Hurricane Harvey Aftermath (vehicles)

[TrainChaser]

All of us who are planning on acquiring a van or other vehicle in the relatively near future will need to embed Hurricane Harvy in our brains.  All of those drowned vehicles will be hauled out of state and sold in other parts of the country.

I've never seen a flood-damaged vehicle.  Are there certain things to look for?

 

[sometimesido]

found some articles/resources for you.

https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/beware-of-flood-damaged-cars-196494

https://www.carfax.com/press/resources/flooded-cars

http://www.dmv.org/buy-sell/used-cars/avoiding-flood-damaged-car.php


"Cars that have undergone damage from a flood are frequently considered a total loss and, if refurbished, will carry with them a salvage title."

 

[Neal]

You have to be really careful. A friend bought a 1 year old cadillac and had a hard time because he was having constant breakdown issues. It was actually the dealer who he bought the car from realized it was from Louisiana and went through Katrina. My friend was really lucky because the dealer took back car and let him get another one. Watch out for those as is warranties. This all happened in Columbus Ohio.

 

[closeanuf]

Flood cars are a real NIGHTMARE!  Water gets in all the wiring connectors that have been in water.  I have been buying and driving vehicles for as long as there have been salvage titles (25 or 30 years), but I will not mess with a flood vehicle because there is no end to the problems.  I prefer hail damaged vehicles because usually they just have dents and i can live with that.

Also be aware that there are estimates that there could be as many as 500,000 flood damaged vehicles in Texas and Louisiana.  What that means to the rest of us is that used car prices have increased also.  All those people who lost their vehicles will be trying to replace them and those who only had liability insurance will be looking for cheap vehicles.  Another thing people don't consider is all the buyers from Mexico who scour the Southwest buying cheap cars and haul them back to Mexico.  Drive any Interstate in Texas and see all the tow bar caravans heading south.  There a lot of articles on what to look for in vehicles that may be flood vehicles.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I saw a news report that they now estimate that as many as 1 million vehicles were destroyed in the flooding.

This is going to drive the cost of used vehicles up all over the country, as the law of supply and demand kicks in with a vengeance!

People in Texas who've lost their vehicle will need to buy something, anything, to be able to get back and forth to work.

 

[TrainChaser]

Oh, the prices shouldn't go up TOO much... they'll send all of the new ones to TX and the flood damaged ones to everyplace else.  

What are the more obvious signs of flood damage?  High-water marks?

 

[TrainChaser]

Oh, the prices shouldn't go up TOO much... they'll send all of the new ones to TX and the flood damaged ones to everyplace else.  

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Oh, the prices shouldn't go up TOO much... they'll send all of the new ones to TX and the flood damaged ones to everyplace else.  

Not everyone in Texas will be able to afford a new vehicle.  ESPECIALLY since so many plants and businesses were destroyed by the flooding. I'm going to guess that many people will need to use the insurance money they get for their destroyed vehicles to live on.

I expect that many dealers in Texas will travel to other states, buy used vehicles there, and bring them back to Texas for resale.