Flood Damaged Cars Alert
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,645
Likes: 11
From: Schaumburg IL
Flood Damaged Cars Alert
Just finished reading an article in the newest AARP newletter (dates me oh well) about hurricane flood damaged cars. Said there are about 120,000 Florida flood damaged cars hitting the market. A high percentage have been declared "totalled" by insurance and sold off to dealers around the state and in the country. They can then be retitled in another states with no one to the wiser. Some scam. The cars have been cleaned up and run for now - but later the electrical and mechanics start failing let alone the rust that will set in from water damage.
Interesting, as lately I have been looking at various older GM full size cars on ebay and a high percentage are from dealers in Florida. It is legal to sell these - buyer beware.
Side note - the article cautions all to get a carfax report on any car from an auction house or from anyone in a flooded state and for that matter for any used car that you can not inspect.
Interesting, as lately I have been looking at various older GM full size cars on ebay and a high percentage are from dealers in Florida. It is legal to sell these - buyer beware.
Side note - the article cautions all to get a carfax report on any car from an auction house or from anyone in a flooded state and for that matter for any used car that you can not inspect.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 19,659
Likes: 34
From: Lenoir City Tennessee
Ci 6, 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Good advice on getting thorough inspection. I am sure that many people will still wind up with one of these vehicles.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 30,995
Likes: 99
From: Ontario
No apologies needed for being a Senior. I am one as well. That situation should be viewed by more younger prospective buyers when they encounter vehicles advertized from a rust/salt-free State. Good advice. Buyer beware. Thanks for posting!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,456
Likes: 2
From: Coming home from Luckenbach Texas
A Carfax (or equivalent) is wise when buying any used vehicle. I had my eye on a Mercedes SLK in a local Jaguar dealer's lot. When I pulled a Carfax I discovered it was an off-lease car from Minnesota...and being sold in Texas! 
I wondered why there were salt stains on the floormats, but only a northerner (or a Canadian) would know about that...
I wondered why there were salt stains on the floormats, but only a northerner (or a Canadian) would know about that...
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,508
Likes: 0
From: Wisconsin
Originally Posted by paul67
Page,
You know all about it. I do as well. It's been dropping freezing rain for six hours. Horrid driving conditions. And the solution is .... salt.
You know all about it. I do as well. It's been dropping freezing rain for six hours. Horrid driving conditions. And the solution is .... salt.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 660
Likes: 0
From: Pleasant Valley MO
They have hit the markets weeks ago, we got a used door and used qtr from salvage and both where filled with MUD. We used the qtr panel and the door , after taking everything off we rinsed and rinsed and rinsed and finally got it clean. But the insurance nows this at we have pics, so if any problems arise down the road we are covered. So check you cars and parts with a fine toothed comb.
Larry
Larry
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Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 18,479
Likes: 3
From: Quincy IL
we have a guy or actually a family who own and run a wrecking yard locally, years ago they started buying "disaster" cars for pennies on the dollar, and selling them at almost market value. they have acres of cars out there as I am writing this. about 4 years ago my elderly mother wanted and needed a new car, my brother and i went out and priced out some oldsmobiles with hail damage. estimates for repair + their asking price was more that if i walked across the street and ordered a new one from the oldsmobile dealer! every once in awhile i'll stop in and look, and quite few have electrical problems because the panels under the dash are just hanging there. it's crazy to buy one of these vehicles at their prices, because it's a salvage title and when you go to sell it's worth next to nothing. these people now sell these cars themselves but for a few years they were selling them thru some of the seedier used car lots in town. i can't mention their name because if they see this, i'll be sued. these folks were convicted of title "laundering" a few years ago. RUN, don't walk away from these deals!
Drifting
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,442
Likes: 2
From: Flanders NJ
Don't think these cars are only from Florida dealers, they are being bought up by dealers all over the country. If they have a salvage title from Florida they can't be titled there but can be in other states. I e-mailed a dealer on e-bay and asked why it had a salvage title and luckily he was honest enough to tell me that the engine had gotten water in it and it was repaired, but who knows what the repairs were if any at all. Be very carefull with salvage titled cars. 
