Buying a Used Car in Arizona; what to watch for??

Andyman

Scroungus Stereophilus
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My daughter is on her way to Phoenix to relocate, so I am considering flying there buying my next car in Arizona when the time comes. I'll drive it back here then and be years ahead on road salt rust. Here in Michigan the road salt has wreaked havoc on my cars and all of them have been retired early due in no small part to rampant rust issues.

Decades ago, I flew into Phoenix from Wisconsin and my buddy picked me up in his van. I noticed it had a small crumple in it from a bump of some sort and made a comment about getting it painted. My buddy chuckled a bit and replied "Why? It's not going to rust". That really hit home.

He did mention that the heat and ozone wreaked havoc on rubber parts; bushings, hoses, tires, belts etc. Are there any other environmental impact issues one needs to be savvy about. I'd probably be sourcing something in the $10,000 range give or take a bit and with 80,000 to 120,000 miles on it. I have a few models on my short list, but am not seeking and car recommendations, just things like the damn rust we have to deal with here in the Rust Belt.

Thanks in advance!!
 
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Colorado here, but similar dryness. Bushings are the biggie for me. They last years, but their expectant life span is cut short by 1/4. Another big one has to do with the color of the vehicle, more like how often you wax/wash. Dark colors will oxidize in the dry, sun beat weather unless maintained properly.
 
I was told that vehicles sent to southern regions are not undercoated most of the time. Best to take it in once you get it home and have a good undercoating applied preferably in the warmer months so it has a good time to cure before the salt hits it.
 
Check the AC for sure. Tires and batteries wear out fast. Alternators tend to die. She'll want window tinting (which could be added). Look for dents as sometimes we get nasty hail storms. Windshields get tagged by flying rocks/pebbles which cause little pinholes that'll eventually crack the whole glass. When we get heavy rains people will try to drive through flooded roads and end up sunk, so funny enough look for water damage. Mostly replaceable stuff, but having good AC is major, of course.
 
I'll be taking the car back to Michigan, and not keeping it in AZ, well and not least until I retire in 5- 8 years, and then who knows.The stone damage is quite prevalent here as Michigan holds the title for building the shittiest roads possible; I've had 4 windshields cracked here and none in WI, IL, or PA.
 
Check the history on it and make sure it wasn't originally from the rust belt. Used cars get shipped all over the country.
 
A/C, cooling system, battery - this is the proving ground. Rubber / plastics / clear coat just get hammered here in the sun. Tires dry rot often well before they’re worn out as well. Wiper blases are a hoot - you put a new pair on and they’re dry-rotted before you ever need them. Last would be rodent damage - very common in stored vehicles.
 
A friend of mine had a Tbird that came from a dry part of Texas. The interior looked like a dried out alligator. The leather was wasted, the headliner turned to powder, and the dash had huge cracks in it. No rust, but cosmetically it was shot at less than 15 years old. It was cheap and reliable, he didn't care what it looked like.
 
He did mention that the heat and ozone wreaked havoc on rubber parts; bushings, hoses, tires, belts etc.
Also the plastic and rubber trim. The heat and especially the sun can also cause paint issues (like clearcoat failure). I've seen southern cars where the clearcoat is peeling.

The stone damage is quite prevalent here as Michigan holds the title for building the shittiest roads possible; I've had 4 windshields cracked here and none in WI, IL, or PA.
You should see the windshield on my '97. It's had several hits and I've never replaced it. Several cracks now. Any time I thought about getting it replaced, I'd get smacked with another rock. Hell, in the past month, I have four new stone chips that weren't there the last time I waxed it. Really getting tired of this state!!

Wiper blases are a hoot - you put a new pair on and they’re dry-rotted before you ever need them.
Give silicone blades a try! I've been using them for about six or seven years now and won't go back to rubber. PIAA sells them through Amazon and elsewhere. They last longer, and they don't take a set after sitting on the windshield (no chattering IOW).
 
Can't forget the scorpions either - they're very territorial!

Whatever car you get, if the battery isn't new just replace it. Heat warps the plates and the battery will short out in a blink of an eye. The battery can be as strong as new and then the next time you try to start the car - there's nothing. If you can get three years out of a battery, you're on borrowed time.

Also if you can avoid it - no leather (especially black)! Sitting in the sun the car interior will hit 170-180 degrees in the summer time, couple that with dark leather and yikes!
 
Also when you drive back east, DO NOT speed through Flagstaff - not even 2-3 mph. I-40 is a major drug corridor from California and DPS looks for any reason to pull over cars with plates from back east. I'm talking 15-20 miles either side of Flag
 
Also when you drive back east, DO NOT speed through Flagstaff - not even 2-3 mph. I-40 is a major drug corridor from California and DPS looks for any reason to pull over cars with plates from back east. I'm talking 15-20 miles either side of Flag
Now you tell me!! :D

No issues though! I kept up with traffic and didn't stick out.
 
there is a guy that shows up at carlisle we call 'arizona steve' (because his name is steve and he gets stuff from AZ) he crawls the desert in places most white men wont go to pull cars/trucks out of the sand....ALL exposed metals will be badly faded or stripped of paint. But since they could have possibly never have seen rain, there is no rust. Interior parts - forget it...plastics are cracked and seats are cracked and faded white. so that being said, any vehicle out there running is on its way to becoming that. most SW cars sold are light colors with light interiors. Id look for garage kept with sunshades evident for mall parking lots. If you have to go used due to budget, perhaps get one from outside the sunbelt, that is from outsidet he snowbelt and just drive it out. personally, I like used stuff from the pacific NW. they might see snow and rain, but never salt, which is the real problem.

buy nothing from north of the mason dixon...
 
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