Originally Posted by mmarshall

Its effect can't necessarily be 100% eliminated, but taking the steps I outlined earlier (and that I have found, from experience, works), will go a long way.

Originally Posted by 97-SC300

Road salt is ten times worse than any salt air you'll see in places like FL, hence why you won't see body rust on FL cars or if you do, it's extremely rare.

Originally Posted by 97-SC300

FL cars do have a ton of rust, but it's mainly going to be near the coastal areas and on stuff like undercarriage, engine hardware, etc.

You most likely will not see body rust on any FL car, it just doesn't happen.

I spent months looking for my LS this past fall and the main criteria was it had to be the right color and it had to be 100% rust free.

After contacting several dealerships and private sellers in FL, it became clear that FL cars are not as rust free as I'd liked. They all had plenty of rust in the areas I mentioned, so this shifted my focus on looking at TX cars and more western cars.

Even some of the Socal cars I looked at had surface rust underneath, and of course the ones that did lived right off the coast.

Ended up buying one that spent its entire life in Covina CA which is about an hour east of LA and it had zero rust anywhere. You will literally go to your Lexus dealer here in Chicago and look at some brand new cars on the lot that have more corrosion and rust than this car does.

Nothing is worse than getting a salt belt car though. Road salt is ten times worse than any salt air you'll see in places like FL, hence why you won't see body rust on FL cars or if you do, it's extremely rare.

Originally Posted by SW15LS

Difference is I put $5 in the tip bucket for a $27 carwash, and I pay $70 for a haircut and tip $20. All the guys at the carwash know me, they spray my cars off extra well before they go through the wash, do an extra good job at the end. Give my son lollipops when I bring him (he LOVES the carwash). People are so rude, don't even acknowledge the guys vacuuming up their filth and working hard in the cold and heat with a hello or a kind word, and just walk by the tip stand at the end. People who go places with me are always in awe of how everybody seems to know me and are happy to see me. Its not rocket science, I'm friendly, I talk to people around me regardless of whether they're sweeping floors or the owner of the establishment, and I tip well. My barber is a guy I've known for years and we're buddies, he always goes the extra mile too. We stay at the same hotel at the beach every year, have been for years and years. The bellmen and all fall all over themselves when we get out of the car, remember us from year to year. Anything we need when they see us in the lobby is taken care of immediately. Well worth an extra $20 bill when they haul all our crap around.

I'm a very good tipper for people who do a good job for me. Last night I was out to dinner with my partner and ran into a waiter my wife and I used to have at a restaurant we went to for years that closed and I hadn't seen him in about 2 years. We walked in and he throws up his hands and goes "Steve!" Asked me about my kids and all, we got free appetizers and at the end he got an awesome tip and a promise I'd bring my wife by and we'd see him soon.

Being gregarious and generous will have a HUGE impact on your life. IMHO its not about spending as little money as you can, its about the value you get for what you spend. Yeah tipping well and such costs me more dollars, but the value I get back overall is well, well worth it.