Hi All,
I'm looking for opinions here...

I found a loaded 2003 for sale at a steal price, but it turns out to have a flood title.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=197785161

I would normally avoid a flood car, but the price is _really_ good, and the dealer (of course) claims there was no damage to the car, and is giving a 3yr/38Kmi aftermarket warranty.

If I didn't find this car, I'm looking at 6th gens costing $7K-$8K more. That's a big enough difference to make me look into this harder.

Checking online, the warranty company is in good standing with the BBB, and the warranty covers drivetrain, brakes, suspension, steering, cooling, AC, electrical (a major area of concern for me), SUV components (I know, but I'm listing for completeness), rental reimbursement and roadside assistance.

It all looks good on paper, but when I called the warranty company, they refer all customers to the dealer about coverage details. The car salesperson I spoke to seemed to lack knowledge about the warranty plan. That wasn't good sign.

The car is about a 1.5hr drive from me, so I asked to leave a deposit, and drive it to the shop that works on my car to look for rust/electrical problems. They refused citing "bad experiences with customers taking the cars for extended periods". 2nd warning. OTOH, they offered for me to bring anyone (including a mechanic from the shop I was driving to) to their lot, and they could use the dealers lift and tools.

In short, should I even bother with this car, or spend the (hefty) difference on a 6th gen? I plan to keep the car 5 years. At the price I can get, I'm not concerned about resale value, but I'd hate to be dealing with niggling water-damage related problems over that time, or heaven forbid see rust show up.

Besides electrical problems (supposedly covered under the warranty) and rust, what other major problems could come from a flood damaged car?

Under what kind of circumstances would an insurance company write-off a car as flood, then have it turn out to not have any damage as the dealer claimed? Wouldn't they have been more thorough?

Is their stance on not allowing me to take it to "my" shop a deal-breaker, or is it balanced by their invitation to bring a mechanic and use their lift?

Any opinions appreciated!

 

I have been in the car "biz" for years. I would tell anyone considering a salvaged/flood damage vehicle to avoid them like the plague. These units can be cleaned up really well to hide the actual damage, but 2 things that are difficult to hide are the spare tire storage area. And the seat belts. Pull the belt out all the way and you should be able see water stains or even mildew. As far as ESCs go they are pretty much worthless. The only way I would recommend one is if it were with the cars manufacturer, IE: a Nissan warranty on a Max or a Honda warranty on an Accord. Step up and shell out a few more bucks and get a clean titled ride! It's only money, you can't take it with you! Hope this helps.

 

I have to agree. remember the saying you get what you pay for. I know you said retail wasn't that important, but a non clean title pretty much makes it worthless in the market. better safe than sorry. let another poor sucker deal with that one and buy the peace of mind with the extra bills, not just a clean titled car.

 

yep...seen many of those flood cars go into nissan...i really dont reccomend it...usually a bag of problems.

 

run like hell

 

run like the wind

 

run like a cheetah in the safari

 

run like a gazelle in the savannah

 

run like an Oregonian headed for the Washington border

 

Run like a Washingtonian headed for Oregon to get tags and avoid salas tax.

 

Touche sir!



Run like your going to a Maxima meet, on the wrong day

 

run like a ***got's about to violate yu

 

Run like you're trying to go to your first meet for the third time!

 

Just run, and don't look back.

 

you say you're getting the ultimate price on this 03, but you can get a 6th gen for 7-8k more....

I don't see the problem. It seems the 6th gen is a much better value as far as price and condition goes.

And yeah you get a nice little 3 year warranty which makes you feel better since you know you will likely have something go wrong, do you really want to go 90 mins. back to that dealer when it does go wrong?

Run like you're on da block and hear "da soun of da polease"

 

the only way i would buy that car is if they were asking like 3g's and i was going to strip everything out and use it as a race only car. other than that stay away, especially if it will be your daily driver....

 

i would say , consedring the price, which you said is a steal so im assuming 5-7g? if its more then f it, but for that price i might would of done it

mabey have ur mechanic go there and look at it, mabey look at it really good. try to get the price cut down really cheep.


how much is it going for??? more then 10g then no

there was a 02 here for 10g but it had 160,000 miles and i drove it, it wasent to bad but def been beat up

 

Run like a crackhead chasing a dollar bill in the wind

 

How much exactly is this "steal" price????

 

Run like a white girl in front of O.J's house!

 

Run like my poop after a night of Taco Bell and beer??

 

Well as anyone else pretty much said, run. But keep this in mind should you consider it still. Even IF they allow you to bring a mechanic to their shop, how far is he or she willing to look? Think about all the complications of a car, computers, tranny, wiring, sensors, suspension, bearings, etc etc. You can't take them ALL apart to look. But not ONE of those things is happy being under water. You're right to be worried about electrical problems, as it's not all that easy to spot where water got in. It's not the casing that the water damages its the wire inside that rusts. And with half a million miles of wire in any modern car it's not exactly easy to pinpoint a rusted wire. I think the electrical work alone would make up the price difference, and with anyone's luck those problems wouldn't surface until after the warranty's up. There's a chance it was a fluke and it barely got wet and the insurance titled as a flood vehicle to cover their butt. However, that really never happens, no matter what the sales guy says (remember, no matter how many times you take in for warranty, which is a PITA even if it's free, he still gets his commission). So I concur, RUN.

 

Run like forest , down by the rive

 

Run like a woman on Maxima.org

 

run like rodney king!!!

 

Run like a kid from Micheal Jackson's house!!!

 

Also, I heard it is nearly impossible to insure a salvaged/flooded vehicle. (Can anyone with knowledge in this area, help out?)

After you buy this decent warranty, when you go to have repair work done, are you going to hear 'I'm sorry to tell you this, our warranties don't cover flood damage'?


Run like it's flood vehicle and there is a 6th gen for a few grand more right up the road.......................

(Like a woman from Maxima.Org?.....No Running from here )

 

OK, OK, I get the hint!

Better to ask now and get all the jokes, rather than later (and still get all the jokes) after I spend the money.

thanks for the input

Looks like I'll bite the bullet and zero in on a 6th gen...

...other contributions from my office:
Run like pantyhose in a briar patch
Run like undercooked scrambled eggs
Run like it's an election year
Run like a coke addicts nose during allergy season
(obscure reference for former East Coast track and field people)
Run like it's Penn Relays

 

THERES NO IF AND OR BUTS TO THIS BULL S***.....THE CAR WAS INVOLVED IN A FLOOD...Since you are a member of this .ORG im pretty sure you are car literate now....Anything to do with water near your vehicle..IS NO GOOD....If your going to buy that car you might as well drive to ct, watch me pour a gallon of water in the engine/tank..and wish u the best of luck driving it back to whetever you live!

 

Good to see you came to your senses.

 

I disagree sir, I have driven a number of Jeeps/Trucks through rather deep water





then again we also clean the interior with a pressure washer

 

so can you tell us how much it was going for?

 

nissan are already so-so on the reliability, having a car that was in a flood is just adding fuel to the fire.

 

You may save on the car, but future heartaches have a price also...

Unless your James Bond, cars are not meant to be Submarines...

Get great financing and go for the 6th Gen.

 

Damn that makes me miss my Jeep. Oh well time for another one.

 

Put some Seafoam in it and run with a smoke screen........

 

The other thing I forgot to mention...None of my 23 lenders will finance a car with ANY type of knock on the title. Salvaged, flood, rebuilt, total loss, or odometer inaccuracies. Were you plannning on oriental financing? Onelumpsum?

 

yes you drove THROUGH deep water, but have you ever driven your car after it was downed in a massive amount of water? No.