The tragedy that the Northeast experienced this past week courtesy of Hurricane Sandy was devastating with the effects of the storm expected to last for months. Even if you don’t live on the East Coast and were directly affected by Sandy that doesn’t mean you may not fall victim to Hurricane Sandy scams, especially if you are buying a used car in the near future.

Over the next few weeks, thousands of cars will be totaled out by insurance companies. Some will be reduced to sheet metal and scrap. Others will be sold to junkyards. And many of them will find their way back into the used car market, especially in states far removed from the East Coast where unsuspecting consumers will not think twice about whether or not their car may have been a victim of Hurricane Sandy.

Why You Should Never Buy A Flood Damaged Car?

A flood damaged car can be repaired and cleaned to resemble a good buy, but the dangers of buying a flood damaged car are imminent  When a car sustains major water damage the electrical systems of the car are usually irreparable. Yes, they may work for your initial test drive, but eventually these systems will fail to the point they cannot be fixed.

Also, flood damage voids any warranty. If you purchase a used vehicle with a warranty and problems arise that can be contributed to prior flood damage your warranty is useless and you are, pardon the crudeness, screwed.

How to Check For Flood Damage?

Used car dealerships look for the best deal in order to get make the most money they can from a transaction. So, if a car looks decent and salable  then they won’t think twice about purchasing it, but that doesn’t mean they thoroughly investigated the car’s history. When you start shopping for a used car look for the following tell-tale signs of flood damage.

• Do you smell mildew? Mildew and mold are hard to completely erase. Walk away from any car that smells damp.
• Check for dirt. The interior of the car may be cleaned, vacuumed and appear unscathed, but investigate further. Check the crevices of the trunk and around the lights for trapped dirt that is harder to wipe away.
• Rust is another indicator of water damage. If you are considering buying a car that is only a couple years old, rust on the body should be absent. If you see rust, you are probably dealing with a water damaged vehicle.
• Check the title. Ask to see the title. Where did the car originate from? Trace the transactions. How did your car end up in Houston when the original owner lived in New Jersey?

Shop Smart and Don’t Fall In Love at First Sight

There will be a lot of deals over the next couple months on the used car lots. Some because of Hurricane Sandy and some because of the year end model sales. Either way, don’t fall in love at first sight with your dream car. Keep an open-mind and ask the right questions to make sure Hurricane Sandy doesn’t make your car buying experience a nightmare.

Are you in the market for a new car? How will you protect yourself from flood damaged car scams?