ICYMI: Water-Damaged Vehicles Could Be Flooding Florida's Resale Market

CLEARWATER, FL — Tampa Bay area residents on the hunt for used vehicles are being warned that waterlogged models may be flooding the market as sellers look to make fast cash by rehabbing rides not quite fit for resale. The Better Business Bureau of West Florida has issued an alert about the potential pitfall used vehicle buyers may encounter.

“With the recent flooding throughout the Southeast, many cars that experience water damage are expected to be cleaned up and resold to unsuspecting customers,” the bureau warned. While these vehicles typically look good and have their floor mats and carpets replaced, serious problems may lurk below the surface, the agency said.

“Buying a car that has been exposed to flood waters can have hidden problems, including mold and mildew, rusty wiring, computer malfunctions, airbags that don’t inflate and more,” the agency said.

Flood-damaged vehicles written off as total losses by insurance companies are meant to be sent to junk yards for disposal. In some cases, however, these vehicles are auctioned off as “salvage” or “flood” vehicles. When that happens, they may be cleaned up on placed back on the market for sale online, through classified ads and in some used car lots, the bureau said.

The problem is so extensive in the Sunshine State, Carfax recently ranked Florida No. 3 for having water-damaged vehicles resold. Carfax’s report includes data from state Department of Motor Vehicles across the country in regard to vehicles that have been reported as flood damaged that are now back on the roads. More than 270,000 vehicles nationwide are believed to have been resold after suffering water damage, Carfax reported. Texas ranked number one in the report with 43,000 vehicles, followed by Pennsylvania with 20,000 vehicles. Florida is estimated to have 17,000 vehicles on the road that have been damaged by water.

“Flooded cars are a buyer’s worst nightmare,” Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax, said in a statement about the rankings. “They’re ticking time bombs because when you least expect it, the electrical, mechanical or safety systems on these cars will fail, often without warning. Consumers everywhere need to be vigilant about checking a vehicle’s history for flood damage and getting a pre-purchase inspection to avoid buying cars that rot from the inside out.”

The Better Business Bureau offers these tips for avoiding the purchase of a water-damaged vehicle:

• Inspect the vehicle – Keep an eye out for water stains, sand or silt under the carpet, mildew and other telltale signs of damage. Be sure to also check the equipment, such as lights, gauges and turn signals to make sure they’re working.
• Look into the vehicle history – Get a vehicle history report based on a vehicle’s VIN and also inspect the title to see if it is stamped “salvage” or “flood damage.”

The bureau also suggests checking into a car dealer’s background. To see if any complaints have been lodged with the Better Business Bureau, visit the agency online.

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