Depends on what brand car you own. Some survive for 10 years with no rust or no major holes. Others rot away in 3 to 5 years. We have had GM cars rust to the point of flaking paint after 3 years of buying them new. We had two Cavaliers that had paint peel in three years and then rust holes by the 5th year. A '95 Ford F150 had major rust holes in 10 years. I had a '97 Saturn SC-2 which had only suspension part rust which was not rusted to the point it was weak and traded it in on a SUV in 2009. The sheetmetal body parts were rust free on that car. My SUV is rust free on the sheetmetal with surface rust on the hitch and frame but not flaking rust. The plastic sides are fine as expected. There are tons of Toyota's running around here that are rust free. Seen an early 2000 RAV today that looked spotless but it could have come from another state. No rusted Prius even 1st Gens looking like new. It appears many Prius are put away for the winter as there are way less on the roads in the winter compared to summer up here. Might be the reason why there are so many 1st & 2nd Gen Prii on the roads that are rust free. Spraying oil on the underside and inside sheetmetal surfaces stops or slows down rust real well on our winter vehicles. An old trick is to dump half a quart of oil in each door and let it drip itself dry. That keeps doors from rotting out on the bottom seams. I do that with winter vehicles that already have compromised paint from the salt damage. Mike
Welcome to the Prius addiction. There are many aftermarket and factory parts available for the Prius. Once you get the bug you can't stop. Mike
Thank you, Mike. Just trying to find the right price for a 2012 so hopefully soon! Can't wait to start saving money on gas ahaha
Give Dianna Whitmire at Carson Toyota a call and see what she can do for you. Here's her Facebook link if that helps: Dianne Lister Whitmire | Facebook Mike
What oil do you use to spray the understand of prius? Since Prius is my primary car, I want to make sure it doesn't have any rust problems... my first year of Prius was sitting in the garage 90% of times, my second year of Prius is my primary work horse, need to make sure I protect her as much as possible.