FLOOD CARS

[mickeytee]

well I have seen at least a dozen totaled and listed for upcoming auctions. So far. I was thinking, this might provide more parts but I bet they will get washed and resold like one dealer in used parts that "cleans" his titles and offers his cars for sale with no damage. You can run the VIN and see that they have been thru the salvage auction. But he list them on EBAy as clear titles. If the salt water got up into the cars, they will be junk. We all know that rain can damage many of the components . Salt in the headlights, even though washed and cleaned will cause the chrome to pit in a few months. So if you buy any parts ,get a warranty in writing and you should also ask for a VIN that the part came off of. If any of the members here lost their car, it would be nice to furnish the VIN and how high the water got into it so that we can help others avoid a poor experience with buying a flood damaged car.

 

[Crimson Pearl]

HUGE numbers!!!

Can you imagine just how many previously flooded cars will be on the market in the next year?

HUGE numbers of them!

It won't be safe to buy a used car for YEARS!

 

[pure zen]

Lots of junk coming up for sale,,,,,

Can you imagine just how many previously flooded cars will be on the market in the next year?

HUGE numbers of them!

It won't be safe to buy a used car for YEARS!

I agree...........if buying a used car that came from TX or FL area....run a CARFAX and check under the dash for mud or debris,,,and lift up the interior and trunk carpet for any signs of flood damage. Don't get burned buying a lemon... jmo

 

[James Landi]

I agree...........if buying a used car that came from TX or FL area....run a CARFAX and check under the dash for mud or debris,,,and lift up the interior and trunk carpet for any signs of flood damage. Don't get burned buying a lemon... jmo

A cautionary tale:
Way back in the 60's, a friend of mine showed up at college with a brand new Alfa Romeo red convertible. Parents purchased the car for him at a substantial discount, as dozens of new cars were submerged in the Hudson River when the cargo ship flooded. The mechanicals were quickly "pickled" and cleaned out, and the interior was refreshed--- "No guarantees" but, again, substantially discounted. Well, there was no end to issues with that beautiful car... main problem of course, were the electrical connections... they looked solid on the outside, but there was sufficient salt water infiltration to turn the copper core of most of the wires to white dust over time. The final insult occurred when the two of us were on the highway, and the secondary convertible top "bow" fell down on our heads--- you guessed it--- the inner tubing of the metal bow was white dust!

 

[Smoothran]

I agree...........if buying a used car that came from TX or FL area....run a CARFAX and check under the dash for mud or debris,,,and lift up the interior and trunk carpet for any signs of flood damage. Don't get burned buying a lemon... jmo

Can't always depend on carfax either. I almost bought a 2015 Denali 3500 before buying the one I have now. It was a beautiful white. Was $15,000 less than others due to water damage but unless the guy told you you'd never guess. Carfax didn't show any issues with that truck.

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[pure zen]

quote: "Can't always depend on carfax either."

While true,,,,its a cheap first step to research a vehicles previous location(s) and how many owners... and may just throw up a red flag.

Superstorm Sandy put a lot of flood lemons up for sale a few years back. One has to thoroughly check out a used vehicle before purchasing, and that is why I always prefer buying from a private first owner.

 

[James Landi]

quote: "Can't always depend on carfax either."

While true,,,,its a cheap first step to research a vehicles previous location(s) and how many owners... and may just throw up a red flag.

Superstorm Sandy put a lot of flood lemons up for sale a few years back. One has to thoroughly check out a used vehicle before purchasing, and that is why I always prefer buying from a private first owner.

Entirely agree with your comment regarding a private party purchase; however, in the case of rare exceptions, an XLR is simply are not available on Craig's list or from a neighbor, and the Hemming's and Ebay ads are, in my opinion, suspect. My wife and I shopped three XLRs, before purchasing one of them. Two were GM dealer cars, and the one we purchased was from an independent specialty used car lot south of Boston. One great advantage of purchasing in MASS., is the state's comprehensive "lemon law" that protects purchasers for several months and/0r 3,600 miles--- GREAT consumer protection! Ours was the most expensive price, was a tie for low mileage, but appeared, on my close inspection, to be in the best shape. When I tracked down the family that owned the car, I was pleased with my "best guess."

 

[XLRATING]

Depending on the state, you do have more protection buying from a dealer than from a private party, because dealers are regulated and private parties aren't. A nearby dealer who re-sold a compact car that THEY wrecked while repairing & had to buy it back, & covered it up from salesman to manager, had to pay $150,000 when they got caught (about 8 times the value of the car).

Also so had a dealer friend tell us about 10 years ago it takes 6 months for stuff to show up on those types of vehicle history reports, so if a dealer can turn it around fast enough it will still have a clean report. Don't know if that's speeded up.

On a different forum, someone checked one of the company reports on their own car they had traded in. It said reported "Checked drive train," & the poster said what really happened was "driveshaft was replaced."

All these things are just tools to use together to try to keep from getting ripped off & none are fail safe.

