Northern X5s - Issues to look for?
 

I'm going to guess that rust on the calipers is not a good sign, but I've spent most of my years in Florida, so I know basically nothing about wear and tear on cars from north of the Mason-Dixon. I do know that winter salt and sludge can take its toll and turn a shiny ride into a rust bucket, so what specifics should I look for on X5s that have spent their little lives in colder climates?

(I may actually get a new car by the time I'm on Medicare. :dunno:)

With todays undercoatings the chances of rust being a HUGE problem is limited. You can do the obvious visual check but you shouldn't find excessive rust. I live in Maryland where, though we get little snow..we get ice and MD is HUGE on dropping tons of salt. Piles of it will be on the road weeks after a storm. So I'm familiar with the damage it can cause. I haven't experienced any rust issues from salt and haven't really seen any on models of the 90's up. That said, 80's and older Japanese cars........look out. :)

You'll be fine.

I found a decent soft cloth (brushless) carwash in my neighborhood, and I take it in at least once a week to get the $15 full deluxe. This includes an undercarriage wash and an extra wax coat. Also, after a major snow event (which obviously leads to salt trucks on the road), I never wait more than 24 hours to get the wash. So far so good. Also I think every 2 years I will take it to a body shop and have them professionally re-shoot the front hood and bumper, to take care of any pebble nicks. If there's any chance of rust, it usually starts with the exposed metal in those little nicks.