrutinize every nook & cranny. Parts for these things aren't cheap either, so if stuff is broken, worn or missing it will be expensive to redo. One example is the headlights. My gripe with a lot of these newer cars is the faded, yellowing of the lenses. A pair of Mopar headlight assemblies will run you close to $1000 & aftermarket ones over $300.

Just curious, do you have other photos of it you can post? I love these cars.  

Good luck if you get it.  

[RallyeMike]

The level of dirt and rust shows that it is a driver and not a cherished toy. That's ok as long as it is priced for driver quality. Otherwise, I don't see anything to worry about.
It could be cleaned up with some elbow grease.

[DeanP]

A little soap and water helped...

[DeanP]

It could be cleaned up with some elbow grease.

What kind of solution would need to clean up the undercarriage?

[DeanP]

If you do get it, a lot of labor intense cleaning underneath & maybe some paint will help. Will you keep it in a garage? Drive it in bad weather? Did you compare it to others?

Yes I do plan to garage it. I will drive it in the rain as a part-time daily driver. I have been shopping around and most I've seen have much higher miles... anywhere between 80-100K+. Any suggestions on cleaning solutions besides just soap and water?

[426HemiChick]

Hi, DeanP,                    16 March 2022

Unless we missed it, you haven't said where this car has lived most of its life. If it is from Northern Ohio, or any northern state that covers their roads with salt or other caustic chemicals during the winter months, I'd stay away from it unless it was stored during that time of the year.

Here in Phoenix the weather is bone dry most of the year, about 8 inches of rain per year and little chance of snow. We recently brought two daily driver vehicles to Phoenix from Fort Worth TX which had lived their lives there and are rust free.

Examine the bolts underneath the car, especially nuts on exhaust clamps, they are a good indicator of what you might find elsewhere in places not easily seen until it's too late. Also check under the hood.

I remember when my dad was looking for a used Jeep wagon around 1949, we went to look at one. It really looked nice and the old man was about to buy it. Being small I crawled under the car and saw the body to frame brackets were all rusted through. The body was just sitting on the frame. I called to him to look under the Jeep. I showed him all the rusted parts, which saved the day for the old man.

Can say the seller was pissed at little old me; if looks could of killed I'd have been dead meat.

The amount "red" dirt under the car could indicate it's from a state where red clay is common.

Best Always

Christine for the 426 Hemi Chicks

[RallyeMike]

What kind of solution would need to clean up the undercarriage?

You'd be amazed at what the degreaser, soap, and hot water can do at the u-sprayem. Bring a tall lift jack, some rain gear, and safety glasses and prepare to lay down on the concrete and get very wet.

Otherwise, some detail shops have lifts and the gear to thoroughly clean the underside.

[DeanP]

Hi, DeanP,                    16 March 2022

Unless we missed it, you haven't said where this car has lived most of its life. If it is from Northern Ohio, or any northern state that covers their roads with salt or other caustic chemicals during the winter months, I'd stay away from it unless it was stored during that time of the year.

Examine the bolts underneath the car, especially nuts on exhaust clamps, they are a good indicator of what you might find elsewhere in places not easily seen until it's too late. Also check under the hood.

Christine for the 426 Hemi Chicks

Hi, First of all... thanks for your service! The car was originally sold and registered in Canada and now it's at a dealership in Oregon. Since the car has so few miles, I think it was probably driven mostly in good weather. From these pics here, if I'm not mistaken the bolts and nuts seem to be ok in these pics, right? Obviously since Canada gets a lot of snow, undercarriage corrosion was my biggest concern so I asked for pics. Like I mentioned before, it's a car I would like to keep for a lot of years and wanted to see what you guys thought about what you see here...

[426HemiChick]

Hi, First of all... thanks for your service! The car was originally sold and registered in Canada and now it's at a dealership in Oregon. Since the car has so few miles, I think it was probably driven mostly in good weather. From these pics here, if I'm not mistaken the bolts and nuts seem to be ok in these pics, right? Obviously since Canada gets a lot of snow, undercarriage corrosion was my biggest concern so I asked for pics. Like I mentioned before, it's a car I would like to keep for a lot of years and wanted to see what you guys thought about what you see here...

Hi DeanP,               16 March 2022

Thank you Dean, I do appreciate your comment. What I tell people is: "I gave the Navy 8 years of my life. They gave me a lifetime in return."

