Moving from Alabama to Washington (State)

Good afternoon everyone.

I have taken a new job and will be shipping my beloved 2000 single cab Taco from Alabama to Washington state. The truck has been in Alabama all of its life. I am obviously aware of the rust nightmare the northern states can have on these trucks, and was wondering what are the best ways to go about mitigating rust formation. Undercoats, routine washings, avoiding driving under certain conditions/times, etc.

I've got 277k miles and would love to see 277k more if I can! Thank you to anyone who can help!

 

The PNW is vastly different than the NE or MW when it comes to winters and turning cars into a pile of rust. I have never done any undercoatings on any vehicle I have ever owned and never had a problem.

 

What part of WA state? I’m from the East side where they do not use salt, mostly gravel and lots of plowing. Never had an issue with rust in any vehicle during the 40+ Years I lived there. I don’t think the West side does much at all other than shut down like here in the South. I think you should be pretty safe not worrying about it in WA state. Otherwise, keep the underside washed/clean as much as possible during the winters.

 

This is great to hear! I just assumed with the snow and all it would lead to issues sooner rather than later.

 

I'm moving to the western side. Port Townsend/Sequim area

 

I lived in Spokane for 5 years, and rust wasn't a bad issue because they don't use salt. It's urea. So...you're gonna smell like piss. You might get used to it.

Just keep the bottom clean in the winter and it really shouldn't be that bad. Our cars didn't have any more rust on them after 5 years than when we moved up there.

I do recommend picking up an extra set of wheels before you leave Alabama to mount your snow tires to. Those things cost a small fortune up in the PNW.

You could probably take an extra 4WD Tacoma up there and sell it for $5000 more than you paid for it. There never seem to be enough trucks to go around.

 

You’ll be fine…shouldn’t even need snow tires if you keep good tread on your Taco.

 

The passes require chains or studs to navigate. It's a lot easier to keep a set of studded snows in the garage than it is to always have to keep managing your chains.

 

Oh you're moving to the banana belt...pretty much the only place on the westside that has occasional sunny days october-may. If you're outdoorsy you will love the olympic peninsula and all it has to offer.

Also, snow won't be much of an issue there.

 

You're moving to a great spot! And def no real cause for rust concern. No salting of roads around here. And really you'll only get some dusting out there for snow.

 

I lived in Oak Harbor with my parents for 2 years when my dad was stationed at NAS Whidbey Island. I was in middle school at the time and thought that the school system on Whidbey Island was shitty, and also thought that the community was kind of isolated being on an island.

I was 11 when we moved there and 13 when we left, and now as an adult I would probably relish the isolation. The part of Washington where I lived was absolutely beautiful, and only two hours from the Canadian border.

The weather in Washington is also much more pleasant than in Alabama, but if you're used to Alabama real estate prices, you're in for a shock...

 

Fishing is fantastic in the inland lakes.

#troutareyummy

 

What part of WA? Really we don't have rust issues, we're like southwestern states in that respect.

 

Oh yeah, that's close to the water, won't even get snow. Just wet and gray in them parts.

 

Good luck out there man…

 

I second this.

 

You might find we do things a little different round here... But really though Sequim is pretty far from Seattle normal. It might be as close culturally as you can get to Alabama in WA haha. Plus you'll magically regrow all your teeth and divorce your cousin.

 

I third this. There are some strange folks living there. take all of your guns. Roll Tide!

 

Don't want to reply to everyone individually, but thank you all for your replies and good wishes! Sounds like rust shouldn't be an issue at all, and the snow in that part of the state is a lot lighter than I thought it would be lol. I'll finally have a covered garage when I get out there and have been wanting to do some work on my baby, so maybe you guys will see more of me around on here!