Don’t trust the title. “A flood of water-damaged cars is spreading across the U.S.” in the wake of October’s East Coast superstorm, and buyers should avoid them. “Unscrupulous sellers might produce counterfeit titles” to hide that the vehicle was salvaged. The true history of many vehicles is available, for a small fee, at VehicleHistory.gov.
Seek visual clues. Since that check isn’t foolproof, inspect any used car by looking for water lines inside the lenses of head lamps and tail lamps, silt in the spare-tire well, or rust in “odd places” like on interior screws. If the engine oil is “milky-colored,” that may be a sign water got in the engine.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
