Is this a dealbreaker?

[citytravelfotos]

Just making sure before I throw away an opportunity to buy an extended high top cargo conversion van (dealer pic):<br /><br /><img src="http://pictures.dealer.com/n/nationalautomart/1102/ddb584980a0d02b701220fd1baf650b5.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />I happened to find this underneath the steering wheel:<br /><br />

<br /><br />and underneath the passenger seat:<br />

<br /><br />my guess is that it could indicate possible significant contact with water (i.e. flooded.) &nbsp;The van is 8 years old and has been in Arizona throughout its life btw.<br /><br />A pic of the underside:<br />

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

I think what your seeing is normal as far as rust in certain area's looks like typical untreated steel to me, van looks very clean.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

No, looks like surface rust.&nbsp; Can propably wire brush/wheel it right off if you care to. &nbsp;&nbsp; Nice looking van.

 

[citytravelfotos]

BTW, this is a 2005 ford e250 with 122,000 miles &nbsp;(it has a Triton 5.4 engine, I've seen one person drive one of these for a million miles without a rebuild.) &nbsp;It's going for $7900.

 

[Les H]

I had a car in Ny that you could shoot a basketball through the door like a hoop and never hit steel. It still passed NYS inspection.
It's a nice, clean van at a decent price for the year. Confirm this by looking it up on KellyBlueBook.com.
If I had the cash and was looking, id snag it in a heartbeat.

 

[citytravelfotos]

BTW, I posted about this on a forum of with retired mechanics helping, they said that it is suspicious and to check underneath the carpets for moisture. &nbsp;I'm wondering if its worth the 120 mile drive again...

 

[ZOFCHAK]

As a driver of a 2004 E-350 myself, I'll say that the bottom of those chairs looks 10x cleaner than mine, and mine has never been flooded. <br /><br />&nbsp;It does not take a flood to get moisture under carpet pad or rust on bare (Or lightly coated) steel.&nbsp; The pad under the vinyl flooring will hold moisture for months especially in cold or rainy climates and the foam inside the seat will do the same thing.&nbsp; Windows left open at night or in the rain, wet/salty work boots, an overzealous owner at the quarter car wash.&nbsp; Any of those could have caused that light rust, and calling it rust is giving it more credit than it deserves.&nbsp; For a nearly 10 year old cargo van I would say that's probably about as clean as you'll find with over 100K miles.&nbsp; You could always request a Carfax report on the van and see if there is any unusual marks on it's history. Carfax won't catch everything, but they do get the vast majority.<br />&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;I'd be more concerned with what the van was previously used for. It appears to have some type of non stock brackets out front in the bumper. Any idea what those are?