Is this too much rust for a 1st gen DC purchase

Here are some pics of the underside of an 02 DC that has a great body and good maintenance history. Just looking for opinions on the amount of rust regarding making a purchase.
It did have the inspection by the dealer 6 years ago or so with the rust protection coating.

 

This is kinda a subjective thing: to some, nothing but a pristine truck without a hint of rust is acceptable. To others, rust is invisible.

My $.02 would be to keep looking for a different truck. Rust is not going to heal itself. While the underside looks to be fairly sound, it's likely to look much worse in just a couple of years, especially if the truck will continue to live in the rust belt.

 

If you just want to get some opinions, I wouldn't get that truck unless it was an amazing price.

 

This is what my frame looks like. Pretty clean the brake part was a little rough looking but it's all surface stuff

 

Do you all think this is purely a cosmetic issue or it could be a functional issue?

 

It looks more than cosmetic, walk away, keep looking.
Might be worth looking in a no salt area...

 

Any opinions on this one (not the best pictures)? Does anyone know what the rusty part is that the picture is focused on? This truck actually got a new frame in 2011.

 

I would have jumped on either of those trucks if the price was within reason.

I bought a Truck up from Alabama it had no rust till after the first winter.

To me that is nothing I touch up rust like that every spring no matter every thing is painted . That Liquid brine is brutal.

 

Rusty part is front driveshaft. Both these trucks would be more than exceptable for their age in my location (NL canada). Ive seen vehcles Less than 3 years old with worse rust.

 

Like the first reply said…totally subjective. You would never see that on a truck that lived its whole life on the West Coast, but in the NE I'd say it doesn't look terrible (I've seen much worse on TW).

I think it come down to how long you plan to own the truck and what you want to do with it. If you plan on keeping the truck for 10 years and want to lift it, mod it, etc. I'd probably walk, only because those bolts will be a nightmare to remove and will most likely break and the rust will just keep eating away at the frame (no matter what you do). If you just need a point A to point B vehicle for the next couple years and then you'll sell it, I'd say go for it.

 

Ive seen a truck go from some surface rust to being ate up with holes and all in 2 years though so be careful but like already stated if your just going to drive it as a daily or something I don't think it will be mechanically a problem for the next few years!

 

Frame looks like what mine did. I went through the nightmare of sandblasting everything down to bare metal and repainted followed by rust check in and out of frame.