Originally Posted By: spasm3
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Under hood electronic stuff doesn't worry me. It's weather protected on modern cars.
Interior stuff does. Corroded connectors and circuit boards that continue to degrade and fail randomly. Mold that grows in carpet and seats. Rust that starts in unprotected floors.
I know of guys that have had an air box drain fail on their Mercedes, leading to freshwater flooding inside the car, and eventual, extensive computer and systems failures.
The cars were totaled by insurance.
Cheaper than endless troubleshooting and parts replacement.
+1 Had a friend that bought an auction minivan, turned out it was a flood car. One thing after another. A/C compressor, switches etc. Window motors one at a time, wiper motors, sliding door motors. All electrical. He really did not work on cars, so it cost him a lot in service. Maybe if you have time on your hands and you work on cars, you could save some, not worth the headache.
You have to becareful of used parts on online now, as they can be flood parts as well. Better to go to a the local u-pullit lot outside of flood zones.
If you can't work on the car yourself you should definitely not buy a flood car, or any salvage car. The economics don't work out in your favor if you have to pay someone to fix it.