Bought a $400 rusty Subaru, the floor pan fell out on the highway

Last month I snagged a 1998 Subaru Outback for $400 because the body was rough but the engine sounded sweet. I drove it 60 miles home and about halfway the passenger floor pan just ripped open from rust, I could see the asphalt flying by. I patched it with a sheet of aluminum and some self-tapping screws from the hardware store, cost me $14 total. It held up for a week but now I'm wondering if I should just weld in some proper metal or junk the thing. Anyone else dealt with rust that bad on a flip, and is it worth saving or should I cut my losses?

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wells.reese4d ago

Jumped into my own $350 rust bucket last spring, a 2000 Civic that had more holes than a colander. The trunk floor was basically gone, and I found out when my spare tire fell through into the road behind me. I used that same aluminum and screw trick on mine, but it only lasted until the next big pothole. If the frame rails are still solid and the engine really is sweet, I'd weld in some proper metal. That $400 Subaru will still be a beater but at least it'll be a beater that won't kill you when the floor collapses again. Screw the resale value, you're already in too deep to give up now. Just make sure you wear a mask when you're grinding that rust off, that stuff gets everywhere.