Sometimes You Just Need to Know When to Stop

The '95 Dakota I just bought has some rust that I knew about,
but after getting it home I found that the right rear fender lip has rust
also.
I drove down to a place a little South of Winston Salem,NC,to buy
a rust-free bed,fenders & doors.While talking to the seller,he pointed out
a rust hole in the front of the frame (not in a critical place).
I then changed my mind,as the parts & paint repair would be about
$2500.I think I'll just keep looking for a nice one,& just keep driving this
one in the meantime.
And wouldn't you know it,I just sold the nice 2WD Dakota that I had
TWO days ago.

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so let's get this straight - you sold a better one and bought a worse one. No wonder you love this hobby so much, you are genetically suited to it! :grin:

I've been looking for a 4WD Dakota since I moved here.
If the white one hadn't sold (quickly),I would've sold the red one.
The red one is a one owner truck,with low mileage.It drives
really well,& looks good from 10 feet away.Guess I should've slowed
down when I looked at it.It was about 4 hours from here.
Just when I start to think that I'm getting smarter in my old age.....

It could have bee worse. Saw this in a hotel parking lot in NY. I have some more photos somewhere. They may have rusted away.

David

Doug, just wondering out loud but ... did you see and drive the problem truck before you bought it?

Tom M.

Yes I did.The fenders have flares on them,covering up any rust.
Having lived in Northern California,I'm still not used to vehicles driven were
they salt the roads.
It does drive well.

Ha. Back in 1970, brother decided to drive his '66 Mustang from western PA, out to Portland to visit relatives. While there he saw he needed tires. When on the lift, the kid doing the tire change looked at the underside of the Mustang and on seeing the extensive salt damage, he exclaimed: "Wow! What happened to you car?!?"

Salt air at seaside will do the same. Saw a blue Camaro in Cocoa Beach back in the '70's, it was not two years old. Hood looked like red lace, having rusted from the underside out to the finish. Nasty.

I had a dakota then a 1500. They both almost vanished from rust. I happens really FAST up here. One day a bubble on the fender, The next day the whole bumper falls off.