Wondering if anyone ever bought a flooded car at an auction. I found a EVO I like and it's complete but flooded. Is it hard to get them running perfect or is there too much bs or problems with the car after its been soaked? Idk to what extent it was flooded but just wondering what's anyone's input on this that maybe has purchased a flooded car before

 

two types of cars i'd never buy:

flooded cars

cars that caught fire

i'd much prefer buying a crashed car that was rebuilt, but ideally a stolen car is the best to buy. usually it's just the interior that's stripped

always search for the VIN numbers on google; most of the time they will turn up pictures of the auction sites that list the car so you can see "before" pictures. obviously flooded cars won't show much though

 

I don't think I would buy a flooded car but a crashed or stolen car I would

 

You mean a car that was stolen but then recovered.....right?

 

I can't imagine it would be a good idea. I would think there would be a ton of electrical gremlins that were on again/off again and hard to pinpoint.

 

I guess it depends on what its for. You looking to make money on it by re-selling, using for parts, daily driving it or making it a track car?

Its a gamble for sure. But if the price is right and you are ready to spend some $ to get it where you want then go for it.

 

Totally depends, sometimes flooded cars can have had a couple of inches in the car. That normally isn't high enough to get into the electronics. If the water has been over the ECU height though... no way, too much chance for serious electrical gremlins.

 

if u want a big wiring project, buy it.

flooded cars are a hit or miss, most auction places dont know the extent of the flooding. i would imagine that if its in the auction it was pulled out of the flood. thus tons of electrical problems. OR... it just sucked up a lot of water and hydrolocked it. so not a lot of wiring issues... but again hit or miss.

if it is super cheap, i'd get it. but i doubt it will be cheap.

 

i'd buy a flooded car on the cheap to make a racecar out of in a heartbeat. I assume they sell for stupid cheap. aftermarket ECU and harness would be in the plans though.

 

i bought flooded cars back in the day but what i did was bought a wreck car identical to the flooded 1 and switch all the electronics kind of a big project though

 

has to be dirt cheap. otherwise, nah, i wouldn't want to deal with it.

 

Yes I would, but I work at a collision shop for a living. If you are confident in your mechanical/electrical abilities...then why not?

If you are planning to use this as a street car with full interior make sure you know what you're getting into! What year? Model? Have you been able to inspect it at all?

 

I would say no

 

ONLY if its dirt cheap, like pennies on the dollar. $2500 I would, $7k I wouldn't. It can and probably will be a huge wiring mess.

 

ok heres the thing, evos are known to have crappy wiring to begin with so people do wire tucks and fuse box relocations all the time. i would buy it and send out the complete harness to someone who can shorten it and remove wires that are unnecessary. That way you dont have to do it yourself and you know all the wires will be in good shape and replaced if corroded. replace all fuses and check all electrical connectors for corrosion. i'd replace the drivetrain or at least get it rebuilt aswell.

if this car is still cheaper then a running evo after doing all that, then go for it .