'97 Accord EX Coupe Rust Analysis

I'm looking at a '96 Accord EX Coupe. It's exactly the car I'm after, and in
solid condition, however... I discovered rust when inspecting the rear
undercarriage. I need some help analyzing whether this is a serious enough
issue to disqualify the car.
I will do my best to describe where the rust is. Under the rear of the car,
set in 3-6 inches from where the bumper goes under the car is a piece of
steel attached to the undercarriage that spans almost the entire wheel base.
From what I recall, it is something like 4-5 inches wide, and 1/2" thick.

I would say that this piece of steel is moderately rusted. Mostly on the
passenger-side edge.

I can get a good deal on the car, but I want to get another 75-100K out of
it without it rusting out and becoming a safety hazard. I need something
that will become mechanically untenable before body and frame issues come
into play.

 

Sounds like you're describing a rear suspension member.

Rusted how? Surface rust? Eaten through with holes? Use a screwdriver
to poke at it. Does the screwdriver go right through?

Where are you? Is there salt on the roads in winter?

Did you check the tops of the strut towers under the hood for rust?
That's a frequent Honda rust disaster area. Also the doorsills,
especially around the jacking points. Check the floorboards where
water from footwear has soaked the carpet.

 

It certainly appears to be surface rust, but further analysis (pokes and
prods) is necessary before I would know whether or not the metal could be
perforated or crushed. The car has always been in Colorado (my home state),
according to the Carfax data. So, yes, salted roads are a seasonal variable
in play here.

I will also check the strut towers, but I am hopeful that you could give me
further feedback on how to identify this area/these parts. Where exactly
they are, and a basic description of what it looks like. I'm not all that
mechanically inclined, and suspension components are a specific weakness for
me.

Floorboards and jack points - I can handle that.

I also have close friends in the body shop industry. They may be able to
offer feedback as well, but I am wondering how easy it is for someone like
that to look at an existing car and extrapolate with reasonable accuracy
what is likely to occur going forward.

 

I lived in Denver for a year in 1969-70 and hardly saw any snow, but
westward in the mountains there's sure lots, and eastward some too. So
it would depend on just where the car was driven in Colorado.

Above the front wheels are MacPherson struts, essentially shock
absorbers with coil springs around them, or if the car uses torsion
bars, just shock absorbers. If you look under the hood on the right
and left sides near the firewall, you will see that the bodywork
bulges upward there, and there is a big nut and washer right in the
middle of this bulge. That's the top mounting nut for the shock
absorber. Often this tower, which is an integral part of the bodywork,
rusts out from the underside.

Note that doorsills are hidden from topside inspection by plastic
covers these days. Get the car up on a hoist and poke with that
screwdriver from underneath.

Any experienced bodyman should be able to do so, having been informed
where YOU are going to be driving.