AutoSanity.com

With all of the flooding in the Midwest this spring and summer, the used car market is bound to be awash (no pun intended) in used cars for sale that have seen some high water. It was estimated that 200,000 cars were damaged during hurricaine Katrina, and many of those were fraudulently “reclaimed” and sold back to the public. It’s interesting to note that many of the Katrina cars found a new home in Bolivia - car registrations went up by 11% right after Kartina in that South American Country.

A flooded car is a bad deal.

As a used car shopper today, you must be extra vigilant (especially those in those states that had all the flooding) to make sure that you don’t wind up owning a waterlogged vehicle. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) offers a free VIN (vehicle identity number) check to see if the vehicle you’re looking at has been recorded as water damaged. Of course, many cars never get reported as having been flood damaged, so it is the buyer’s duty to be certain that the vehicle of interest is as sound as possible.

Here are some clues to look for.

• Gravel or sand in the car - especially in places feet could never reach. Place your hand up under the dashboard (careful as there could be sharp steel up there) and feel for sand or silt. Most sellers would never clean up here, and if the car was flooded, there surely would be something left here by flowing water.
• Electrical problems with the car. If the car is pretty recent, it would be strange to have one or more electrical maladies present. Maybe an electric window, mirror or seat adjuster has quit. It could be chance, however if there are more than one non-working electric items, be suspicious.
• Is the car priced way below its KBB value? Unless it has some other obvious defects, or it is a particularly un-wanted type of vehicle, then a way-too-low price could be a clue here.
• Too much air freshener used. Are there 6 green air freshener “trees” hanging about the interior? Does it smell heavy with perfume inside? The seller could be trying to cover up a musty smell that is caused by water damage. The best way to find the real odor of a car is to leave the windows up on a hot day, then hop inside when it’s good and hot. You’ll also be able to tell if they’ve tried to cover up nicotine smells, too.
• Is the car from a flood-ravaged state? Duh - this one may be obvious but sometimes a buyer won’t put two and two together until it’s too late.

Always be a cautious buyer and do your due dilligence before you hand over your cash.