Another totalled car? ADVICE PLEASE ... Flood related

[SkylineR35]

Ok so I don't know if any of you remember but on Nov.11 I totalled my 240sx avoiding some deer. Well I got $4400 from my insurance and we were able to get it to be a no fault accident. So my insurance stayed the same and I came out better than before. I decided to look for a Eagle Talon TSI AWD. After looking at a few cars over a month or so I found a nice one up in Petaluma. So I made a trip up there with my dad on Friday and we bought it. Got the title signed over and said we'd pick the car up the next day. Well we called and the guy's house (10 miles north of where the car was) had flooded and he didn't know about the car. We find out today the car which was at his smog/auto repair shop had been flooded. He said the water line was only a little above the bottoms of the seats. No water when he got there. What would you guys do??? I am thinking about getting the car and asking for some cash back to fix the interior but I don't know. If it gets totalled through the insurance I won't get all my money back. Paid $3530... Oh and it ran a 13.4 back in may. Fast and now dead. Please guys I really don't know what to do!! Thanks! Here are some "glam shots" from Friday.

[G352NV]

I can tell you the water isnt a big deal. Tear the carpet out and let it air out and then put new in. BUT its going to take work! Tell him to claim it through his insurance on his shop.

[G35_TX]

Originally Posted by G352NV

I can tell you the water isnt a big deal. Tear the carpet out and let it air out and then put new in. BUT its going to take work! Tell him to claim it through his insurance on his shop.

Not a big deal? If it was just under the seats, then my question is did water get in the car itself? Because the ECU, and all the electric components are sometimes seat level on cars. You will have a nightmare of electrical issues if water did get in the car itself. I personally would not buy that car now. Get your money back. It's not your fault the car got flooded.

Plus IMHO I would have not paid that much for a DSM.

[jsh198]

To the best of my knowledge, the risk of loss stays with the seller until the car is delivered. Therefore, I think you should be able to get out of the deal because the seller can no longer deliver the same (non-flooded) car that you both negotiated. I would just try to get your money back.

[G352NV]

Yeah one way or another Im sure it will be taken care of. BUT like I said its not really that big of a deal as long as it didnt reach the ECU. Ive seen cars in the bodyshop all the time that have flood damage.

[Andy2434]

Hmmm . . . It might be well worth your time investigating the water damage and renegotiating for a better deal, if you haven't already done so. I trust that everything works out to your favor. Good luck!

[SkylineR35]

I am hopefully going to check the car again tomorrow. He said he would be pulling the carpet and checking the damages. There was mud ont he carpets but no water when he got there this morning. Anything to check for?

[ABQ_G35]

Flood damage can be hidden sometimes, and will show up down the road, corrosion problems, etc, if you are serious about buying this car, please have a thorough inspection done by another party

[6MTzer]

Originally Posted by ABQ_G35

Flood damage can be hidden sometimes, and will show up down the road, corrosion problems, etc, if you are serious about buying this car, please have a thorough inspection done by another party

There are companies that specialize in flood car restoration. Maybe you could deduct it from the price.

Be careful, electrical problems and rust are almost inevitable in a flood car.

[SkylineR35]

BUMP.. advice because I am most likely going to look it over tomorrow. I need to know how I can solve it personally. I don't know ofany flood specialists or anything.

[6MTzer]

Originally Posted by SkylineR35

BUMP.. advice because I am most likely going to look it over tomorrow. I need to know how I can solve it personally. I don't know ofany flood specialists or anything.

Bottom line, my advice would be try to get your money back. There are other cars out there. You did not set out to buy a flood car, don't let the "either effect" of a new car sway you.
Do a Google search on flood cars and you will see the opinion of Consumer Reports and others. It is not promising.
I was in Pa. for hurricane Agnus and saw first hand what happens.

That's my opinion.
.

[kidtronix]

I'm iffy on the performance of electrics after flood damage. But I can tell you from experience...you're going to want to rip out the whole damn interior and clean it a couple times over. Steam clean the cloth surfaces and if you have leather, remove the leather from the surfaces. You may have mold already growing on the backside of the leather panels and there is certainly just as much of a likelihood that you have mold growing elsewhere IE: under the carpet and in any foam that is touching mold growth. If you didnt know, mold is very bad for you.

Oh, and I failed to mention your HVAC system too. You're going to want that to be nearly spotless so you wont have a recurrence of mold growth and so you won't have to worry about that musty wet smell permeating your interior further down the line.

Ensuring a flooded vehicle's cleanliness before making it your daily driver is a pain in the a$$!!!

[SkylineR35]

Ok so this morning we heard from the guy that the car won't even start. He is going to turn it into his insurance for his business. I'm worried because I don't think they will give him nearly as much money as I paid. The KBB is 1500 but I paid 3530 because he had replaced a ton of parts in the last few months. I think he should jsut give us our cash back and then get the money from his insurance. I'm not sure how to handle that. But oh well I hope it works out.

[Msedanman]

Originally Posted by G35_TX

Not a big deal? If it was just under the seats, then my question is did water get in the car itself? Because the ECU, and all the electric components are sometimes seat level on cars. You will have a nightmare of electrical issues if water did get in the car itself. I personally would not buy that car now. Get your money back. It's not your fault the car got flooded.

Plus IMHO I would have not paid that much for a DSM.

Yes under seats and some on the floor of the trunk too.

You'd best check the car out totally first b4 taking possession.
C.

[Hotrod]

Originally Posted by SkylineR35

Ok so I don't know if any of you remember but on Nov.11 I totalled my 240sx avoiding some deer. Well I got $4400 from my insurance and we were able to get it to be a no fault accident. So my insurance stayed the same and I came out better than before. I decided to look for a Eagle Talon TSI AWD. After looking at a few cars over a month or so I found a nice one up in Petaluma. So I made a trip up there with my dad on Friday and we bought it. Got the title signed over and said we'd pick the car up the next day. Well we called and the guy's house (10 miles north of where the car was) had flooded and he didn't know about the car. We find out today the car which was at his smog/auto repair shop had been flooded. He said the water line was only a little above the bottoms of the seats. No water when he got there. What would you guys do??? I am thinking about getting the car and asking for some cash back to fix the interior but I don't know. If it gets totalled through the insurance I won't get all my money back. Paid $3530... Oh and it ran a 13.4 back in may. Fast and now dead. Please guys I really don't know what to do!! Thanks! Here are some "glam shots" from Friday.

Since you paid for the car and the title was signed over to you, it became your responsibility to get the car home. If you left the car there why should it be his problem. The only way i could see it being his problem is if he used / moved the car from it was left when you bought it.

I know this is not the news you would have like to hear, but if he gives you money back you will be very lucky IMO.

Hotrod