As Harvey is leaving Texas behind, the free market starts searching for new opportunities to rebuild its capital. One of the mischievous techniques that follow a natural disaster is to take advantage of how hurried prospect customers are. Therefore, the auto market might hide pitfalls and offer some of the half a million flooded cars back for sale as second-hand merchandize.
Experts Estimates that 500,000 to 1 Million Vehicles in Texas Are Now Flooded Cars
As the waters are pulling away, experts measure the extent of the aftermath. So far, they estimated that 500,000 to 1 million vehicles received substantial damages. Most of the harm might be beyond repair. Despite this, retailers might still try to promote their damaged goods to those who are in need of an extra vehicle.
To underline the severity of this situation, one of the largest U.S. auto insurers, namely State Farm, stated that they received so far 20,000 claims originated from the Houston area. Cars remained in the water for days with no owner being able to offer them proper shelter to avoid damages. In many cases, the vehicles stayed in waters that reached their roof lines. These assets are likely to remain unusable even after extensive repairs.
Interested Buyers Should Pay Attention When Testing a Second-Hand Car
As a consequence, investing in a second-hand vehicle after the flood is a risky business. That’s because insurance companies can reintroduce flooded cars into the market. Dealers will cover the damages to pass the visual inspection. However, people can avert paying for an unusable car if they pay extra attention to the small technical details.
Therefore, people should consider resorting to reputable sellers and avoid suspicious deals with too good to be true price tags. A test interested customers are entitled to replicate require them to close the windows and doors of the car for a few minutes. Afterwards, if the interior smells like mold or mildew, people should drop the used car altogether.
What’s behind the hood can also help interested parties avoid a scheme. Sand, silt, and leaves are all signs of a flooded car if they are traced inside the spark plug wire cavities.
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