When is it just too much rust?

[Guest Anonymous]

I have been looking at an 02 with rusty floor and some panels. Nothing structural. When is the rust just too much to deal with? I would love to hear some opinions.

[jrc]

It comes down to cost. If you are paying a body shop to do the repair, the price can add up very quickly in time and replacement panels. The quality of the repair is also an issue. I've seen some pretty poor work.

If you are happy with some patch panels and bondo, the price is much less. Look carefully at the frame rails and the area where the rear subframe attaches to the body. Rear shock towers too.

[Gordon]

How deep are your pockets and how good are you with a welder? I come from the school of find the best body you can. Mechanical work is child's play compared to rust and body work. I suggest you go through the project blogs page to read up on 02 owners who have been there, done that when it comes to rust removal. Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about, there are plenty more similar stories in the project blog page.

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,50/page,viewtopic/t,346164/

The 02 you are looking at sounds like a project car, take a welding class at your local vo-tech school and dive in. If you want a car that has minimal rust, be prepared to pay a lot more. You can use the rust as a bargaining chip to help lower the cost due to all the work involved in restoring the car.

Good luck and let us know if you buy the car and start your blog page.

G-Man

[cabrio02charlie]

don't buy rust!!! you're better off paying the price for a rust free car.most if not all 02s will have rust, that's kinda the way they built them back in the day. i've been doing 02 for over 20 years, and i can tell it's cheaper to pay the the price for a good car than buying a deal on a car with "JUST" a little rust. a little rust means....more rust and more $$$$$$$$$$$.

good luck

[Guest Anonymous]

don't buy rust!!! you're better off paying the price for a rust free car.most if not all 02s will have rust, that's kinda the way they built them back in the day. i've been doing 02 for over 20 years, and i can tell it's cheaper to pay the the price for a good car than buying a deal on a car with "JUST" a little rust. a little rust means....more rust and more $$$$$$$$$$$.

good luck

your better off buying a clean carwith no rust and paying more in the long runs its worth it .

[grillface]

There is no thing as too much rust if you have aspirations of re-working the vehicles. To me I like taking on different challenges in restoration. The way the vehicle runs is much more important. Take for instance my latest project with handicapped vans. I found a van that runs well, the rest is history.