A Byproduct of Natural Disaster: A Spate of Reconditioned Title-Washed Vehicles Hit the Market.

[TheBlackAdder]

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There are migratory paths taken for vehicles that are damaged in hurricanes and flood events.

They seem to find their way to Texas and then to Colorado or another state that washes the titles. Then, these vehicles migrate East or are sold on on-line auction houses or listing services, often without a CarFax report that indicates the vehicles were salvaged. Some sites will offer a CarFax-like service that might miss these reports. This is not a sales post for this service, but a reality with auto auctions and how buyers are duped or misled into buying vehicles that will develop electrical or mechanical problems later on.

In a week or two, vehicles from Houston will start hitting the resale market.

This is something that happens after every disaster, and these vehicles have been in circulation to the point where no car can really be trusted, unless you can be assured of its history. Cars from prior disasters are placed for resale, bought and then resold by unhappy owners, going back on sale for the next unsuspecting purchaser to buy it.

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[dalton99a]

1. It's going to be a mess

http://www.freewayinsurance.com/blog/auto-insurance/8-signs-you-may-be-looking-at-a-flood-damaged-vehicle/

Hurricane Floyd (1999) damaged 75,000 vehicles and more than half were put back out on the road.

Tropical Storm Allison (2001) damaged more than 95,000 vehicles by the most extensive tropical storm in U.S. history.

Hurricane Ivan (2004) – Left more than 100,000 cars submerged in floodwaters throughout the Southeast.

Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Wilma (2005) – claimed more than 600,000 cars across the Gulf Coast. Many of these cars still are showing up for sale around the country.

Hurricane Ike (2008) – more than 100,000 cars in Texas and Louisiana, from Galveston and Houston over to Baton Rouge, were left underwater.

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

[Iggo]

5. I remember "Katrina Cars."

I didn't realize there were (potentially) that many of them.

[Archae]

2. This happens after every major flooding disaster, my sister got screwed by a car dealer that way.

Turned out the car she bought was in the 1993 great flood, and had water damage.

The dealer eventually wound up going to jail.

[TheBlackAdder]

6. One tip off is that a dealer will sell two $10K cars, a good one with a CarFax and one without it.

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These firms buy bulk reports, so it only costs a dealer a few dollars to provide one with the vehicle.

Yet, the unscrupulous ones won't offer them or will try and steer you away from the need of one.


I'm in the market for a car for my son, and we saw this cherry Jeep Commander for sale. The CarFax revealed that it drove into an interstate guardrail and suffered major damage and was rear-ended twice! They did a really good job at repairing the vehicle, and I'm sure I would have noticed something if I had it on a lift or crawled under it, but now car panels are mostly replaced and not filled. Many dealerships will place damaged cars over a water puddle, grease or oil spot, or on clay or a stone surface to dissuade people from crawling under it for a better inspection. If you notice these tricks--run away from that place, as they are less than trustworthy.

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[marybourg]

3. We don need no damn regalashuns!

[cloudbase]

4. Gay Buick/GMC

in Dickinson lost their entire inventory, as well as the cars that were in for maintenance.

[Lee-Lee]

7. On the bright side this may help the auto industry

Layoffs from slumping sales were already being started across the industry. This should in a few months have a lot of people buying new cars as insurance pays off.

[TheBlackAdder]

12. Perhaps, but I think that so many people are so hard it, that money might end up used elsewhere.

[SonofDonald]

8. Most of these cars

Will have some abnormal issues, electrical problems and such if not blatant mechanical problems.

They are usually full of silt inside the body panels, another thing to look out for, thump on a lower panel and it should sound hollow, if not move on.

[GaYellowDawg]

9. I bought a new car last weekend and found out

The car I traded in was a salvage title. It came as a complete surprise to me. I got a whole $300 on the trade in and felt lucky to get that. The dealership couldn't even resell the POS. They'll have to put it up for auction.

I felt like a complete sucker. Just completely embarrassed. I had the car for 4 years and it was a constant drip, drip, drip for repairs. Oxygen sensor. Window motor failure. Gasket failures. It wasn't enough for me to get another car until this past week and I'd finally had enough.

[TheBlackAdder]

10. In NJ, the DMV runs a check and will tell you at the counter there's a problem when registering it.

[Phentex]

11. That's a shame...

I looked for a used car for my son a few years ago and it could be difficult to tell what happened to some cars. One looked great but had a foul odor that we could not get past.

Glad you got out of yours!