Article Presented by:
Raymond Nelson
Whether it's a matter of one hundred year or five hundred year floods occurring more frequently than that, more water damaged and wrecked vehicles than ever are being cleaned up ,repaired and resold without the buyer being informed of the autos history. In 2005 about 5 million autos were totaled by insurance companies, how many of that number have been resold to the unsuspecting public is undeterminable.
High water in or around any vehicle not designed and especially constructed to operate in such will wreak havoc on its major components: the engine, transmission, computer, electrical wiring,, entertainment systems, cell phone and navigation electronics etc.. The insidious thing about water damage to these and other parts are the problems caused by water may manifest themselves immediately upon exposure or possibly years later. Why such a variation? Among the primary reasons : how high the water came, how contaminated it was, how long the components were exposed , how long did it sit before repairs were made?
If an advertisement for a used vehicle is answered the first contact will likely be by telephone. Make the best of this conversation and it could save time in going to see the vehicle in person. During the conversation point out that only the owner on the title can be negotiated with, the auto will need to be inspected by a mechanic, and a car history report will be ordered. Some lending institutions may suggest if not require a history report. Also, before the transaction can be made the lending institution will need to see the title and if any terms such as rebuilt, salvaged, reconstructed, reconditioned are on the title the vehicle can not be purchased. If the seller can not comply with all of the above stipulations it should be suspected that even though the auto may not have been near high water it may have serious problems . The seller may decide to save himself time and energy by saying he can't comply with all your requirements. When the discussion ends draw a line through the adertisement as null and void.
The seller may want to save face and cause aggravation for someone knowing more than what they should by saying yes to the prerequisits, make an appointment to show the vehicle and fail to keep the apppointment. So be mindful to make the place to view the vehicle convenient and safe. Take a cell phone along to call back to find out what has happened. Don't expect to contact him. If someone does answer, he will have just recently received an offer he couldn't refuse and could not call back or some other lame excuse for not canceling the meeting.
There are good reasons for each of the above matters of concern (1) If the seller claims to be a close friend or relative of the owner on the title and the owner is unavailable for contact, the seller may actually be a representative of a used car dealer attempting to sell a vehicle that may have a list of issues that's made the auto unsaleable on the car lot and is now being advertised as a sale from an individual as is (2) If a seller has any problems whatsoever with having the vehicle inspected by a professional before the buyer agrees to purchase--warning sirens, bells, horns, should be heard in your head loud enough for the seller to be startled (3) Although an outlay of money on a car history report should only be made if serious consideration is being given a particular auto, the seller is informed the mechanics inspection will not be the sole source of information on the vehicle(4) Rebuilt,salvaged, reconstructed, reconditioned and such like terms on the title essentially means that for one reason or another this vehicle has been damaged to the point that an insurance company has deemed it a total loss and is sold as is. Extensive repairs may have been made and if it were test driven on city streets determining it had been in a wreck, or flood might be difficult and not worth the time to look at much less thousands of dollars to buy.
It should be noted some sellers have been deceived into buying a flood damaged or wrecked vehicle that has been repaired superficially and the title fraudulently cleaned. After buying the vehicle the seller experienced problems such autos exhibit and now wants to get rid of it. Most states require designations on titles that indicate significant damage and /or repairs made, but because of conflicting and confusing laws in some states its possible to get a fraudulent but clean title that has no mention of salvage/rebuilt, reconstructed, reconditioned etc. indicating a history of being totaled by an insurance company.
If there's reason to believe that prior to a vehicle being purchased it was flooded or wrecked, and the condition was not disclosed before purchasing , also there is no indication on the title of being previously damaged, call the state department of motor vehicles where it was purchased or the state that issued the title. Inquire about what legal recourse state laws make for victims who purchase such autos. Keep in mind that different states may have time limits during which victims must act to remedy being defrauded. The time may start from the day the vehicle was purchased or some other time that makes it important to find out immediately.
About the Author:
An e-commerce webmaster with many years experience making cell phone deals selling and buying anything legal. His website http://www.webdiscountdeals.com is a wholesale store with over 3,500 brand name products, 97% electronic.
