When you go to buy a car, you want to learn as much as you can about that car’s history. You want to know if it was ever in any accidents or if there was any other type of damage. You need to know what repairs were made, especially if they were expensive.
But what if your car was in a flood? Does the dealer have to tell you that it was flood-damaged in the past? This damage may not be so obvious to the untrained eye, and the car may technically not have been driven at all if it was flooded on a lot.
A concerning auto scam
This is a type of auto scam that happens sometimes, and it’s definitely worth watching out for. The dealer should tell you that the car was involved in a flood and go over all the repairs that had to be made, but unscrupulous dealers may not do so or may try to downplay the damage.
After all, major flooding can often ruin an incredible number of vehicles. Dealers are supposed to have insurance to help with these types of things, but they may still be tempted to try to sell some of those vehicles, especially if they think that the damage wasn’t too bad. That’s problematic for you, however, since you think you’re buying a car that is in brand new condition, but you’re getting something that is worth quite a lot less.
If this has happened to you, or if you suspect that any part of the vehicle’s history was not properly disclosed before you bought it, then you need to look into all of the legal options that you have. This is too big of an investment to just hope that the dealer does the right thing.