flood-damaged "new" car

thomsbrain

Lifer
Dec 4, 2001
18,148
1
0
I ran across a 2006 Accord sedan EX-L V6 6MT today with 390 miles (!) for $18K at a used-car lot. The guy's story is that there was a flood at a dealer's lot, and the guy bought like 20 cars from them, and this is one of the last of the batch.

So, would AT ever consider a deal like this? I've already decided not to risk it, but I'm curious what AT'ers think.

More info:

Out of curiosity, I called the original dealer in question. They did have a fresh-water flood in late 2006, and wrote off a bunch of cars, but of course the guy on the phone couldn't tell me what happened to them after the insurance company took them away. He did say the water was high enough to cause minor damage to some Ridgelines, and they were able to fix and sell those. So you can figure maybe 16 inches of water. He commented off the record that the price was "really good, but I'd take it to a mechanic before I bought it."

Obviously, this is a stellar value for a "new" car (more than $10,000 off the MSRP). But god knows where this car has been for the past two years, and I'd question whether the manufacturer's warranty would cover a salvage-titled car. On a car like this, you'd REALLY want a warranty. It also seems like there's a lot of stuff that might have survived long enough for a test drive or two, but would still be compromised in the long run, like belts, hoses, radiator, clutch, and things that could rust.
 

sniperruff

Lifer
Apr 17, 2002
11,644
2
0
you'd have a hard time re-selling a car with a salvage title. also consider that the brand new 2008 accord just came out, so that should at least knock a couple thousand off a brand new accord with a good title.

i'd just buy a used car.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
Never never never get a flood car. Water has gotten in a good majority of the wiring harnesses and probably corroded them. There is a reason that an insurance company decided that the cost of repairing the car was not economically feasible.
 

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
76
no way, you can get an unmolested new '07 4 banger for that much if they're still left.
you'd be effectively throwing out reliability just to get power.
 
Mar 10, 2005
14,647
2
0
no way pay almost $20k for a car that was written off after being flooded in 1 1/2 feet of water. the dealer only paid a few hundred for the car, so offer him a thousand.
 

jagec

Lifer
Apr 30, 2004
24,442
6
81
$18k?

I'd do maybe $6k, IF everything checked out, and there were no problems whatsoever that I could detect.
 

DarkThinker

Platinum Member
Mar 17, 2007
2,822
0
0
Originally posted by: jagec
$18k?

I'd do maybe $6k, IF everything checked out, and there were no problems whatsoever that I could detect.

I would only consider that if the price was absolutely cheap and if I wasn't planning on reselling it.

After getting a good mechanic to give it a solid exam, I would maybe do $8k, only just because this is a 6 spd V6 accord :)
 

GoatMonkey

Golden Member
Feb 25, 2005
1,253
0
0
Shorted wiring. Mold. Who knows how long it was sitting under water. It could have water in all of the fluid lines. Is it in an area where it could have potentially froze after water was in it? Expanding water could destroy lots of things.

Don't waste your money on this car.

 

MegaVovaN

Diamond Member
May 20, 2005
4,131
0
0
Originally posted by: GoatMonkey
Shorted wiring. Mold. Who knows how long it was sitting under water. It could have water in all of the fluid lines. Is it in an area where it could have potentially froze after water was in it? Expanding water could destroy lots of things.

Don't waste your money on this car.

qft