 

[pure zen]

just my opinion,,,,

Speaking only about Arizona purchases,,,,,,advantages to buy from the private owner:

1. NO AZ STATE Sales Tax when purchasing from a private owner. That can be BIG DOLLAR$
2. NO dreaded scam Dealer Documentation Fees added to the bottom line. $300-$500+ for a office worker to type out 20 minutes of paperwork? Not me, I'll let you 'dealer buyers' pay the fleece of your wallet. Doc Fee should not be over $40 to $50, max
3. No pre-paying for registration and license plate for the vehicle, and then having the dealer sit on your funds for 30-40 days before sending in to MVD.....while you wait for those items to arrive in the mail.
4. I get to meet and speak with the vehicle owner,,,,picking their brain on how long they have owned the vehicle, how it was driven and by who, and how it was serviced and by who. If the seller hasn't owned the vehicle very long, that may mean they are having issues with the vehicle.... so I walk away. If I feel they are dishonest, I again walk away.
5. I don't have to deal with the 'pressure sales BS', or the 'take over Sales Mgr. crap', or the Finance Mgr. trying to sell you every possible things like extended warranty, paint protection, window tinting, wheel locks, etc etc (he's paid to sell you and dip into your wallet as well) I'm quite intelligent myself to make my own decisions on the purchase and what I want extra, if anything.

Disadvantages of buying from a private owner:

1. The seller might be lying to you about many of the questions you ask of
2. Once the transaction is complete,,,,you own it and no recourse = most likely sold 'as is' unless under factory warranty.
3. Hidden problems may pop up soon after the purchase, and it's your baby at that point.
4. I'm sure there are other disadvantages, but I've found a private seller purchase gets me a better vehicle and spending less money in the end.

Your opinion may differ.....granted.

 

[Rule62]

I had been taking my time shopping for my next daily driver when the storms hit. I sold my 2014 Wrangler Rubicon with 14k miles on it for $34,000 to a dealer in Dallas. Two weeks before Carmax offered me $29,500.
I had been looking at CTS wagons. Reasonably priced, low mileage, one owner, accident free units with documented service histories were getting hard to come by.
Then one popped up in the neighborhood next to me and a pounced. It needed a new set of Vogues and a good scrubbing, but for a 2011 one owner with 62k on it, I scored! And now I don’t have to play the “is this a flood car” game!


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[James Landi]

I had been taking my time shopping for my next daily driver when the storms hit. I sold my 2014 Wrangler Rubicon with 14k miles on it for $34,000 to a dealer in Dallas. Two weeks before Carmax offered me $29,500.
I had been looking at CTS wagons. Reasonably priced, low mileage, one owner, accident free units with documented service histories were getting hard to come by.
Then one popped up in the neighborhood next to me and a pounced. It needed a new set of Vogues and a good scrubbing, but for a 2011 one owner with 62k on it, I scored! And now I don’t have to play the “is this a flood car” game!


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YOU scored BIG Time.... a truly beautiful automobile. Congrats! James

 

[rexster314]

Seeing this, I'm wondering if with a little body work, the headlights from this type car could be adapted to the XLR's?

 

[Rule62]

Seeing this, I'm wondering if with a little body work, the headlights from this type car could be adapted to the XLR's?

They do look very similar, but side-by-side you can see exactly how different they are in shape, size, dimension and even functionality.

They are, however, no easier to service and the XLR units, which I discovered while changing both low beams and the fog lamps.

 

[Rule62]

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[CNC]

Good due dilligence!

Entirely agree with your comment regarding a private party purchase; however, in the case of rare exceptions, an XLR is simply are not available on Craig's list or from a neighbor, and the Hemming's and Ebay ads are, in my opinion, suspect. My wife and I shopped three XLRs, before purchasing one of them. Two were GM dealer cars, and the one we purchased was from an independent specialty used car lot south of Boston. One great advantage of purchasing in MASS., is the state's comprehensive "lemon law" that protects purchasers for several months and/0r 3,600 miles--- GREAT consumer protection! Ours was the most expensive price, was a tie for low mileage, but appeared, on my close inspection, to be in the best shape. When I tracked down the family that owned the car, I was pleased with my "best guess."

Wow! You really 'dug down' to find the best one. Good job. Smart! --- My guess is that unscrupulous party's will try to get the flood damaged cars distributed to other areas of the country away from TX & FL. Close in person inspections a total necessity.

 

[CNC]

Curious ?

well I have seen at least a dozen totaled and listed for upcoming auctions. So far. I was thinking, this might provide more parts but I bet they will get washed and resold like one dealer in used parts that "cleans" his titles and offers his cars for sale with no damage. You can run the VIN and see that they have been thru the salvage auction. But he list them on EBAy as clear titles. If the salt water got up into the cars, they will be junk. We all know that rain can damage many of the components . Salt in the headlights, even though washed and cleaned will cause the chrome to pit in a few months. So if you buy any parts ,get a warranty in writing and you should also ask for a VIN that the part came off of. If any of the members here lost their car, it would be nice to furnish the VIN and how high the water got into it so that we can help others avoid a poor experience with buying a flood damaged car.

How does a dealer 'Clean A Title' so it doesn't have the big 'S' stamped across the face?

 

[mickeytee]

clean title

How does a dealer 'Clean A Title' so it doesn't have the big 'S' stamped across the face?

well that is their secret that they do not want you to know. Just watch for cars that have been to several sates in a few months. A car from Florida wit ha flood title sold in Maryland to a dealer then sold to an individual in say Kentucky will have a Clean title. It may or may not show the flood in the history. The only way car fax picks up information is from insurance company reports. Some smaller companies may not have staff to inform them. They may not want to just to help get more money from the salvage . They are not required by any law to report damage. 3rd party damage almost never gets listed on Carfax reports. If it does then that person sues for diminished value to their car as it now has a history. Some states do not even allow a 3rd party insurance company ( that's your liability that pays when you are at fault and hit someone else) to make reports on other than their own insured cars.
Do a google search on what states to beware of a title from. Also many "dealers" have a "family" that does nothing but create a history on cars they have never even seen. Just had registered in their name.