anything to look out for

[97vulcan]

I am a new owner of a 1992 toyota le with the 5fse engine. My wife has a 94 le with the same engine. The car has newer struts on it, and the timing belt was replaced at 72,000. The car now has 103,500. My 92 is realllllly rusty underneath. I am worried that a brake or fuel line will rust out. Other than that, I hear a creaking noise underneath. Its not coming from the suspension I don't think. Any suggestions?? other than that, its a good car.

thanks,
adam

[97vulcan]

anyone??

[bigbird]

hmm low miles...nice. definatly check out the underside of the car. inspect the engine too. if ya can its a good idea to pop off the valve cover and look for sludge. but not everyone gets a chance to do this before buying.

[TRD_EarBanger]

i hope you got the rust bucket cheap, but as long as its structurally sound enough it will do you right - if you dont know what you are looking at have a mechanic check it over. If you have some idea of what you are looking at here is what i would look for,
-jack it up and look at all the rusted spots. Is your exhaust system rusted to where you can tap it with a hammer and get a thud or crunch instead of a ring? if you have a holey exhaust, fix it, the car is unsafe until you do.
-examine your brake lines, clean off any rusted spots with steel wool so you can inspect it better- the brake lines are plated steel so any rust MAY be only cosmetic. If theres any real rust or pitting, change the brake line.
-body rust must be only cosmetic and not structural, as the body forms the chassis on modern unibody cars (think shoe box with a section missing and not an old style car with a frame and the body bolted on.)