Purchasing from out of state?

[Hazrial]

So I have been looking for a Camaro for years and think im finally ready to pull the trigger, though it seems there are none with the color, options, miles im looking for near me or in my state for that matter.

That being said it looks like Miami FL. has amazing deals and options when it comes to used cars and Camaro's in general. So i guess what im asking is, Has anyone bought from out of state and do you have any tips or insight into buying a car from a Ocean front state. im worried about rust and salt being an issue.


Thanks in advance.

[Aqua Blue RS/SS]

Can’t speak for the ocean part of things but I bought mine from an out of state dealer. I just went to my credit union and got a pre approval letter and then drove to the used car dealer that had it and made the deal. Then i drove the Camaro home while my wife followed me in her Jeep. I went to salt lake city for mine which is about an 8 hour drive. I don’t care to play dealer financing games, that’s why I went with my own trusted bank financing.

[InFiD3ViL]

You aren't really going to find many rust issues in Florida cars, even when close to the ocean. I am not oceanfront, but I am around 15 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and have never had any rust issues down here. What you do want to look out for though is flood cars, but you are likely not buying from an auction. But overall, Florida is known as one of the states people love buying cars from. Pretty much any of the south east US states that do not get snow/ice in winter.

Another good thing about Florida cars is that they are likely to have working ice cold AC. Sales tax is usually pretty cheap here also with counties setting their own individual rates.

[RJT Impala]

InFiD3ViL---You must not be familiar with the Cocoa Beach-Satellite Beach--Indian Harbor Beach area of coastal Florida. That area is extremely prone to rusting; so much so that we used to say it would "rust" plastic. The culprit is the shallow waters of the Indian River in that region and the aquatic plants that grow, get up rooted and decay in the water of the river; they decay anaerobically, producing hydrogen sulfide gas--which, as it percolates up out of the water, becomes sulfuric acid; it then combines with atmospheric moisture which condenses on surfaces at night as dew. I've seen brand new cars rust through in less than a year in those communities. Melbourne--across the river and inland, doesn't have those same conditions and doesn't have the "rust" problems. (PS--The above explanation was given to me by a marine biologist/chemist who taught in the local college.)

[InFiD3ViL]

Originally Posted by RJT Impala

InFiD3ViL---You must not be familiar with the Cocoa Beach-Satellite Beach--Indian Harbor Beach area of coastal Florida. That area is extremely prone to rusting; so much so that we used to say it would "rust" plastic. The culprit is the shallow waters of the Indian River in that region and the aquatic plants that grow, get up rooted and decay in the water of the river; they decay anaerobically, producing hydrogen sulfide gas--which, as it percolates up out of the water, becomes sulfuric acid; it then combines with atmospheric moisture which condenses on surfaces at night as dew. I've seen brand new cars rust through in less than a year in those communities. Melbourne--across the river and inland, doesn't have those same conditions and doesn't have the "rust" problems. (PS--The above explanation was given to me by a marine biologist/chemist who taught in the local college.)

Really? No, I am not familiar with that condition, but I am familiar with the area. That is crazy it affecting just a small (relatively) regional area. That is almost directly across the state from me. I am about 50 miles north of Tampa.

Man, it must suck to have to deal with that. Makes you wonder how long it took for them to figure out the source.

[Aqua Blue RS/SS]

H2S is nasty stuff. I deal with it daily as I work in oil and gas. It’ll kill you very quickly in pretty low concentrations. As mentioned above it’s also quite corrosive.

[myold88]

I've been on camaro5 for almost 12 years now and owned my early '10 SS since new. My
car has seen New England Winters and 2+ years here in Florida. My car has absolutely
no rust and I've yet to hear about any unibody rust on a 5th Gen Camaro. It's not the
50's. These cars don't rust like the old days.

[RJT Impala]

Originally Posted by myold88

I've been on camaro5 for almost 12 years now and owned my early '10 SS since new. My
car has seen New England Winters and 2+ years here in Florida. My car has absolutely
no rust and I've yet to hear about any unibody rust on a 5th Gen Camaro. It's not the
50's. These cars don't rust like the old days.

Good point. I should have noted that my experience is 30+ years old--back to the mid-80s. Cars are now built using different processes to treat the metal and prevent/slow the rusting. I haven't lived in that region of Florida since mid-90s.

[Greenhornet2]

Originally Posted by myold88

I've been on camaro5 for almost 12 years now and owned my early '10 SS since new. My
car has seen New England Winters and 2+ years here in Florida. My car has absolutely
no rust and I've yet to hear about any unibody rust on a 5th Gen Camaro. It's not the
50's. These cars don't rust like the old days.

Tell that to my dads 2006 Silverado which has had every crossmember replaced all fuel, trans, p/s, brake lines replaced. bumper rotted through pickup box rotted through. This is in CT magnesium chloride eats metal and there is not a lot you can do about it unless you do aftermarket coatings. Brand new I think have more protections, but not until very recently

[drew peacock]

https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460947

[InFiD3ViL]

Originally Posted by drew peacock

https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460947

Wow, I never saw that thread. Good find. I wonder what he did to repair it.

[ZEN357]

Definitely thoroughly inspect the car for rest, like on your hands and knees! also remember that the state taxes may differ from yours so you can either get the difference refunded if your state is less or pay on top of Florida's if your state's is higher! I've seen a couple of good deals on H-Greg which is a Florida dealer, is that where you were looking? try considering garagerecon.com too, i'm a strong advocate cause that's how i found my own car

[Wizard1183]

Bought mine in New York off Ebay. It didn’t sell so I offered the Chevy dealer my own price. He accepted since it was a PITA to relist. He overnighted paperwork. I signed and sent back. Cpl days later I owned the car.

[pauly1119]

whats the exact location of the car? reach out to local members and see if they will look at it for you. I travel to Ft Lauderdale a few times a week, if its close I can look at it. If not I'm sure there are members in Miami. I have lived in Florida for over 40 years and never had a rust issue on a single car.