rust problems in Ontario e34's?

[drummerboy]

Hello everyone. I live on the west coast in Vancouver and I have an opportunity to buy a 94 540i which came from Ontario. Some friends from Toronto told me not to buy it because of all the salt they use on the roads there. I don't see any rust on this car, but they think it will die any early death. I'd like to know what you guys think.

[Jay 535i]

It depends on what kind of owner it's had and where it's been parked.

Yes, Ontario winters are hard on any car, and you'll be hard pressed to find any 15 year old car in Ontario with zero rust on it.

That said, the E34 seems relatively rust resistant, and frequent washes help a lot. My car has very little rust on it, and I think the previous owners didn't do very much to make it that way.

If you feel good about the previous owner, the records, and the photos, I don't see any reason not to go ahead with it.

The car you're looking at has probably spent most of its life in a dry, warmish garage. I'm not a metalurgist, but I wonder if that's really any harder on a car than being parked outdoors in Vancouver, where there's no salt on the road but there is salt in the air.

[ra_pro]

Haven't seen any major rust problems on e34 in Toronto. Most don't have any visible rust though they would probably have some rust inside on the edges and creases, crevices, such as the bottom of the door. Nothing to worry about.

[Jay 535i]

Haven't seen any major rust problems on e34 in Toronto. Most don't have any visible rust though they would probably have some rust inside on the edges and creases, crevices, such as the bottom of the door. Nothing to worry about.

Oh, that's true. My mechanic just filled and painted some underbody rust for me for $200 so it'd pass safety, for insurance purposes. The car has no visible rust on it from 10ft away. Close inspection reveals the occasional bubble.