How much rust is too much?

[TJM]

Hi there,

Looking to buy an L300 and found one that I feel pretty good about but there is a few small but significant rust spots. The van is cheap and I feel confident in it mechanically, but I don't know if anything can be done about this rust, and if not how much of a chance I am taking. If I found an L300 that was being parted out, can these panels be replaced?

Thanks - I appreciate the advice.

TJ

[Growlerbearnz]

It looks like those areas have been repainted, which suggests someone's done a quick touch up job. There might be more rust on the van that you've not found yet: check out the windscreen pillars and nearby roof gutter, they're usually the first to go.

[philmeup1]

My experience with older vehicles (VW Busses to be exact) is that usually where rust can be seen, there's usually much more you can't see until you start poking around. My friend owns a reputable body shop in my home town and he puts it like this. Rust is like an iceberg. You often see a little on the surface, but there's plenty more hiding underneath. And as far as mechanicals go, at least with VW Busses, it was always cheaper to deal with that stuff then lots of body work. Think with your head and not you heart.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do:)

[nvanadm]

I'd definitely walk away from that one!
You can find L300's with no rust at all.

[TJM]

Thanks for all the advice! I really appreciate it. So far it seems like every van is a bit of a compromise, its tough to hone in on which one will have the least consequences.

All the best you guys!

TJ

[Erich]

That is one I would walk away from. The issue, as one person noted, is that when the rust is visible on the outside of the car, there will be 10x that many places just waiting to happen. This car has terminal rot. What is interesting, is that the areas you note would not be the first places I would expect rust to show up. The way these cars are constructed, the panels are pinched welded. Unfortunately these leaves gaps between the panels into which sediments and salts can hide and these can hold moisture. The Delicas panels are quite thin, and an alloy steel, so they tend to rust quickly because of the alloy, and go fast because they are so thin. Areas to look for rust, are the pinch welds along the bottom sides of the car, and all box sections. The latter are behind the integral steps at the front doors, under the side door step and at the rear corners. If you see a bubble anywhere on the exterior, it means there is something much bigger waiting to come through. Better to find one with no rust and mechanical issues, as those are easier and cheaper to deal with than replacing body panels.