I'm looking into buying an older Mercedes--well, if 20yrs+ is considered "older"--but I keep hearing about rust being a problem. I'm pretty new to older cars, so I was wondering which parts of a car is rust going to be a problem for (structurally, I mean)? Are there areas you can get away with having some rust? Also, if I do manage to find a relatively rust-free car, are there ways I can help prevent rust from starting? I live on a peninsula, so I would imagine that could make it a bigger problem. Thanks a bunch!

Check out my latest thread on this: The consequences of interior water leaks
There are similar threads you can see if you use the search function.

Generally, you want to check mainly for wetness under the floor mats and inspect the underbody for undercoating that may be cracking or peeling off in some places and if it's your car you'll want to take care of these issues ASAP to prevent further corrosion. Also check behind the battery and the hood spring pockets. Rust can be repaired effectively if it isn't too widespread. POR15 is an excellent product for that purpose. I would just stay away from the rust buckets that have rust visibly creeping up through the body and door panels.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

I just keep my undercoating in good shape with regular inspections ever few months and frequent washings in all the corners.

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Adam Lumsden
(83) 300D
Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section