Rust on used 2011 Sequoia ...OK or walk away!

Hello,

I'm looking at a 2011 Sequoia. We're in the northeast and that's where this truck has lived. It's got about 150k on it. Everything looks great but when I looked underneath, I see what looks to me like a lot of rust. However, I don't know much about what's OK and what's not. Hoping those more knowledgeable here can help out. Does this look like primarily surface rust and I can deal with it or is this something I should walk away from?

 

Thats too much rust for me, I'd pass. Imagine what you can't see!

 

That's pretty nasty. Looks like east coast salt truck.

Don't walk.

Run!

 

This looks fine to me (I'm in CT). Look closely at the cross members under the bed, and look under the bed cover. Take a screwdriver and try to poke holes in the frame.

I'd be comfortable buying it, but I'd immediately clean and Corroseal it, then commit to Fluid Film every winter (which you should do anyway).

 

From what I can tell in the pictures, it looks decent for an 11 year old vehicle that has lived in the northeast. Looks like mostly surface rust and no rust through holes that i can tell. Take a screwdriver and poke lightly at the most rusted areas. The areas around the cross members and shock perch tend to be the worst spots.

 

Find one in the SW and fly one way. Fluid film it immediately if you want to keep it.

 

Thanks all for replies so far. I really appreciate it.

I'm pretty clueless when it comes to this stuff. Seeing all the rust definitely made me nervous and yet I know in this area of the country, it's inevitable on any vehicle. Only the extremely meticulous owners will have rust-free bottoms. I suppose people who are not from the rust belt region would understandably not want any rust ...but it's just not realistic up here (and I'm not up for flying somewhere in the south and driving back).

It's simply my lack of confidence in knowing how to judge what's acceptable and what's not. I did have a leatherman and poked a few places in the frame and it all seemed solid, however, I am wondering more about all the other components. I'll definitely check around the cross members and shock perch. Thanks for that advice.

And thanks for the suggestion on Corroseal (or some other rust converter) and annual fluid seal. When I talked to the dealer about my concern with the rust, he said he thought it was just surface rust but agreed to apply oil to the bottom if I wanted, but maybe I should ask if he would do Corroseal (or Rust Kutter or VHT).

 

Once upon a time, I had a '08 in PA. It was my first Tundra.

I didn't take care of the undercarriage like I should have.

Also had a '03 Matrix.

Both had unbelievable rust leading to suspension and brake issues. Not the end of the world. But at some point it would have become a bigger problem.

Flying south and getting a rust free truck would be cheaper than the repairs caused by rust issues

 

Start keeping a hammer and a flathead screwdriver with you for this reason. Don’t be scared off by surface rust, but beat around on it with the driver and hammer and see if anything opens up. Now, the owner of the vehicle for sale might not like it, so ask first!

 

Yes! Definitely going to bring those with me moving forward ...and yes, ask first! Thanks.

I've weighed this idea, and for me, it just doesn't make sense. Cost and time are the issues for me. I get it that the long term point is finding a vehicle that is free from rust and will last longer and hopefully have fewer repairs, however, it needs to be significant enough to make up for the extra cost. Air fare certainly isn't cheap and it's not just the air fare, it's renting a vehicle or taking ubers to get around, gas for the ride back and then likely at least one to two nights in a hotel, especially if it's the west coast. I'm not in my 20's and the days of driving 30 hours straight are over for me! 3 days means at least one day off from work, even if I do it over a weekend, and my vacation days are precious ...and worth a day's pay. And this is all assuming I actually buy. Plenty of things could kill the deal (other than rust) and then you're paying for another plane ticket back ...empty handed and your wallet a little lighter. Also, I'm married with a house full of people and a FT job. Life is busy and me just picking up and leaving for a few days is not an easy thing to make happen. Hell, I struggle to find time to drive a couple hours away to check out a car much less a take off for a few days! Flying somewhere and checking out cars could at least take a full day. And yes, that's cars, plural. No way I'd go somewhere to only look at one. Hopefully I find a few to look at and they're all reasonably close together. Also, driving back is probably a 2-day thing. Again, especially if going to the west coast.