Houston And Thousands Of Flooded Cars

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Anyone purchasing a late model used car in the next year or two, had better do their homework. There are going to be thousands of flood cars from Houston and southeast Texas, that will be shipped out for sale elsewhere to unsuspecting consumers. And you can bet they all won't show up on Car Fax. I can't imagine the problems that could turn up after buying one of these flood cars. While they may be able to clean them up, get them running, and deodorize them, I doubt any car that went through that would ever be the same.

And fast buck artists will be looking to buy them cheap, get them running, and ship them elsewhere for quick sale to unsuspecting customers. Some may very well be all but new. Dealers there no doubt have thousands of new cars that ended up submerged. I think people in Arizona, and the desert Southwest should be especially careful. Because this is the perfect climate to dry them out fast. (110F and 6% humidity). And many people here don't even think about such things, because of the lack of rain in these parts. Buyer beware!
 
I think it was Katrina that saw lots of these flood cars for sale. Actually being listed as flood cars. I remember being tempted by a couple...
 
Theres better and better computer and paper trails on these vehicles now. Donald's statement that manufactures won't want these to get out there and have to pony up for repairs will help drive the market that they will hopefully be tagged or crushed. Plenty of plastic bumpers that could be of use. I just looked at a car with rear damage that could be easily fixed with a new skin etc
 
I remember reading on a Mopar blog about a restored '68-'70 Hemi Charger(?) worth in the 6 figures that came out of the Hurricane Sandy affected area. Those in the know knew the car had been flooded. Yet, when it appeared on the market for sale again, no mention of anything except it was a restored #1 car in the 6 figures.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
You would think manufacturers would get in on this as they do not want to pay warranty repairs on flooded vehicles.


Warranty repairs no, other repairs not covered under warranty? You bet. How many things do they actually cover under warranty these days anyway?
lol.gif
 
Originally Posted By: bioburner
Theres better and better computer and paper trails on these vehicles now. Donald's statement that manufactures won't want these to get out there and have to pony up for repairs will help drive the market that they will hopefully be tagged or crushed.


I can all but guarantee you that GM is not going to subsidize a Houston Cadillac dealership that has 150 brand new, flooded $75K vehicles, so they can crush them. That IS NOT going to happen. Those vehicles might be sold "as is" for a substantially discounted amount. But you can bet they will be SOLD, and not destroyed for scrap.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
How many things do they actually cover under warranty these days anyway?
lol.gif



As a tech that does warranty repairs, um, everything?

A lot of these cars will get "fixed" and shipped to states that do not have flood reporting laws. After Katrina, a lot of cars ended up in Quebec after passing through a couple no report US states. Washes the VIN clean again.

The vehicles on dealers lots will get crushed, and will be covered by insurance.
 
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At least with hail-damaged cars, the damage is clearly seen, and it doesn't affect the mechanical-electrical soundness of the vehicle.
With flood damaged vehicles, the problems are hidden pretty well.
Any car from TX or LA, registration history, showing up in a state far away, just avoid. Or inspect very thoroughly if you can.
 
If the insurance company totals the car - the VIN will show up on CarFax. The minor damage cars tend to be the problem as rust forms in the electrical system.
 
I wish there was an organization that could catalog and sell flooded cars of value on consignment for the original owners because I'd love to get a deal on a nice flooder. The owners could probably profit more than writing it off through insurance or simply cut a loss privately.
Some of us would love a great source of project cars and rare models.
 
Originally Posted By: mightymousetech
A lot of these cars will get "fixed" and shipped to states that do not have flood reporting laws. After Katrina, a lot of cars ended up in Quebec after passing through a couple no report US states. Washes the VIN clean again.


Thank you for this bit of information. Very interesting.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
I can all but guarantee you that GM is not going to subsidize a Houston Cadillac dealership that has 150 brand new, flooded $75K vehicles, so they can crush them. That IS NOT going to happen. Those vehicles might be sold "as is" for a substantially discounted amount. But you can bet they will be SOLD, and not destroyed for scrap.


GM insures their own dealerships, just like other OEMs do. You're just making stuff up.
 
GM and other OEMs insure the inventory of their many privately owned dealerships?
Really?
The answer is in the second sentence of your post.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
Anyone purchasing a late model used car in the next year or two, had better do their homework. There are going to be thousands of flood cars from Houston and southeast Texas, that will be shipped out for sale elsewhere to unsuspecting consumers. And you can bet they all won't show up on Car Fax. I can't imagine the problems that could turn up after buying one of these flood cars. While they may be able to clean them up, get them running, and deodorize them, I doubt any car that went through that would ever be the same.

And fast buck artists will be looking to buy them cheap, get them running, and ship them elsewhere for quick sale to unsuspecting customers. Some may very well be all but new. Dealers there no doubt have thousands of new cars that ended up submerged. I think people in Arizona, and the desert Southwest should be especially careful. Because this is the perfect climate to dry them out fast. (110F and 6% humidity). And many people here don't even think about such things, because of the lack of rain in these parts. Buyer beware!


Late model or newer cars would presuppose totaling by the insurance company. That's a transaction that will show up on CarFax.
 
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
I remember reading on a Mopar blog about a restored '68-'70 Hemi Charger(?) worth in the 6 figures that came out of the Hurricane Sandy affected area. Those in the know knew the car had been flooded. Yet, when it appeared on the market for sale again, no mention of anything except it was a restored #1 car in the 6 figures.


Those old cars have few electrical systems, and no computers. Therefore, flood damage simply isn't as detrimental.

The big reason flood cars are a no-no is because of electrical problems.
 
Exactly the opposite, actually.
New or newer cars have more value and are thus less likely to be totaled and more likely to be repaired.
Even if a vehicle is covered as a total loss by an insurer, it'll still go to auction.
The buyer will either crush it, part it or repair and keep or resell it.
I don't think that we should assume that every property/casualty insurer reports anything to Carfax, either.
Finally, the Carfax database may not be all that solid. I've run cars of known history through Carfax and found serious inaccuracies in both chain of ownership and accident damage reported.
I also actually took the time to contact Carfax and point this out.
I received no response from the company. Not an apology nor even an excuse.
Nothing.
I wouldn't place too much reliance upon Carfax as a guide to whether or not any given used car is a good buy or not.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
GM and other OEMs insure the inventory of their many privately owned dealerships?
Really?


Yes, really. That's why I typed it. Because it's a fact, not speculation.
 
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