So according to the kids, cars rust a lot less than they used to. We remember back in the early '80s, our dad used to go teach at a high school in the 'hood in his rusty-ass '69 Catalina. At that point, the car was maybe 12-13 years old. The kids would say, "Here comes Mister Johnson in his rustproof car!" And this was a vehicle that'd spent its entire life in the dry, unsalted climes of Sacramento. Our poor, departed 1990 Legend lived roughly the same amount of time, in the same climate, and was rust-free when we traded it in. The trans was gone, the interior trim was slowly unbonding itself and we were getting shocked through the steering wheel. But it didn't rust! Progress!
Cars last longer with rust on the run [Detroit Free Press]
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