Used-car buyers should protect themselves against salvage ...

Thousands upon thousands of sea-water-sodden cars and trucks were ruined in flooding caused by ?Superstorm? Sandy last October. Now, many of those same cars, written off as total losses by insurance companies, are flooding regional auto auctions as salvage sales.

The New York Times chronicled on Sunday how flooded cars sold briskly at the Manheim car auction at prices ranging from $2,600 to $5,300. The newspaper reported that some of the cars were bound to be dismantled for parts, while others were headed for overseas car markets. But the paper warned that some flooded cars could end up on used car lots here in the United States, due to inconsistencies in state titling laws.

Upon seeing the news report, Brett Corcoran, general sales manager at LB Smith Ford Lincoln in Lemoyne, immediately took to Facebook and Twitter to assure his customers that the dealership?s trained used car buyers were on guard against Sandy-saturated vehicles.

?We?re on high alert to make sure they don?t re-emerge in our market here,? Corcoran said. ?We?re paying attention. We?re trained and we are paying attention. None of our local customers need to worry.?

In addition, Central Pennsylvania car dealers said buyers can take several steps to protect themselves from getting stung by Sandy-soaked cars and trucks.

For starters, pay attention to the car?s title by using title search services, such as CarFax. Tell-tale red flags include a flurry of title changes among several states over a short period of time, said John Rickards, president of Bobby Rahal Automotive Group Harrisburg Area, based in Silver Spring Twp. Rickards warned that such title activity could be cover for ?washing? the title of its status as a salvaged vehicle.

Also, buyers should beware to check the vehicle?s trunk, including the spare tire well, for signs of flooding, including mildew and sand. It?s a good idea to pull back any loose carpet, looking for these same signs.

?There is only so much on a flood damaged car that you can clean up,? Rickards noted. ?We know all the signs and we can check for them.?

Added Corcoran: ?Someone trying to pull the wool over your eyes sometimes forgets the nooks and crannies.?

Lastly, check all electrical systems ? everything from brake lights to turn signals ? for signs of a saltwater-caused short. That?s the biggest concern for Sandy-flooded vehicles ? namely, the very real possibility that costly electrical systems and components will fail after being marinated in brackish water from the storm surge.

?Saltwater damage to the electrical system would be the first concern ? not rust,? Rickards said. ?Salt gets into the connectors and does a slow deterioration. The car will be plagued with electrical problems through its whole life. And with the expense of the electrical components and what it costs to repair those, there is just no way to make that car reliable.?

All that said, Rickards maintained that local car buyers shouldn?t have too much to fear from Sandy-tainted vehicles. Most reputable used car dealers are already on the look-out for signs of flooded vehicles because their reputations and businesses are on the line, too. Indeed, the real wave of flooded cars is headed mostly overseas -- to countries where the laws and standards are much more lax.

?A lot of those cars will end up overseas,? Rickards concluded. ?I don?t think a heavy percentage of them will end up in the U.S.?

?We were more concerned after Katrina,? added Corcoran, saying it would have been easier for title-washed vehicles from the deep south to wind up in Central Pennsylvania. ?I don?t think there are many people in New Jersey who are going to use our local auctions to manipulate people into buying any of these vehicles.?

Source: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/01/used-car_buyers_should_protect.html

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