Is buying a water damaged vehicle a bad idea?

Question

I'm looking for a new vehicle. I found one for a good price, but it has a salvage title, only due to water damage, The car runs good and is ready for the road. What problems might occur in the future? Is it okay now or will i have to worry about some underlying problem? The Car is a new 06 and only has 146 Miles on it.
thanks!

Answer 1

If its running good now more than likely it will not have any problems because of this incident besides when the weather gets hot you could smell mildew and the trade in value won't be good (because of the salvage title.) Also, down the road your interior could be more brittle and a padded dash might crack. I think most of your of (if any) problems would be cosmetic.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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RE:
Is buying a water damaged vehicle a bad idea?
I'm looking for a new vehicle. I found one for a good price, but it has a salvage title, only due to water damage, The car runs good and is ready for the road. What problems might occur in the future? Is it okay now or will i have to worry about some underlying problem? The Car is a new 06 and...

Answer 4

Water Damage Car

Answer 5

1 get a complete WRITTEN list of the 'damage'
2 check with your state for requirements on titling a 'salvage' title. in Michigan, you need to show proof that you repaired or had repaired the damage that caused the vehicle to become a write-off, and you will possibly have to pay for an independent check of the car to have it certified as road worthy or whatever your state calls it
3 keep this in mind, often, when a flood happens, and there are MANY huge claims, the insurance company writes a check for the ENTIRE inventory of the dealer's lot, and then they recover some of that money by selling all of these cars through settlement companies. you often can get a 100% undamaged car this way, but you might get one that was under 12 ft. of water, although this should be evident (water stains, smell, etc.)
4 have this vehicle checked by a dealer of that make and have them give you a rundown on what is wrong with the car.
5 after all that, buy it! change the oil and transmission fluid and enjoy the deal of a lifetime! you won't get a warranty (in most cases, however, there are federal laws stating that the manufacturer must prove that the failure of a covered part was due to the same cause that made the car salvage in the first place)

Answer 6

I would carefully consider a water damage car. I would at least run the VIN in www.carfax.com and verify the history.
Problems you may encounter over time. Wheel bearings prematurely wearing out. Suspension parts, bushing. Any metal parts that were submerged probably will wear out prematurely. Not to mention potential electrical problems. I would weigh these calculated risks against what you are saving over the price of a new car. Also find out what the loan value of the vehicle is and what insurance coverage you have. If the vehicle was been totaled out your insurance coverage may be influenced.
Personally I would not buy a damaged car.

Answer 7

You probably are looking at a Katrina car. DO NOT BUY IT! Most of the parts and electrical gear in cars does not mix well with water. This car had enough damage for an insurance company total it (usually at least 75%), so it is not like a little water stained the seats. A salvage title also makes for even higher depreciation, and makes it very hard to sell down the road. Chances are even the most competant shop missed something, and then you have a war deciding who gets the honor of fixing it. Get a nice used car instead.

Answer 8

If the deal is really REALLY good it may be something to drive for a few months or a year.

Things to expect:
Mildew and mildew moldy smells
foggy windows
rust
electical problems that just keep cropping up
NO HELP FROM A DEALER on guarantee issues, it has a salvage title, ie junk, ie manufacture released from liability.

Also when buying newer cars, cheap with few miles.. check out http://www.carfax.com or any VIN search database. Also in the USA most dealers for little or nothing can search that VIN in their database and can tell you some history.

See in some states you can bring in a running salvage vehicle and when they register it in the new state they get a clean title and the next buyer gets a POS.

I wouldn't pay over 25-30% or the blue book on a salvage car and I definitely wouldn't keep it very long.

Happy holidays and good hunting

Answer 9

Flood Damaged Cars

Answer 10

It's a TERRIBLE idea! Unless ALL of the car's electronic components were replaced with new you WILL have problems in the future. Keep in mind also that most factory warranties are voided by a salvage title.

If it's due to salt water, it should be sent to the crusher. Salt water will cause substantial irreversible damage. That's the reason that most "Katrina Cars" were ordered destroyed.

If you're paying more than 20¢ on the dollar for the car ($4,000 for a $20,000 car) it is NOT worth the risk.

Answer 11

NO, NO,NO,NO,NO, Water damage is worse than the car being wrecked!!! You would not believe all the Headackes you may have. Antthing and everthing could fail, engine, transmission, electrical,Never buy a water damaged car especially a salvage title water damage car. Buy a 2- 3 year old low mileage non lease car! Honda or Toyota!!!!