My ‘Rust Free’ Pickup Truck Is Apparently So Rusty At Least One Californian Thinks It’s A Parts Truck

My Jeep J10 is in great shape, body wise, if you consider how old it is. It’s got a little rust hole in the hood, a little rust on the back of the cab, a little hole here and there in the door jambs, a little bit on the floorboards, and a little in the bed, but it’s otherwise clean. Here in California, though, it’s apparently untouchable, because the standards are completely different than much of the rest of the country.

When I initially bought my 1985 Jeep J10 from Yadkinvilla, North Carolina in 2015, I was thrilled. The thing was 100% stock, it ran, it drove, it had very few miles, and the body was quite decent. I bought it for $3,500, which — especially for me back then — was a mountain of cash.

I not only got the truck, but also a Gallon of moonshine that the seller told me had been brewed by Junior Johnson himself, and I also got a hand-drawn map to the local mud-run that was happening that day. My friends and I attended, and it was epic.

The Jeep sat for a while until I used it for therapy during the pandemic, getting it on the road and driving it from Michigan to North Carolina to Fayetteville, AR to Dallas, TX, back up to Michigan. The truck was flawless, and I was in love.

It checks all the “ultimate pickup truck” boxes, including:

• Regular cab
• Long bed
• 4×4
• Manual
• Bench seat
• stamped tailgate
• manual locking hubs
• gun rack

It is the truckiest of the trucks, and luckily for me, it wasn’t a Michigan machine, or else it would be a rustbucket.

To be sure, it wasn’t perfect, as this young nerd points out here:

Here are a few photos of the minor rust:

Overall, it’s a really nice machine — by Michigan standards. By California standards, it’s apparently such a heap that someone just sent me this:

In case you can’t see that image for whatever reason, here’s the message:

Long shot here but I was wondering since it’s been a while if you are selling parts off your truck. I’m looking for a windshield and the front bumper if so please lmk

Either this person is pulling my leg or I’m out of touch, or maybe both, because is this person really suggesting I part out an 82,000 mile truck? Especially one that’s this complete? Come on; look at this thing — it’s not that bad!

Look at the underside; it’s clean!:

A few weeks ago I wrote “Bringing My Michigan Cars To California Was A Mistake,” an article about how my friend Fred had warned me that, given the amazing selection of vehicles out west, a vehicle from the rust belt pretty much has no value here in California. I don’t think I fully realized just how little value a truck that in another state is worth easily $7000 is basically worth, well, parts!

It’s a combination of the minor rust (which Californias would consider major) and the emissions status (it is missing its original emissions equipment, which is why it runs so well) that has basically relegated my J10 to the lowest tier in the California car hierarchy. It is a true shame.

Luckily, my internal sell-or-don’t-sell pendulum for the J10 is swinging back towards “keep forever,” so this doesn’t bother me in the least, but it’s something I find remarkable. In California, any rust = rustbucket. In Michigan, no holes = rust-free. What a difference.