Having lived on the Oregon coast growing up, we jokingly referred to it as the 'coastal cancer' on the cars. Most of the local rigs had some sort of sheet metal decay due to living that close to the salt water.
That being said, routine washings did a lot to help control it, and living away from the actual coastline helped more.
Now that I'm in the Seattle Tacoma metro area, I just stay away from the waterfront for the most part. Less aggravation with salt water and idiotic drivers cruising, problem solved!
