So let’s say I found a really nice looking car that I want to buy for a good price but it has a salvage title due to water damage.
Now let’s say the PO has driven it for 30k and didn’t have any issues.
When I think water damage I think flood car and that’s a hell to the no. Can water damage not be catastrophic?
If doesn't have to be completely underwater to be totaled out due to water. If the water comes up into the interior and causes mold and mildew, it's likely to get totaled- even if it was just up to the door openings. Water that deep might put a lot of the body wiring harness under water, probably the differential breather and possibly the transmission.
It may also take a long time for the electrical connections to finally start showing signs they were submerged.
Now, if a broken sunroof just let water pool in the floor boards and caused a bunch of mold and mildew all over the interior, it's a bit different.
It will depend on the car and what exactly is meant by water damage. As mentioned, electrical problems can take a long time to show up.
Don’t forget, Rust in the rockers. Metal doesn’t like to be steeped.
It's really a case by case situation. Long ago I bought a Toyota Tercel that had water damage from a sunroof leak. I tried for a few months to clean it up and get the mildew/mold smell out. It was the kind of thing that made me feel unhealthy after a long drive. I realized that the WHOLE interior would have to be replaced. It was just an old Tercel. I gave the car away in the end and I'm pretty sure the guy I gave it to got sick and scrapped it.
Not this car, but just like it: 
On the other hand, this Boxster was submereged in a flood. I did pull out the whole interior, cleaned it and treated the leather. I replaced almost all the electronics. It's now an awesome car.
It’s a NC Miata with all of the goodies I want. The price is tempting and I’ll bet the seller is flexible. I haven’t made contact yet, Im just doing my homework.
I would start with a carfax and see where it’s from. It’s currently in Los Angeles so I’m thinking it’s an out of state car.
The ad says it was salvaged in possession of the owner before him. He got it with 55k and it now has 90k.
I know the basics of what to look for but if it runs and drives fine and I can’t find a water line I’m not sure where to go from there. I’m not sure I would ever completely trust it but for how much I could save I could keep some “just in case” money in the bank.
AAZCD: I read through that thread a while back. For better or worse, you made this kind of thing look much more approachable. I’m not as familiar with Miatas as you are with Boxsters but I think I could pick it up. My electrical diagnostic skills aren’t anything to write home about but they’ve gotten me by.
If it was fresh water I might do it for the right car at the right price. Salt water no way unless it is stone simple, like a WWII jeep.
I would be very cautious. I used to perform State salvage inspections and the electrical problems seemed to come at random for the flood cars. Some cars would have very unusual electrical problems that would surface days/months/ years later. I would much rather take a crash car since you can often see pictures of exactly how extensive the damage is. If the water gets into the harness they typically rust from the inside out as stated above. YMMV.
My brother had an 01/02ish Buick Regal GS that was salvage due to submersion , he put 120,000 on it like that. It’s really luck of the draw.
Just keep in mind that if you ever sell it, you'll have to find someone exactly like you to buy it. A salvage title eliminates 90% of buyers. What I'm saying is, don't pay a fair price for YOUR interest, pay a fair price based on the salvage value. You might know it is a fantastic investment, but nearly all buyers see "salvage" and they don't care if it was a leaking sunroof or submerged in Lake Erie for three years, they will be skeptical enough to assume it was the Lake.
I've done the salvage route before. I bought a Sonoma ZQ8 because it was just what I wanted. I saw it with the damage (sideswiped, no frame damage) and bought it after the work was done. It was an amazing truck and I knew it was solid. I couldn't sell that thing to save my damned life. I finally sold it for a loss 13 months later because I had paid a price based on my hands-on knowledge that the truck was sound, not a fair salvage price.
I unknowingly bought a flood car a few years ago. 2004 Matrix XRS. I missed the signs it was flooded-sand in the tupperware side skirts, drain plugs in the floor missing, etc. The carfax was clean, the dealership great to deal with, and the price fair -another warning sign. They did such a great job of cleaning it up, it seemed mint, but little wrinkles in the bodywork became apparent over time. Overall, for 40k miles, it has been really good, but some things have come up.
Notably, I had to do 4 discs and rotors, a new cat, and now the AC compressor clutch is making noise. The clutch stinks, and is not long for this world. All these things could have crapped out on a normal car in the interim between 65k and 110k miles, but my point is the past flooding always makes you wonder (unless you DIY with incredible attention to detail, like AAZCD). Obviously, your results may vary.
The personal stories are really helpful for me, thanks guys.
The intention would be to hold on to the car for the foreseeable future. It would be my car and DD as much as it could be without actually being a commuter.
I talked it over with my wife who is much smarter than I am and I think she’s right. I should probably pass on this one, buy a clean straight example and add goodies as the budget allows. I’ll be able to trust that car far more on the longer trips I’ve been daydreaming about.
But it sure is pretty. The NC Miata dark green with a Mazdaspeed bumper and RPF1s. Mmm. I might go look at it anyway and I’ll update this if I do. I’m still trying to move my MS3.
My old boss picked up a practically new jaguar xj6 with water damage very cheap. Turned out it was driven through a deep puddle and hydrolocked but nothing was damaged beyond the short block. We put a used engine in it and his wife drove it for years. It really depends on what was hurt to know if it’s worth gambling on.
If it is just electrical you are worried about, swapping out an entire Miata wire harness from a donor is not the hardest thing to do over a week or so.
I buy cars with no expectations of residual value when I am done with them, so if I bought the car and it worked for me but would not sell when I got bored, I would give it to one of the tax scam places as a donation.
Pete
The "electrical" issues I've seen from submersion aren't wiring harness problems, it's from things like grit in the switches and motors wearing things out rapidly.
Unless it was dunked in a swimming pool, water carries an amazing amount of grit with it, and this grit floats in to everything and then stays there.
It's not just that. Pull cables like the hood release or HVAC cables wear out prematurely. Seat tracks bind up. I had an obvious flood car with a worn out STEERING COLUMN.
Oddly enough, underhood items tend to not suffer because they also tend to be well weatherproofed, although throttle cables and alternators don't like the grit too much.
My uncle buys flood cars for his kids. His RULE is to only buy cars with power seats, and he has to test the power seats. If they work, he'll do a deeper dive to see if he's interested. If they don't, he moves on. His theory is that the power seats are generally the lowest point of the car, and should be the first to fail in a flood. He said that he hasn't been burned once with a flood car doing this.
In reply to mtn :
That is an interesting theory
If the car has all kinds of extra parts on it. it might be worth getting cause of you run into magor issues, you pull the parts off and strip the car and then junk it. If you can get it cheap.
In reply to ckosacranoid :
That was sort of my back up plan but the delta between the parts and the vehicle cost a still a bit large.
The seller didn’t respond to my questions so this all probably moot at this point anyway. Oh well, there’s always another deal!
In reply to mtn :
Interesting. I unknowingly bought a clean title flood car (Suburban K2500 with an 8.1L) only discovering the evidence of submersion after delivery. The giveaways were the waterline in the instrument cluster, and the INOP power seats.I bought a rusted out same year, same color interior/exterior parts truck and have been swapping stuff as necessary. Other than the seats and stereo issues, I've encountered nothing unexpected for a early 2000's Suburban with similar mileage. (I bought it with 100k on the clock 3 years ago, I have 170K miles on it now. Virtually 75% of which included pulling 7K (or more) of trailer behind it.)
10/10 would do again
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