I have an 11 year old Odyssey and it doesn't have a single spot of rust on it. I don't think I have ever seen a rusty second gen Odyssey. So many Honda models have a spot that you can almost bet will be rusted out on every example of that body style. Are there any other Honda models/generations that have avoided rust problems?

 

The level of rust that a vehicle experiences will be dependent on a lot of things.

1: Cleanliness. Keeping the car clean will help prevent road debris from eating away at your car long term. Leaving a car sit for long periods of time (1 month or longer) will cause significant corrosion to engine components as the humidity changes.

2: Quality of Paint. I'm sure every manufacturer tries to keep every car's finish as rust free as possible. Some do a better job of testing and application than others. (EG Chevy Lumina LOL) Any prior body work will serve as a starting point for corrosion as the metal would need to be exposed to be repaired.

3: Geography. If you live in a snowy region, be prepared to find rust damage premature compared to states that suffer little snowfall. The salts used are corrosive and will damage the paint. These salts can also freeze to the car causing damage over time.

As a 10 year veteran technician, I have seen at least one of everything rusted out, and even a few Chevy Lumina's with no rust at all. My take is personal care for the car and a non-snow climate will usually produce a car that is rust-free.

When I say rust free, I mean body, paint, bolts, etc.

 

I agree with everything you said. I think my question is given everything you said some Honda designs seem to resist rust better than others. I want to know which Hondas are less prone to rust.

 

Where do you live?

 

I must not be communicating my question very well because where I live really doesn't have anything to do with the question unless Honda ships different versions of the same car to different locations. I live in the Washington DC area and we have lots of road salt so I understand that in general cars will rust more here than they would in places like El Paso Texas. The example I gave was second gen Odysseys. Even where I live I have never seen a second gen Odyssey with rust, but a good percentage of Accords from the same year (1999) are rusting around the rear wheel wells. My question is which Honda body styles that are less prone to rust?

 

Its going to differ for so many reasons but here goes my experience as I have had a few Honda/Acuras

88-91 Civic/CRX - very prone to rust in the rear wheel well (89 Civic DX, 89 CRX Si +200k)
90-93 Integra - same rust issues in the rear wheel well (90 Integra 180K miles)
94-97 Accord - 0 rust issues anywhere on the car (96 Accord 160K miles)
97-01 CRV - 0 rust issues (01 CRV 115K miles)

However someone from somewhere else in the country, or someone who took better or worse care of their car, etc will differ completely

 

Gen 3 integras get it around the wheel wells and inside the rear quarter. However climate makes an enormous difference in whether and how quickly this occurs.

Rust resistance is certainly something engineers are aware of when designing a car. The thought and care that went into designing/engineering hondas inthe 90s certainly expresses itself there.

 

A lot if the eg and ek civics actually rust from the inside out on that back 1/4 panel. For whatever reason water collects in there where the seams meet and the rust begins. If buying a used one go into the trunk and pull back the carpet for a closer look.

 

I didn't even know certain models/years got around the problem better than others lol