In the aftermath of a severe flood, you must brace yourself for a torrent of another kind – that of flooded cars for sale. These are perilous times for buying a second-hand car. There is a good chance that the second-hand car you are considering could be flood-damaged and you should be careful to look out for warning signs of damage.    

Follow Your Instinctual Senses 

Your eyes and even your sense of smell can point out tell-tale signs of a flooded car. In the aftermath of a major flood, you should take a close look if you are out in the market looking for a second-hand car.  

Look for signs of salt, sand, mildew, and water stains in all places inside the vehicle. Be sure to check out the engine, luggage, and under the carpets. It would be best to get a mechanic to inspect the car for you.

They are in a better position to catch possible undisclosed flood damage to the vehicle that you are considering.   

Check Out The Documentation 

Besides your senses, documentation can also be of great help. You can rely on a service like AutoCheck or CarFax to check up on the car history for warning signs. VIN check is a great service that the National Insurance Crime Bureau offers for free.  

The free Flood Check by CarFax will tell you whether or not there is a salvage or flood title to the car from your state DMV. It will also check up on reports by insurance companies that declared it a total loss and can check on reports of damage from auto repair shops.   

Shortcomings Of Databases 

Do remember that the absence of flood damage indication in these reports does not necessarily mean that the car was never flooded. For example, if the car was not fully insured, then there may be no report in the databases of flood damage.  

It could be as simple as carrying out repairs without filing a claim. In this case, there is a strong chance that the databases will turn up nothing. There is also a sneaky tactic called title washing where scammers take their flood-damaged vehicles to other states where they can switch VINs and have their cars retitled.  

The purpose of this fraud is to prevent reports of flood damage from appearing in databases. Remember, it is illegal to offer a flood-damaged car for sale without mentioning all its defects (including flood damage). However, there are plenty of unscrupulous actors out there who will take their chances with the law.   

Bottom Line 

How do avoid flooded cars for sale? The tactics stated above can keep you relatively safe and one step ahead of fraudsters.