First Salt Bath!

[JustPassinThru]

Should I make the trip in the Yaris?

I have a 2012. It has only seen salt once, one 200-mile leg coming up from Florida just before New Year's. I washed it - weather was unseasonably warm the day I arrived; and parked it.

Other than that, it's never seen a salt rinse. Not last winter and not this winter. I have a beater, a 1996 Tercel, for snow duty.

Now...I've just been called in for a VERY desirable job interview. It's 1200 miles away; it's ten days from now and I'm out of work. So time is not a factor.

I can fly...expensive and I hate it. I can TRY to take the Tercel - it's got issues, as all old beaters do, but it's basically sound, I think.

Or I can take the Yaris, in comfort, with a working radio (the Tercel's is busted).

Thingofit is...the Yaris is, I'd decided, my last car. Times have changed and I won't be able to afford another new, nice car. I bought this one for a good price with cash...and THAT, as they say, is THAT.

I don't know I'll get the job, so however I travel it's speculation. And while it's good-paying there's no guarantee that ANY of us can afford luxuries in the future.

So...I'm wondering: HOW much harm does a relatively short immersion to road salt spray - and also that pea-stone sand they use out West - do to a car? Is it cumulative? Or is it that once it's exposed, the corrosion starts ramping up?

Sort of like...being a virgin. This Yaris had heavy salt-foreplay but basically it's virgin. After 2400-plus miles in slop, that won't be true.

Thoughts? I can leave early with the beater. It might even be possible to rent a car reasonably cheap.

[sex]

While we love to keep our cars perfect, they're still a consumable item. Which is worth more? The opportunity for the job or prolonging the useful life of one of your cars? If you take the yaris, would you blue tape the entire front end to protect it or drive bare and hope for the best?

[roxy1]

my last two Toyotas went through over 15 Michigan winters each, with salt a regular part of life in the winters. I washed them as regularly as possible in the winter. both had very minimal rust at over 15 years and over 200,000 miles. you are way over thinking this. take the car. wash it after the trip. its no big deal. heck, id be more worried about using the tercel as a DD, as the yaris is infinitely more safe in the case of an accident, emergency maneuvers, etc...

[JustPassinThru]

While we love to keep our cars perfect, they're still a consumable item. Which is worth more? The opportunity for the job or prolonging the useful life of one of your cars? If you take the yaris, would you blue tape the entire front end to protect it or drive bare and hope for the best?

Consumable, yes.

But this generation of Toyotas are well-nigh mechanically indestructible.

The Tercel has 241,000 hard miles on it - it started life as a rental car. I bought it needing a new engine with 239,000 miles on it. The replacement engine has 140,000 miles on it - and has been starting reliably in our lovely 20-below winter.

Oh, and it spent most of its life in the Carolinas - after the car-rental company finished, a student bought it. He got a job in the North a few years ago. So the Tercel only has about five salt winters on it.

I expect the Yaris will last as long, mileage-wise. Rust, corrosion, is another matter - I've lost a lot of good cars to corrosion that was just too expensive to patch.

No car lasts forever. But when the Yaris is as old as the Tercel is, I'll be long retired - and there won't be money for a new car. WILL. NOT.

I spent $15,000 of my savings keeping alive without work this year, and it's not over yet. That could have been my final Retirement Car, but it wasn't.

So, I've got to use a strategy in terms of having transportation in the future.

[sex]

Amtrak/greyhound?

[JustPassinThru]

Amtrak/greyhound?

Amtrash, no.

If you want an adventure, travel Amtrash.

If you actually want to GET somewhere...you're better off walking the tracks.

Greyhound is more reliable but the kinds of people on those things...gives me pause.

I'll see what I can cadge for a rental car. That actually makes as much sense as kicking the Yaris out of hibernation - it needs oil changed and other work done and I have to put the insurance back on it.

[WeeYari]

I'm 8 years running in a high salt environment. To date, I do not have any apparent salt damage to my '06 Yaris. You are unreasonable paranoid about the occasional taste of salt.

[IllusionX]

i say drive it... spend the days there and wash it as soon as you come back. Salt & heat don't go well together.

that's about it, it won't rust/harm your car.

[roxy1]

I will still be using my yaris 20 years from now, and it will get driven every single day in the Michigan winters. it is not a concern.

[dj92]

If taxes are not high where you live (sadly, it's about 780$ here per year), I'd look for a W201 Diesel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W201
It doesn't consume much fuel and fixing it is a charm.

[DebbyM46227]

Wow, you sound so depressing! Take the Yaris. If you encounter any salt, wash it, especially the underbody. One or two encounters with road salt isn't going to rust it out.