I've seen some that tell you it was damaged from the hurrican and it only had a broken window, yeah right.
I don't think an insurance company will write off a car for just a broken window.
Another thing to watch for is some of these are brand new cars sold off because of water damage but now they will not have any factory warranty on them.
Be very, very carefull.
I've seen some that tell you it was damaged from the hurrican and it only had a broken window, yeah right.
I don't think an insurance company will write off a car for just a broken window.Another thing to watch for is some of these are brand new cars sold off because of water damage but now they will not have any factory warranty on them.
Be very, very carefull.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 653
Likes: 0
From: Dickinson (Houston) Texas
In 1979, we had a flood in our area, and a lot of cars became victims. I was starting college that Fall, and needed a newer car for the long distance travel, and my hot rod Camaro just was not up to the task.
The insurance companies had set up the parking lot of our local drag strip as a collection point for flood damaged cars. It was open to the public to make an offer on cars with the understanding there would be no warranty. I found a 1977 Monte Carlo that had gotten water up to the dash, but not into the dash. I bid $1,500 for it and won. Not bad for a 2 year old car.
I had the car towed to my house, and stripped the interior, put new carpet in, disassembled the seat upholstery, and let it all dry in the sun for several days. I changed out all of the fluids. The engine did not have any water in the crankcase, but the power steering did.
After putting the car back together, I drove it with no problems for the next 6 years when I replaced it with the Vette I still have. I even sold the car for more than I bought it for!!
You can get really good deals on flood damaged car, but you have to be real careful!!!
www.bigdogvettes.com
The insurance companies had set up the parking lot of our local drag strip as a collection point for flood damaged cars. It was open to the public to make an offer on cars with the understanding there would be no warranty. I found a 1977 Monte Carlo that had gotten water up to the dash, but not into the dash. I bid $1,500 for it and won. Not bad for a 2 year old car.
I had the car towed to my house, and stripped the interior, put new carpet in, disassembled the seat upholstery, and let it all dry in the sun for several days. I changed out all of the fluids. The engine did not have any water in the crankcase, but the power steering did.
After putting the car back together, I drove it with no problems for the next 6 years when I replaced it with the Vette I still have. I even sold the car for more than I bought it for!!
You can get really good deals on flood damaged car, but you have to be real careful!!!
www.bigdogvettes.com
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
Electrically/electronically speaking the cars need attention allmost immediately, before corrosion is allowed to progress too far, since last summer, if the systems haven't been blown out and the connectors cleaned, dried/sprayed with at least a touch of Wd40, they are junk.....no end of problems....
the chances of that happening in a dealer's hands is about NONE....
GENE
the chances of that happening in a dealer's hands is about NONE....
GENE
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 190
Likes: 1
From: Verona, NJ
My wife drives around every day in a Audi that I bought from a Salvage auction as a result of flood damage, only electrical problem we every had was the radio did not work. Car Fax says the car has a clean title! Even though I had to get the Salvage title replaced by a rebuilt one in order to register. As long as the car has a Salvage title, no matter what the damage is, it can be rebuilt and in some states issued with a clean title. FL issues issues a Junk title if they do not want the car to be rebuilt. Otherwise it can be rebuilt and sold. I have bought many a Salvage car over the past 15 years, as my own, as well as family members daily drivers, key is to buy it direct from the auction and have the repairs down yourself so you know what was wrong and the repair was satisfactory. Very rarely had any problems and usualy saved a lot of money.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 182,997
Likes: 88
From: Lakeland, FL
Cruise-In IV-V-VI-VII-VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
I actually owned a couple of water damage cars and had no major issues with them
Last edited by GrandSportC3; Jan 13, 2005 at 10:30 AM.
