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I'm Not Seeing Anything Scary & I'm From Central California. Ford Did Not Put Much in the Way of Protection on The Rear Axle From Surface Rust. We Complained About That From Day One. Look At Leading Edge of Hood Underneath If it Looks Good And Original You Are Probaby Good! They Were a Notorious Spot. It's Always the Rust You Find After The Fact. I Will Let The Rust Belt Folks Chime in as a Far Better Barometer of What is Normal. You Did Not Say Where You Were and Has Car Been There it's Whole Life. Makes a Difference.

It's A Vert Is It Not??

See This Topic For a Recent Experience With Rust Repair!

https://themustangsource.com/forums/...ournal-550625/

 

doesn't look too bad to me, especially considering the car is 18 years old

 

What they said... looks to be in pretty good shape

 

Yikes! You guys are too forgiving. That car has NOT been loved. When I can't buy new, I try to buy from previous owners that are much like myself, those that love their cars. Trust me, my '07 that I traded in back in 2022 did not have even 1/10th that amount of rust. Even the inside of the wheels are brutal. No thanks....

 

I would Much Rather See This & Know What Was There Vs One That Had Been Rattle Canned With No Actual De Rusting and Everything Hidden. It's Honest and While Not Up To Dave Standards I Believe a Couple of Weekends on The Jackstands & The Right Products Could Be Nice! Of Course I Would Like To See The Rest of The Car! That Being Also Somebody Up To The Task! This Old Guy Talking Would Take Far Longer These Days!

KC

 

Despite the current owner's neglect for not taking better care of his vehicle's undercarriage, I don't really see anything other than just surface rust which can be addressed... I would however bring this up with the current owner when negotiating on his/hers selling price...

 

I'm in agreement with the age of the car it all seems normal.

 

Actually All the Stickers & Markings Look Great. Just FORDS Lack of Coating on Rear Axle Assembly. Certainly Have Seen Some Cars That Look Like Swiss Cheese!

KC

 

Never figured out why they didn't paint the rear end on the v6 and gt other than saving a few dollars. Both my 08s axles were rusted new. The 11 GT 500 was painted black.

 

Assuming the vehicle has not been garage kept, but rather is kept outdoors would seem to indicate the surface rust within the rear axle assembly and sway bar section locations... Also, assuming the vehicle is located somewhere in the northeast or Midwest regions may also be contributing factors as well, especially if the vehicle is exposed to cold weather and possible road salt conditions... But once again, from the images posted, I see just surface rust which can be cleaned up, preventing any further rust from potentially causing more serious deterioration down the road...

In the meantime, I would also be concerned with how often the current and previous owners kept up with the maintenance schedules, such as regular oil changes, checking the coolant systems, brake systems and so on, and also what the mileage is as well... These are all areas which should be taken into consideration when looking to purchase a used vehicle and especially when it comes to a used vehicle which is 18+years old... Anyway, just my personal opinion.