Avoid Buying a Flood-Damaged Car

With hurricanes and other big rain storms in recent years causing serious flooding from Vermont to Oregon, a potential issue arises for used car buyers even if they live nowhere near the floods. If you are a used-car buyer, be careful not to buy a car that has been flooded.

After 2011’s Hurricane Irene, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), Des Plaines, Ill., calculated from its insurance company members that nearly 11,800 claims were filed for auto damage from flooding. Unscrupulous car wholesalers often will ship flooded cars to another state where they hope to avoid admitting they have been in a flood.

Flooding can harm a car’s electronic, mechanical, or other systems with potentially dire consequences like disabling air bags. It may affect the interior lights, the audio system, or the climate control. But much of this damage is not obvious in a cursory inspection once the car has been cleaned up.

To make sure you don’t fall victim to such a scam, here’s what to do if you are shopping for a used car:

*Check government and non-commercial sources. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, Washington, D.C., collects data from all states about vehicles that have been declared a total loss or have had their titles “branded” otherwise, including for flooding. Costs range from $2.00 to $6.99 for each vehicle you check. The National Insurance Crime Bureau provides a free check by Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

*Check commercial vehicle history services. If no problems show up on those databases, check with Carfax and AutoCheck, which get reports from insurers, police departments, and other sources about accidents and disasters, including flooding.

* Check the vehicle for signs of damage, from flooding or other causes. Pay a professional mechanic to look over the car and be alert to evidence that the car’s condition is not what it initially appears to be.

 If the car you’re eyeing checks out, come to SIU Credit Union for your auto loan. We provide affordable financing for every budget.