Good advice...but it reads like an ad for Carfax ... typical of a lazy reporter copying a press release.
Always, always, always check the VIN with Car Fax before buying a used car. It may look perfect on the outside but if it has been underwater there is a very good chance the electrical system is shot. And if water got into the exhaust, the catalytic converter and muffler are probably shot as well and the inside of the engine may very well have be corroded.
There is an enormous amount of jonque out there. The steel mines could almost be closed down for several months, while the stock of automotive scrap is used up.
LOTS of reclaimable plastics, aluminum and lead-acid batteries to be salvaged. I see great potential for an electric-power foundry or two to go into operation.
I just returned from ten days of shooting photos in the affected areas and can tell you firsthand of the hundreds of cars sitting in yards with all two or four doors, the trunk and the hood open to speed the drying out process. I was amazed at how little visible damage these vehicles had, but they had been fully submerged in some cases. Give me a minute to figure out how and I will post a link to a photo of one such vehicle. Meanwhile, interested parties can peruse the pictures I took during that time at: http://www.jwparker.com . You'll have to click on a thumbnail in the second row of images for the storm shots. The site is used to display my various shoots and not just for the storm, so you'll have to excuse the other sections.
A major clue and easy to check is the fact the vehicle will be missing it's owners manual. Also flip up the back seat and look for the work order. If it's rotted out, one may deduce that the vehicle was in the soak, wash and spin cycle.
I'll bet you can get a good deal on well-marinated school buses, too.
I thought your insurance company did a title check?
I purchased such a vehicle in 1994: a 1990 Nissan Sentra with 22,000 miles. I drove it for 6 years, sold it to a friend. He drove it for 3 years, at which point it needed some work. He sold it to a guy who fixes up cars. He replaced the clutch and rebuilt the transmission. It's still going, now it has over 100,000 on the clock.
The vehicle was sold to me by a dealer who explained the rebuilt title and the type of flood damage.
But not all flooded vehicles go that route. Plenty of individual operators will be fixing up these cars and selling them on the side, side-stepping the insurance companies, Car Fax, etc.
I always laugh when "they" tell you to have a mechanic check out a car before you buy it. Whatta they think, we're gonna convince a seller to let us have the car for a day or two and pay a mechanic $120/hr (or whatever the heck it is nowadays) to pour over every car we're thinking about buying? No thanks.
Personally, in the future I think I'll just avoid all used cars up through model year 2005.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
I told them it was probably a bad buy but they had both just graduated from college and were starting out without much money. They bought it, and to my surprise, it never gave them any trouble. Apparantly it can be done if done correctly.
Ebay shyster ping
Anytime one buys a used car you are taking a chance. I've bought my share over the years and even if they are checked by a "mechanic" and are not flood damaged they can still have significant problems. That's why I buy them new.
There are going to be a whole bunch of pissed off used car buyers in the future from these flood cars. They'll even have a "60 minutes" piece for sure.
Everytime a section of the country floods, we get this "warning" from the press. Lazy reporters, dusting off an old story.
Bush's Fault.
There will be a boatload of flood cars on sale all over the country. Many years ago, a friend of mine got a "real deal" on a 74 Caprice, only to find it smelled like rotten fish whenever it rained.
Some? And while we're at it I'd like a list of the "scrupulous" dealers. Never mind I had it right here on this page before I started writing.