Flooded cars from Hurricane Helene could be headed to used car lots

Thousands of cars have suffered flood damage from Hurricane Helene, from Florida to North Carolina. How to make sure you don't end up buying one in a few months at a used car lot.

[Joe-nee]

Yep. Watching the news and seeing all those cars with water above the hoods first thing that came to my mind that's gonna be on a used car lot sometime next summer being sold at a great price 🙄

[yli]

I bought a salvaged 02 Toyota Sienna from Hurricane Katrina. She's now 22 years old and runs like a top. Best $8K I ever spent.

[jamesmccrea]

They should be heading to the junk yard

[JameyLane]

Be careful they can clear check engine lights right before sale. It will take the car a couple of diagnostic runs to show the dashboard "check engine light" again if it's been "cleared" by a scan tool.

[artsteadman]

Many will be retitled in Missouri, made to look like 1 owner, because Missouri only charges $15 to retitle

[JameyLane]

They never get it all out of the bottom part of the trunk. Easiest place to check always has been.

[boristheamerican]

In Illinois they wont title cars from Texas or Florida.

[ronin]

Fresh water= let it dry it will be fine as long as it’s dry .. salt water = will conduct and burn out computers causing the car to go crazy. It will destroy the bearings and rubbers under the car

[rontheoracle]

Sounds like you're talking about used ICE cars. As for flooded electric vehicles (EVs) though, the situation seems to be even much worse than this.

[JameyLane]

Never buy a car without looking at the Carfax. Where has the vehicle been? These areas? Red flag.

[TDS]

As always. Those vehicles should not be allowed for sale. LEMONS.

[chrisregister]

Probably better to part them out since we're going to have a dock worker strike and parts will be scarce

[erickriebel]

NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. MILLIONS OF UNITS NOT THOUSANDS

[a]

I have a 2006 Nissan Altima beater that I bought in 2010, it just won't die. But on any given day, it might be its last. When Toyota announced that starting in 2025 Camry's will only be available as a hybrid, I bought a new 2024 for $31K out the door. 44.6 MPG according to computer on a recent highway trip. Used cars are so expensive now that buying new just made more sense for me.

[petercook]

Id love to get some flood damages cars, they are a great discount if you know what you are doing. The average buyer doesnt know what they are doing and have no business screwing with flood dmaaged cars and they cant doanything themselves.

[JameyLane]

Shouldn't reek of mold....OR air freshener.

[davidwilliams]

Should be a common sense law if a car is totalled in a flood just be immediately shipped to nearest junk yard. Though who dint know gov dont have enough employees to enforce much of anything an heartless greed people love to make a buck off of a loss an loss gets passed on to someone....

[triedandtruefoo]

That dudes had more work done than your average California housewife

[NickyM]

Never buy a used car from TX or FL and never buy used trucks from New England...

[alfredmiles]

Right behind the other ones from Katrina