Comments from Rochester NY where we have too much snow and still use a lot
of salt:
When I was a kid in the 50's right up through the mid-70's on cars of my
own, salt ate 'em up pretty well after 2 years. In the eighties, after the
bum-steel scam was over and then the start of galvanizing, things have
gotten much better.
Now after 10 years since a new Peugeot has come into our salty domain,
here's what I observe:
- 505's will rust topside, the later years are better
- 505 rear suspension arms will rust out
- front strut housings w/o the drain hole can go with disasterous results
- the floorpan of a 505 is really tough rust-wise
- 405's are a lot better top side unless you have something that gets
through to the steel, then their thinner metal goes quick.
- now the BAD NEWS, the floorpan has a few potentially real bad spots. In
particular there's the box sections just behind the engine area, they
sometimes get used for jackpoints, that can just disappear over time. I
got some replacement panels from Europe for one car. The fuel lines can
rust and that's a pain too.
Bottom Line... if a "salt-belt" car, look underneath carefully.