I found a 2000 Corvette with 32k miles that has flood damage, I havent talked to the owner yet but the description describes it as low water damage. He said it runs and drives great. I did a carfax and the flood damage was reported in late October so Im guessing it was caught in hurricane wilma.

I know we have all heard the horror stories of flood cars doing weird stuff, check engine lights, endless electrical problems etc but Im just wondering of anyone has bought one and could give me some specific insight on what I would be dealing with. Im looking to hear from people with first hand experience in dealing with the fixing of flood cars.

thanks,
Jeremy

 

Here's my advice, wrapped up in gross generalities which nevertheless are 90% accurate:

1) "Fixing a car won't save you a dime unless your job is fixing cars."
2) "Any car that sounds like a f**king deal is a f**king heartache."
3) "An old VW Beetle is probably the only car that won't be a total PITA if it sinks, but it will still take weeks to get the gremlins out."
4) "To get an idea of how much a U-Boat Vette would cost to repair, throw about 50 computers into the nearest swimming pool."

In a nutshell: run very far away. Very far.

Regards,
Garibaldi

 

pass.

 

Man, wouldn't take it except for spare parts. (non-electrical parts). This thing would be a hobby for years.

1. ITS A VETTE. If it truly runs and drives great , he wouldn't be selling it.
2. It rides exceptionally low. Low waters levels will submerge virtually every control module in the car.
3. Remember this is a plastic car that is very tempermental about gounding issues that cause "slight" variations in voltage.
4. Corrosion is not instantaneous. It will take a while to set in. So even if it works ok now, it is no indicator of future performance / reliability.

Good Luck whatever you decide

 

Run away from it are you will be

 

Buying this car would be a big mistake. Trying to resell it will be a real nightmare. Spare yourself a lot of grief and save up a few more bucks and buy a good low mileage vette with a clean title...

 

You just never know when the gremlins will attack. Wise to avoid that one.

 

 

C5's are relatively inexpensive...

do yourself a favor and keep looking.

Notice how everyone is saying to avoid it? What do you think would happen when you go to sell it down the road?

 

Thanks for the input and I understand what you guys are saying, Iv heard the bad things about flood cars but this thing just caught my eye, its millenium yellow on black leather with a 6spd and nice aftermarket wheels. Ah well Mabey I'll just stick the money into my Mitsu 3000GT VR-4 and make that faster

Jeremy

 

Don't walk away from this deal - RUN! Many forms of flood damage don't show up for almost 18 months and then they come in spades. Especially to the wiring components.

 

I would rather repair a crash total than a flood total.
A flood car will need every electrical component replaced or rebuilt. It will also require opening up all the boxed areas so they can be cleaned and rustproofed. The complete interior will need to be replaced.
And when you are done, even if you do it right, you have a car with a Flood title, which makes it worth squat.
We have a flood car in our shop now, a classic that is worth the time and money it will take to rebuild it. This car is going to require that every system be rebuilt or replaced, and it is a simple car in comparison to a C5. Restoraton will take our team anywhere from 6 to 9 months to complete, at a cost close to the price of a new C6.
Also the owner is paying the cost, so the car will not have been declared a Total Loss by the insurance company and it will keep its clean title.
Rebuilding a late model flood car that is plentiful makes no sense.

 

Keep looking. There are plenty to choose from.

 

Run, don't walk away!

 

I'd certainly avoid it. Too many things can go wrong.

 

I bought a flood car in july of 2002 the car had 1,800 miles on it at the time. the car lot told me that they had changed all major electrical parts. the car now has 22,000 miles and no trouble what so ever. I my just be lucky but the salesman said that they have been in business selling only flood damaged cars for 15 years. I checked them out from quite a few sources and everyone recomended them. OH yea the car is 2001 corvette coupe 6 speed with all options. So far so good.

 

I'd be cautious, but if the price is good and you can test drive it, I'd look into it.

The title of my 2001 is stamped "water damage." I bought it from a place that specializes in repairable vehicles. The original owner hit a tree square in the front. When it was on the auction lot before the repairable vehicle dealer bought it, heavy rains set in and the auction lot flooded. When the repairable vehicle dealer bought it, the carpets were "damp." Therefore, the repairable vehicle dealer told me that by law, he was required to mark the title "water damaged" due to the carpets being damp when he bought it.

I was LEARY at first!! Prior to buying it, I checked under the seats, under the dash, looked at the carpet, tried to figure out how much water (if any) had been in the car, how it got there, etc. I was also able to start it up and drive it (only a few feet because the radiator was damaged).

I gambled, bought it, and haven't looked back or been happier since. I've been ALL OVER MY car. Lowered the torque tube, tranny and rear carrier to swap the Torque converter, install a different carrier, DTE brace, Dynatech headers, etc. I'm going to take the interior out and install sound proofing from Exotic Vette. I DID NOT have to make all these mods - I wanted to make them, and they are not in anyway related to the "water damage" noted on the title. I could have driven the car the way it was (after fixing the tree damage), but the MOD bug bit me hard.

My point is that: even if a title is marked "water damage" or something similar, it could be marked like that due to an overly cautious dealer who is simply trying to comply with state law. A title marked "water damage" or flood damage or something similar doesn't NECESSARILY mean that the car was swamped, up to the roof and floating in water. Damp carpets alone can be enough to mark a title.

Look at it, look at it good, and drive it. If it's a good deal on the car you want, and you can't find evidence of the car floating in the river, consider buying it.

Take the cover off the fusebox in the passenger side floorboard. Look at the dust in the bottom of this fusebox - does it appear like normal dust, or does it look like the dust/dirt has been placed there or puddled due to a flood.

Good luck, and let us know what you do.

 

You ever see what water does with DC voltage to electrical componets ? RRRRUUUNNN

 

The electrical components on our cars are touchy enough on a "good" day. The memory settings being a good example. I can't imagine how they react when some water makes contact. I agree with the Mitsu idea if you still like that car enough. Put the money into it and be that much happier. Besides, you already know the history of your Mitsu, so you can drive it with confidence. Which, is very important in enjoying your ride.

 

Is this any help??

http://www.nicb.org/