Put a box wrench to some of the nuts under the car; if the wrench fits properly the nut hasn't lost much metal to rust. Next try loosening the nuts without resorting to penetrating oil or heat. If you can't break the nut loose with mild pleasure do try a bit of Kroil (best darn penetrating oil there is, bar none). Don't apply too much pressure and end up breaking something.

Next suggestion: Why not look for the same car in Phoenix? If it has been here most of its life, it's a good bet rust doesn't exist.

Good luck in your hunt.

Best Always

Christine for the 426 Hemi Chicks

[b5blue]

  Don't let low miles blind you. I just looked at an 82 550 Yamaha with 1,500 original miles. The guy was against me driving it but gave in. The bike was jerky and stalled, wouldn't crank over for 3 attempts finally starting on the 4th. He claimed it must be low on fuel but the gauge read 1/2 tank and I could see fuel in there. 
  My point is plenty can go bad from sitting unused. I take it this car is remote to you, one bad wire out of 100's can drive you nut and cost a ton.   

[DeanP]

Put a box wrench to some of the nuts under the car; if the wrench fits properly the nut hasn't lost much metal to rust. Next try loosening the nuts without resorting to penetrating oil or heat. If you can't break the nut loose with mild pleasure do try a bit of Kroil (best darn penetrating oil there is, bar none). Don't apply too much pressure and end up breaking something.

Next suggestion: Why not look for the same car in Phoenix? If it has been here most of its life, it's a good bet rust doesn't exist.

Yeah, I was gonna have them put it on the lift so I can see it up close in person myself, if I decide to go there (from southern CA to Oregon). Since it's far away that's why I asked for pics first.

Believe me, I'd love to find that same car in the southwestern part of the US, but those Chrysler 300 SRT with low miles are hard to find, especially the final years from 2012-14. Thx for the good info so far Christine!

[DeanP]

  Don't let low miles blind you. I just looked at an 82 550 Yamaha with 1,500 original miles. The guy was against me driving it but gave in. The bike was jerky and stalled, wouldn't crank over for 3 attempts finally starting on the 4th. He claimed it must be low on fuel but the gauge read 1/2 tank and I could see fuel in there. 
  My point is plenty can go bad from sitting unused. I take it this car is remote to you, one bad wire out of 100's can drive you nut and cost a ton.   

Yep, you hit the nail on the head... I think I am blinded by the low miles, plus it's a black SRT with the 6.4L. I actually test drove the same one here in southern CA over the weekend, but it was kinda rough, so I passed on it. No matter what, I definitely would not buy it without going to check it out in person and test driving it first, but I wanted to hopefully rule out rust problems before I buy a plane ticket up there... so that's where all you guys/gals come in to help me make a decision about the undercarriage. So far I'm kind of still torn...

[Old Moparz]

Yep, you hit the nail on the head... I think I am blinded by the low miles, plus it's a black SRT with the 6.4L. I actually test drove the same one here in southern CA over the weekend, but it was kinda rough, so I passed on it. No matter what, I definitely would not buy it without going to check it out in person and test driving it first, but I wanted to hopefully rule out rust problems before I buy a plane ticket up there... so that's where all you guys/gals come in to help me make a decision about the undercarriage. So far I'm kind of still torn...

I'd be patient & wait for a closer & cleaner one to pop up, especially in a seller's market like right now. It took me about 4 months to find the right car & I had looked at over a dozen & drove almost as many. I'm in NY & went as far as ME, NJ, VA, CT & PA as well as a couple here in NY. The bright side is that I already had a vehicle to drive so I wasn't desperate to find one. For me, as long as I can go see the car & come home in the same day I don't have a problem with travel. Plane ticket would be a big risk though, do you know anyone near the car that could inspect it in person for you?

[DeanP]

I'd be patient & wait for a closer & cleaner one to pop up, especially in a seller's market like right now. It took me about 4 months to find the right car & I had looked at over a dozen & drove almost as many. I'm in NY & went as far as ME, NJ, VA, CT & PA as well as a couple here in NY. The bright side is that I already had a vehicle to drive so I wasn't desperate to find one. For me, as long as I can go see the car & come home in the same day I don't have a problem with travel. Plane ticket would be a big risk though, do you know anyone near the car that could inspect it in person for you?

Hi Bob, well after all the great info I got from people here and my gut feeling, I decided to pass on this one and like you said to wait for one closer and cleaner.

Thanks everyone, much appreciated!