Don't Get Stuck with a Katrina Car

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Author: Jak Brooks

Hurricane Katrina was not only one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history; it was also the most expensive hurricane in this nation's history. It was the sixth strongest Atlantic hurricane, as well as the third strongest hurricane that made landfall in the U.S. It was formed on August 23, 2005 and soon became a category five hurricane worthy of headlines. As the result of Katrina's destruction, many Louisiana and Mississippi cars were flood-damaged. In fact, there are many laws requiring that all flooded cars be immediately identified to customers. While most of these vehicles are usually scrapped or sold for parts, there are many unscrupulous individuals selling flood-damaged vehicles to unwary buyers. These sellers will clean them up and ship them to other parts of the country. Car-Fax has warned the market that these flood damaged cars could pop up anywhere, and that is no exaggeration, considering that 571,000 vehicles were damaged by the hurricane.

Jack Brooks is a researcher and author writing on a variety of Men's, Women's and Societal topics. He contributes to GreatGuyLife which is a networking website for today's active and involved man.

Here are five signs that you may be dealing with a Katrina refurbished car:

1. There's evidence of standing water in the spare tire wheel. This one area might have been ignored in the clean up process.
2. There's mysterious rust around the engine compartment or in other metal parts of the car, including the bolts.
3. The dealer or seller is reluctant to let you have a mechanic look at the car or order a report of the vehicle's history. This could be because of flood damage or any number of other conspicuous reasons!
4. If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Dealers or sellers who have a flood car want to get rid of it quickly because they know it's not worth anything to a legitimate dealer, and yet they don't want be caught selling it. Another suspicious behavior to look out for is if a dealer keeps pointing you back to the same car that you just refused.
5. Visible water remnants and condensation around the car - dripping from the vents, from the odometer, the door panel or even the glove box.

All of these signs point to a flooded car, which isn't trustworthy or valuable even to shady dealers, who feel they can't even sell a car like that for a discounted price. Whether the car was damaged in Hurricane Katrina or in another flood, it's not what you're looking for.