On Your Side: Tips to avoid buying flood-damaged vehicles
CARFAX estimates more than 50,000 cars were flooded in the recent rainstorms in California. Historically, some of those cars will be cleaned up and sold to unsuspecting buyers by scammers. Those flood-damaged cars can have a whole host of mechanical problems that are not only costly, but are a safety risk.
"Those flooded cars are literally rotting from the inside out, so their electrical system may be compromised," said CARFAX Executive Editor Patrick Olsen. "Their safety systems may be compromised. They may find over time that the engine breaks down much sooner than it would under normal circumstances. It's a fairly large problem and after every major storm, we see it happen again and again and again."
So what can you do to ensure you don't but a flooded car that has just dried out and been cleaned up?
Have a mechanic check out any used car. They can check for:
- Fogged-up headlights and taillights
- Frayed or brittle wires under the hood
- Mud in the glovebox
- Moldy car smell
- Carpet that doesn't match the floormats
And it's not just the California storms we need to worry about. When we have major hurricanes in other states, scammers will often clean those cars up and ship them out to states like California, where drivers may not be as cautious about buying flooded cars.
Also, check the CARFAX report. If the car is reported flooded to insurance, law enforcement or the DMW, that would show up on the report.
