2008 Mazda3 Sport GT - How to Prevent the dreaded rust

Hi, I recently bought a 2008 Mazda3 Sport with only 70k kilometers on it.
Its in great shape mechanically and, cosmetically it looks good from a distance.
Up close you can see some minor blemishes, ships, scratches and attempts to blend the paint from a repair done on the side door.

There are ever so minor signs of rust in the usual places for this car and, there is also evidence that the previous owner had some rust repair work done on one of the rear wheel wells just under the lip.

I have taken it to several autobody shops to get estimates to have the car completely repainted and rust-proofed. I really want to get it in tip top shape since with the low KM it could easily last me 8-10 years. I have been to some of the more reputable body shops around town and some wont even touch it. One estimate I did get was for 6000+ to have it all done but the estimate was done by a person via iphone and I doubt the integrity of the estimate. Two other places I went told me just to go to Rust Check once a year and not bother to repaint it, which I am not keen on doing.

Personally, I would not mind investing several thousand in the vehicle to have it completely stripped, primed, repainted and rust proofed.

However, there seems to be a lot of doubt from body shops about this and I am not sure if they are saying this because its more work than its worth. Maybe I am looking in the wrong place.

I would appreciate some insight from other owners who have crossed this hurdle.

Thanks

Hi there!

First of all, congrats on your purchase.

Redoing the body on the Mazda is not worth it in my opinion. You'll pay $6,000 to redo an economy car that will have other repairs and issues over the years. I also believe there's imperfections in the sheet metal causing it to rust prematurely compared to other compacts. You'll be wasting your money in my opinion.

I have an 08 as well, bought it 3 yrs ago and its approaching 190,000km of Quebec driving. The previous owner and myself have always rustproofed the car, and a few times a year, I clean the inside of the rear fenders. My 3 is in pretty decent shape, with some rust but not very noticeable.

Take care of your 3 and have fun with it. You can easily keep it for 5 years looking great. The more time and money you spend on the car, the more small things will bug you.

My 3 for reference. Picture was taken last yr but it looks in the same condition.