I just bought a low-mileage 2012 F350 Super-Duty from Carmax, and tonight I noticed rust underneath the vehicle. Here are some pictures. Is this a problem? I have three days to return the car if it is.

Please advise. I know next to nothing about trucks (or cars for that matter)

 

Every ford truck out there has surface rust on the suspension and drive shaft.
For some reason Ford does not paint these. They are thick enough that it takes a long time and a lot of salt to cause serious corrosion, it just looks bad.
Your pictures are not that good, but what I see looks normal.
Worry about sheet metal under the bed and any where that spray from the wheels gets to.

LA

 

That looks pretty normal to me, from what I can see. I applied fluid film to mine to hold off the rust on those components, and so far so good. I'm in central NY, snow and salt country, the 2015's on the lot look like that!

 

I don't think it's a problem - but it's kind of hard to tell from a couple photos. You bring up a good point though. Flooded vehicles are often sold as salvage but end up back "in the system". Peel back carpet and look for sand and musty, moldy odors.

It's a good idea to run a Carfax before purchasing a used car or truck. It's about $40 or $50. The title will have the prior owner's name and address - a quick phone call and see what the deal is if possible. Lastly always have a shop perform an inspection prior to purchase, make the appointment ahead of time and maybe combine it with a test drive. Cost is trivial compared to the headache and aggravation that a bum rig will cause!

 

here are slightly larger versions of the same pics

 

I did run CARFAX, btw, and there are no issues reported, and the truck was purchased i North Carolina and later in Florida. The owner's name isn't listed.

 

Completely normal. Surface rust.
Drive it and enjoy it

 

On the title?

 

Mine looked like that when I bought it new.

 

Get some mud under there and you won't notice it at all.

 

It may have even been near a coastal area with salt air for a while. That would cause the surface rust to appear, kinda like driving on northern roads in winter.

 

fluid film the underside of the truck for now. If you desire, in the spring you can try to clean it up and paint those pieces black so it looks better. No harm done. They will never rust through.

 

+1
It's called "flash rust". It was like that sitting in the parking lot in Louisville Ky waiting to be shipped out. It actually forms a seal and protects the steel underneath.
A lot of high tension powerline towers use the same science. Not pretty, but it's cheaper and it works.

 

Mine looked like that brand new. I bet it looked like that before it even got off the delivery truck. I wouldn't think twice about it.

 

spray it with rust converter. comes in a blue can at AutoZone and Home Depot.