Buying a flood damaged car can be a costly mistake. Unscrupulous sellers can make a car which has been totaled through flood damage look good as new with a fresh coat of paint and new upholstery.
For the average buyer, it can be difficult to tell whether a car is flood damaged at first glance. You can protect yourself against these cars by being aware of the tell-tale signs of water damage.
Every year, tens of thousands of cars are flood damaged, and more than half of those end up back on the road. Unsurprisingly, this problem is magnified in regions which are vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms.
But as scammers will often move cars between states to hide flood titles, anyone buying a used car needs to be aware of the signs of flood damage.