[JustPassinThru]

Well, it's solved.

With some discount codes, I got a rental-car deal. One week, $200; unlimited mileage.

That's almost cheaper than driving my own.

[Viperoni]

Well, it's solved.

With some discount codes, I got a rental-car deal. One week, $200; unlimited mileage.

That's almost cheaper than driving my own.

So you paid $200 to rent a car instead of driving a car you already own and paid for, that performs the same function? And that $200 is almost cheaper than driving your own?



A simple car wash with under-body spray will clean off anything that may worry you.

[JustPassinThru]

So you paid $200 to rent a car instead of driving a car you already own and paid for, that performs the same function? And that $200 is almost cheaper than driving your own?




Yup.

It also needs to have the insurance returned on it; and it needs about $100 worth of servicing done.

And those miles add up.

And I'm not PAYING for it - it's paid for. A car costs between ten and twenty cents a mile just in wear and depreciation. Do the math! A $22,000 car you run for 200,000 miles and then sell for $2000 as a beater or trade in.

I'm figuring this trip will run me 2000 miles; more if I have a lot of chasing around to do at the other end. Which I will if they offer me the job and I have to arrange housing.

So a $200 cost...is just paying for the wear.

[roxy1]

I can see taking a rental instead of 2000 miles on your car. however, for someone so worried about a little salt during winter driving, im surprised driving such a relatively unsafe car all winter isn't more of a concern. it wont matter how much or little rust your yaris has in 15 years if someone T bones your tercel next week and puts you 6 feet under. just sayin.

[JustPassinThru]

I can see taking a rental instead of 2000 miles on your car. however, for someone so worried about a little salt during winter driving, im surprised driving such a relatively unsafe car all winter isn't more of a concern. it wont matter how much or little rust your yaris has in 15 years if someone T bones your tercel next week and puts you 6 feet under. just sayin.

It all makes more sense.

Flying would be maybe the same price, roughly but I'd probably spend $100 or so at the minimum, for cab-service. Or a rental there; and rental at the airport on short notice wouldn't be cheap. This is in a tourist mecca.

And I do not like to fly.

I did look into Amtrash. Fares would be $320 and I would need to find a way to get 100 miles from the train station to where I need to be. Another car rental.

No...this is the way to do it. If it were JUST about the road salt I'd probably have said the hell with it at this point, but getting the thing in for servicing (I don't have a place to do my own work) and putting insurance back on it ($$$) adds to the cost of that program

[JustPassinThru]

Yeah, I get that. Outer sheet-metal rust-through is rare these days.

I had a Geo Metro...outer body, beautiful. No holes; but the front subframe rotted apart and collapsed. The car was a total loss.

Elsewhere here, there's notice that some parts of the Yaris front suspension seem susceptible to corrosion and failure. I'd like to avoid that; as I'd like to avoid the other, lesser inconveniences of working on a car where fasteners are all rusted, stuck, and with the hex-heads nearly gone.

[nookandcrannycar]

If you actually want to GET somewhere...you're better off walking the tracks.

:bellyroll::bellyroll:

Greyhound is more reliable but the kinds of people on those things...gives me pause.

LOL. Over the 2008/2009 Christmas/New Year period I didn't want to drive my Yaris from the SF Bay Area to Lake Tahoe (big snow storm in the forecast). I decided to drive to Sacramento, park my Yaris at the airport, take a cab to the bus station in downtown Sacramento, and then take the bus to Truckee (where a family member would pick me up in an SUV and drive me to the lake). I executed my plan. People were fighting on the bus before we even pulled out of the bus station in Sacramento :eek: (they got kicked off before we left the station). I don't think I would do that again.

[Brett!]

Yeah, I get that. Outer sheet-metal rust-through is rare these days.

I had a Geo Metro...outer body, beautiful. No holes; but the front subframe rotted apart and collapsed. The car was a total loss.



There is your problem. Geo's were known for having shabby subframes. If that thing wasn't undercoated twice like Toyota Tacoma's they'd rot to hell. I love the Geo brand, owned a metro and a tracker and regret selling both... but the metro was not on par with a Toyota. :evil:

[yougojay]

Well, it's solved.

With some discount codes, I got a rental-car deal. One week, $200; unlimited mileage.

That's almost cheaper than driving my own.

