shite that doesn't rust.... (much)

[themildbunch]

Given that there's a similar Pistonheads thread I think there should be one here..

 

In my limited ownership galvanised 80's and 90's French and German shite is pretty good:

 

 

Audi B4 types (80, 90, etc)

 

Citroen BX (can rust in nasty hidden places though)

 

[davidfowler2000]

Belgian built Volvo 700s seem pretty bomb proof. Rust isn't unheard of but it's usually quite restrained.

[oldcars]

Reliant Rialto.

[AMC Rebel]

Wasn't the original Matra-built Espace galvo and Grp?

 

Scimitar SS1 of course.

[RustyNuts]

Renault Safrane - Ours is 18 years old next month and although I have had to remove some rust, most of it was on the bolt on parts (shocks, sub frame, etc). There were a few bits on the chassis... but the car had been sat for five years at the time i dealt with that (now six years). If it hadn't of been off the road that long, the rust wouldn't have crept up.

 

Some dickhead also scratched one of the doors on it... deeply... and thats still holding the fort against the rust too. I know most people hate renaults but they do seem quite slow to rust up compared to some cars.

[inconsistant]

Porsche 924: pre 1980 bottom bit galvanised, post 1980 whole body galvanised. They do still rust, (I've got bills for sill repairs to prove it) but nothing like as badly many other cars from the 70s/80s, including 944s which seem to be quite prone.

[AMC Rebel]

Weren't 911's galvo from about 1976 (from memory so probably bobbins)?

[spike60]

Porsche 924: pre 1980 bottom bit galvanised, post 1980 whole body galvanised. They do still rust, (I've got bills for sill repairs to prove it) but nothing like as badly many other cars from the 70s/80s, including 944s which seem to be quite prone.

I had a 1980 924 which was battered and badly painted but not the slightest rusty, while I owned it i went to see a 1988 16v 944 which had rot everywhere, the back ot the sills were made of bodge and denso tape. Looked pretty though.

[himoverthere]

Peugeot 205s generally look pretty rust free even now, on the rare occasions you see one.

[chaseracer]

^ This is true.  13yo M59 Blingo is looking pretty good, too.  Dented to feck, obvs - but not apparently rusting.

[sierraman]

Peugeot.

[twosmoke300]

Saab 9-5's seem pretty good rust wise

[cort16]

You don't seem to see a lot of externally rusty post mid 90's Fiats and Alfa Romeos. I think they got such a doing for cronic rust issues when they moved to galvanising the body shells they put it on about 2 inches thick.

They still seem to rot underneath for some reason.

[Parky]

Renaults. Rarely see a rusty one unless it's a 16 that's been left in a field for three decades

[Braddon81]

Another vote for Psa tin. My 14 year old Berlingo and each of my 15 and 16 year old 306 cabriolets are totally grot free.

[twosmoke300]

That's because they are in the scrap yard for

Terminal body leaks

DCI detonation

Keycard issues

Uch death

Clutch ( expensive job on scenics)

Green rotten wiring

 

Long before they go rusty

 

Renault that is

[Negative Creep]

Nissan Bluebird

[SiC]

Renaults and Saabs I've found to be excellent non-rusters.

 

Ok yes a lot of Renaults may suffer electrical/diesel problems that kill early, but the ones that survive to 10-15 years old don't have rust on them. Probably because vast majority of parts for them were made out of Plastic! I remember Renault making a big thing about how recycled/recyclable their cars were at the time.

 

For Saabs, well in their own words from their Workshop manual:

Most of the bodywork on the Saab 9-5 is galvanized. All exterior details such as doors, bonnet, boot lid, roof and floor are galvanized. The inner panels of these details are also galvanized on both sides.

 

Only a few sheet metal details in the bodywork are not galvanized, e.g. parcel shelf, seat members, roof members, the member between the rear wheel housings and certain reinforcing details.

Possibly one of the many reasons why Saabs cost so much to build and why GM sold them.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

V70 I had didnt have any rust at all and it wasnt anywhere near what you'd describe as a good example.

 

Think galvanized shell. But all the nuts and bolts seemed above average quality

 

Sent from my VF695 using Tapatalk

[sierraman]

Mk1 Meganes rust like fuck! Rear arches, ends of sills, rear crossmember!

[dollywobbler]

Renault Espace. As mentioned, glassfibre body, galvo chassis. That should resist rust pretty well.

[Sir Snipes]

Nissan Bluebird

Well, FWD T12/72 anyway. S12 Silvias seem to hold out well, too. Much better than s13s and s14s.

[twosmoke300]

Mk1 Meganes rust like fuck! Rear arches, ends of sills, rear crossmember!

He's right there you know !

[scruff]

With 205s does it depend which factory they were churned out of?? My STDT (snigger) was fine on top but subsequent owners found galloping rot in the floors and the front end. Other STDT owners have reported similar!! The N reg one from breadvan was mint however.

[michael1703]

Range Rover p38's

 

Seriously, I've never found rust on them. Disco rear chassis rails and boot floors rot out,Range Rover classics rot everywhere and freelancers rust, but p38's are spotless underneath

[Tamworthbay]

Porsche 924: pre 1980 bottom bit galvanised, post 1980 whole body galvanised. They do still rust, (I've got bills for sill repairs to prove it) but nothing like as badly many other cars from the 70s/80s, including 944s which seem to be quite prone.

After seeing the state of my mates 924 which was far worse than my mini of the same age I would say this is dependent on the individual car. I drove it back (it was moted) from south of London to Tamworth and then we found that the sills were barely attached to the floor, the seatbelt mount was only there in so far as a thin strip of metal held the bolt in place, the rear end inner wings were holey as hell. My 944 went a bit in the sills but nothing like that.

 

Our old Passat is 16 years old and hasn't a spot of rust on it, including the gouge on the bonnet where some dick head bounced next doors bird bath off it. I always meant to get round to touching it up but never did. The father in law has had it four years and intends to get around to doing it sometime.......

[UltraWomble]

 

 

Citroen BX

You have got to be shitting me? 20 years and 5 of the feckers the only one that wasnt rusted to buggery was the one without a sun roof.

[Bren]

2000 on vauxhall are'nt bad.

[Mally]

Reliant Rialto.

 

Body's passable, but I once jacked mine up, bottle jack went through the chassis, fell on its side and smashed the brake master cylinder off.

[Guest Hooli]

I'm amazed at the lack of rust on my goona, still I guess even the french can't fuck everything up in a single car.