Hello everyone! I started looking for an Ex since my daughter was born because my 06 GTO and my wife's Passat are a little to small for the family now. I always wanted an Ex and now i can justify getting one since i like to bring my doberman along on family trips. I looked at couple different ones in the past month and I have noticed that 3 out of the 4 had rust where the running boards use to be. Is this a common problem? Or is it just because I live in NJ and most people with this trucks used them to tow boats or dealt with the salt from the winter. I am currently looking for a 6.8L v10. Is there anything else i should look for. I know about the exhaust stud, front hubs going bad, sagging springs in the rear, rust around the windshield, and of course spark plugs popping out from time to time.

Thank you for the help.

 

Welcome!

I just picked up an 03 V10 4x4 truck. It was from Maine, so it has some rust. A little on the doors and some by the running board brackets. Not terrible though. As you said, a lot of trucks in the "salt belt" get rust unlike southern trucks, but if you catch the rust early enough and take care of it, it will last you a good while.

When I was shopping I saw quite a few rusty trucks and some really nice ones with comparable miles. I would say read through the sticky sections and find the best truck you can find for the price, unless you get a steal on one that requires work.

 

Welcome to the EX forum and family 87.

It sounds like you have done some good research so far as to what to look (and look out) for on these wagons, that's great!
Yes these things do suffer from a high salt diet up North (and at the Shore), if you are looking for a cleaner rust free rig for long term ownership it is well worth the extra effort to search in more Southern, dryer climates for one. We have members here from all over the country, many of whom may be able to check out an EX for you prior to traveling yourself to see it. We have had a couple of huge searches already here to find a clean EX for a member.
Go into your User CP and fill out your location in the user profile, that way your location will show up in the top right corner of each post. You may have a new wrenching buddy just around the corner!

 

There are drain holes in the rail there that get plugged easily. In a not so salty area it's not horrible, but up along our beautiful salt belt it can be horrendous. I try to make sure mine are cleaned out a few times a year.

 

Mine came from upstate NY. Had plenty of rust--nothing I couldn't fix but it is a laborious process. Most of the time the passenger side will be worse than the driver side--I assume due to snow being plowed off to the rt side of the road. Definitely check under the running boards and under your bottom weatherstripping on the doors, under foot plates, pull your tail lights. There's a lot of time with wire brushes, rust converter, por 15, and black spray paint. Don't think you have to do it all at once..its takem me 9 months and I'm almost done.