GT350 from a Salt Belt dealer?

[PRTK350]

Hey everyone!

This is my first post here, so go easy on me

I recently bought a GT350 that was sitting on an Iowa dealer’s lot for ~8 months. I’m in California so I’m not very familiar with salt/rust on cars. However once I got the car, I read a bit more about rust and I’m a bit concerned now.

the dealer told me that the car wasn’t driven during winter and was kept inside but I still wanted to ask you folks. Even if the car was driven in snow a couple of times, does it really matter? I checked the underbody and from what I could see, it looked good. I gave the underbody a thorough rinse once I got it anyways.

Do I have any reason to be concerned about this? I really want to keep this car for a long, long time so did I make a mistake buying a car from a ‘salt-belt’ state?

Any input/opinion would be really appreciated thank you

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[K4fxd]

I wouldn't worry. Ford has a 5 year corrosion warranty and really driving it a few times on salt roads won't hurt it as long as it got washed afterward.

 

[VERN]

Hey everyone!

This is my first post here, so go easy on me

I recently bought a GT350 that was sitting on an Iowa dealer’s lot for ~8 months. I’m in California so I’m not very familiar with salt/rust on cars. However once I got the car, I read a bit more about rust and I’m a bit concerned now.

the dealer told me that the car wasn’t driven during winter and was kept inside but I still wanted to ask you folks. Even if the car was driven in snow a couple of times, does it really matter? I checked the underbody and from what I could see, it looked good. I gave the underbody a thorough rinse once I got it anyways.

Do I have any reason to be concerned about this? I really want to keep this car for a long, long time so did I make a mistake buying a car from a ‘salt-belt’ sta te?

Any input/opinion would be really appreciated thank you

I would say most Mustangs in the salt belt (at least where I am in NNY) are put away for the winter, especially a GT350. These cars are unsafe to drive in winter as would not perform well on snow and ice without winter tires. ALso would not drive period on snow/ice as gear ratio and high torque will make very prone to spinning wheels and getting stuck in minimal snow/slush and icy conditions. Another reason to put them away. Not safe. I would guess this car has not seen salt and would not worry about it. Enjoy it in good weather only.

 

[key01]

^exactly this. I live in the snow belt. Car is put away way before any bad weather, and not brought back until it’s gone.

 

[K4fxd]

He said it was sitting in an Iowa dealers lot. It got moved around.

 

[PRTK350]

Thanks @VERN, @key01, for your reponses
I’m in Northern California right now, so it’s sunny pretty much year round. It probably won’t see snow anymore. I Haven’t even taken it out in the rain. I’m super anal about these things!
I was just worried about rust if the car was driven a couple of times in snow/salt when it was sitting at the dealer in Iowa.

 

[PRTK350]

@K4fxd that gives me a bit of relief.
The dealer put ~80 miles on the car before I bought it. I’m not sure how much he took it around in the snow but when I looked underneath after I bought the car, it looked shiny new. There was barely any dust on any of the nooks and crannies.

I was just concerned as I wanna keep the car for a long time and I don’t want rust to eat it away. I’ve heard some of the horror stories of cars driven in snow and salt.

You are correct - i suppose if it did see snow, it should start showing signs of rust within the 5 year rust warranty?

 

[JR369]

Hey everyone!

This is my first post here, so go easy on me

I recently bought a GT350 that was sitting on an Iowa dealer’s lot for ~8 months. I’m in California so I’m not very familiar with salt/rust on cars. However once I got the car, I read a bit more about rust and I’m a bit concerned now.

the dealer told me that the car wasn’t driven during winter and was kept inside but I still wanted to ask you folks. Even if the car was driven in snow a couple of times, does it really matter? I checked the underbody and from what I could see, it looked good. I gave the underbody a thorough rinse once I got it anyways.

Do I have any reason to be concerned about this? I really want to keep this car for a long, long time so did I make a mistake buying a car from a ‘salt-belt’ state?

Any input/opinion would be really appreciated thank you

New or used? If new, then I suspect it didn't travel much on the salted roads. More like one dealer spot to the next and it probably spent the majority of it's life on the showroom.

Used? Then all bets are off that it hadn't seen a salted road up there.

 

[PRTK350]

@JR369 oh I’m sorry I totally forgot to mention - it was new with ~130 miles. The sales guy said it arrived at their dealership from Ford with 52 miles on the odo.
The rest of the miles were them taking it to another town for a car show a few months ago. They said they kept the car in storage from November to March.
Tiny dealership in rural Iowa!

 

[JR369]

@JR369 oh I’m sorry I totally forgot to mention - it was new with ~130 miles. The sales guy said it arrived at their dealership with 52 miles on the odo.
The rest of the miles were them taking it to another town for a car show.
Tiny dealership in rural Iowa!

You probably got it out of there before any real snow happened that warranted a salt drop.

 

[PRTK350]

You probably got it out of there before any real snow happened that warranted a salt drop.

But then the car was sitting there since Sept/Oct 2019 and I bought it in July 2020.
I decided to do that because he was giving me a decent-ish deal on it as the car seemed to be in spotless condition - and the insane ADMs here in California.

 

[JR369]

But then the car was sitting there since Sept/Oct 2019 and I bought it in July 2020.
I decided to do that because he was giving me a decent-ish deal on it as the car seemed to be in spotless condition - and the insane ADMs here in California.

Oh I thought you just bought in Nov. I guess that would raise the chances...

 

[PRTK350]

Oh I thought you just bought in Nov. I guess that would raise the chances...

Yeah so this is what they told me: they received the car late in the year and had to put it in storage shortly afterwards. It was inside till March and then one of the dealer folks decided to take it to a neighboring village for a car show. That’s where it got 80 miles on the clock.
They brought it back and still nobody bought it till July and that was when I enquired about it.

Once I brought it to California, I thoroughly hosed down the underbody and cleaned the car. It looks to be in good condition but then, like I mentioned - just concerned IF they drove it in snow a few times and how much it would impact rust in the long term.
The dealer maintains it never saw snow or salt but then I guess I can never tell for sure.

 

[VERN]

Yeah so this is what they told me: they received the car late in the year and had to put it in storage shortly afterwards. It was inside till March and then one of the dealer folks decided to take it to a neighboring village for a car show. That’s where it got 80 miles on the clock.
They brought it back and still nobody bought it till July and that was when I enquired about it.

Once I brought it to California, I thoroughly hosed down the underbody and cleaned the car. It looks to be in good condition but then, like I mentioned - just concerned IF they drove it in snow a few times and how much it would impact rust in the long term.
The dealer maintains it never saw snow or salt but then I guess I can never tell for sure.

you"re good I would not worry about it. Enjoy your new ride

 

[matthewr87]

You are talking about a modern vehicle, not a Fiat from the 1980s. Even if it had been driven in the salty brine a few times, the long term consequences of that are negligible. I drove my previous two Mustangs all year round back in Canada, including the briniest of brine, and the only rust I saw was on the unpainted pumpkin (which is already rusty when installed at the factory btw) and some unpainted suspension components.

The car will fail mechanically before rust will cause a serious problem.

Enjoy the GT350 and don't worry about it.

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