Hundreds of thousands flood cars are on the road or up for sale around the country right now, according to new research from Carfax.
The data suggest that more than 271,000 cars reported as flood damaged by a state’s Department of Motor Vehicles and insurance companies are back in use. It’s a nearly 30% increase from 2013.
It’s big business for professional con men to quickly clean up and resell these cars miles from where the flooding occurred.
“Flood cars are a buyer’s worst nightmare,” said Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax. “They’re ticking time bombs because when you least expect it, the electrical, mechanical or safety systems on these cars will fail, often without warning. Consumers everywhere need to be vigilant about checking a vehicle’s history for flood damage and getting a pre-purchase inspection to avoid buying cars that rot from the inside out.”
Increasingly powerful storms and historic flooding in major areas are creating more opportunities for crooks to clean up and resell flooded vehicles. It takes only hours to restore flood cars cosmetically, at a minimal cost to the criminals. As a service to consumers, Carfax lets you check for flood damage free of charge at carfax.com/flood.
Top Ten Flood Car States
While flood cars hare in every state, these states have the most:
- Texas – 43,000
- Pennsylvania – 20,000
- Florida – 17,000
- Kentucky – 14,000
- Illinois – 13,000
- South Carolina – 11,000
- Michigan – 11,000
- New Jersey – 10,000
- New York – 9,000
- Louisiana – 9,000
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