Wow, You did the right thing, and for around $200.00? Perfect!
That is CHEAP, and you don't have to worry about your Yaris. It will be at home safe & sound.
I completely hear what you are saying. I had 3 cars during my 20's -
One was a 1972 Chevelle Convt. that was mint - it was NEVER driven in the Winter (suburban Chicago) I had that one from 1981 - 1994. Had other Summer cars during that period (Z-24, Fiero Formula, Z-28's) They were NEVER driven in the Winter. Always bought a Winter beater at the end of October, and drove that all Winter & sold it in April the following year.
To each their own, but I could just never bring myself to driving a nice, newly purchased vehicle in all that snow & salt & freezing action crap, it rips the heck out of cars in the salt belt.
Sure, you may never have ran into any salt, or just a little, or whatever. now, it's completely off your mind.
I'll bet you are relieved, you don't have to worry about YOUR car & again, for 200 bucks??? S**T, that's a no-brainer. :headbang:

[nookandcrannycar]

Always bought a Winter beater at the end of October, and drove that all Winter & sold it in April the following year.

:thumbsup: Excellent strategy! (I guess it's like many things -- 'you get used to it' -- but I can't imagine driving day in & day out, year in & year out, through the harsh winters that many members experience.....hats off to all!)

[dj92]

Mine has seen a bit of salt during the unusually mild winter here, but I've cleaned the floor thoroughly with water every time, so it won't have hurt it too much.
I'm wondering if I can keep this up next winter :D

[JustPassinThru]

Wow, You did the right thing, and for around $200.00? Perfect!
That is CHEAP, and you don't have to worry about your Yaris. It will be at home safe & sound.
I completely hear what you are saying. I had 3 cars during my 20's -
One was a 1972 Chevelle Convt. that was mint - it was NEVER driven in the Winter (suburban Chicago) I had that one from 1981 - 1994. Had other Summer cars during that period (Z-24, Fiero Formula, Z-28's) They were NEVER driven in the Winter. Always bought a Winter beater at the end of October, and drove that all Winter & sold it in April the following year.
To each their own, but I could just never bring myself to driving a nice, newly purchased vehicle in all that snow & salt & freezing action crap, it rips the heck out of cars in the salt belt.
Sure, you may never have ran into any salt, or just a little, or whatever. now, it's completely off your mind.
I'll bet you are relieved, you don't have to worry about YOUR car & again, for 200 bucks??? S**T, that's a no-brainer. :headbang:

Yeah. And I ran into slop the whole 1200-mile way...there and back. I got a brand-new Corolla - and the backup-camera was covered with salt. I had to have the rental-girl at the outlet where I went, show me where the lens was, to clean it.

NOW I got problems. I got HIRED.

Gotta drive right back. WITH my Yaris.

And gotta sell my winter-beater Tercel.

[JustPassinThru]

:thumbsup: Excellent strategy! (I guess it's like many things -- 'you get used to it' -- but I can't imagine driving day in & day out, year in & year out, through the harsh winters that many members experience.....hats off to all!)

The Winter Car is a Northern phenomenom.

If you want to save money and your good car, you buy a Winter Car.

Did a blog essay on this, ten years ago - The Winter Car (http://capitolhillcoffeehouse.com/archives/chch_news_213.htm).

[Viperoni]

Yup.

It also needs to have the insurance returned on it; and it needs about $100 worth of servicing done.

And those miles add up.

And I'm not PAYING for it - it's paid for. A car costs between ten and twenty cents a mile just in wear and depreciation. Do the math! A $22,000 car you run for 200,000 miles and then sell for $2000 as a beater or trade in.

I'm figuring this trip will run me 2000 miles; more if I have a lot of chasing around to do at the other end. Which I will if they offer me the job and I have to arrange housing.

So a $200 cost...is just paying for the wear.

Let's work with the 2000 mile number for the trip, it is nice and round.
In terms of maintenance, let's assume that we've used 1/3 of an oil change ($45/3 = $15) and 1/20 of a tranny fluid change ($120/20 =$6), and 1/20 of a set of tires ($380/20 = $19). That's $40.

So we've got $160 to count towards depreciation on the car, which works out to $160/2000 = $0.08/mile.

Using your $22k car that will last 200k miles figure, costing you $0.10/mile, I agree that renting is a better idea, especially when the car is newer, as the mileage would affect the value more than if the car had more miles (IE: over 100k).

However, we know that new cars are poor value propositions, and I'd counter with a used 2009 Yaris with ~50k that costs $9k, would cost $0.06 in depreciation to get to 200k.

So in your case, not even accounting for the fact that it was paid for, you obviously made the right choice. For a used car owner, it'd cost them $20 ontop of depreciation to rent... basically paying $20 to not age the car as quickly (and perhaps not pepper the windshield with chips as much).

Example of 2009 Yaris prices in a more expensive market, for posterity: http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/?sort=rel&areaID=3&subAreaID=&query=2009+toyota+yaris&catAbb=sss