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I just purchased a certified used car at a big Toyota dealership in Texas with 48,000 miles on it. After taking the car home and enjoying it a day or two I decided to clean it and found some signs that might lead to trouble. I did buy this car after looking at the carfax report. It was a two owner car. One person owned it 5 years and the other 6 months. I didn't notice though that it owned by people in Mississippi during the time of Hurricane Katrina and the town was by the coast. grrrrr I didn't even think about it being flooded. It looked so clean. Anyway, I think the carpet was replaced and some black paint sprayed here and there on the underneath. It was a good cover up job if it was flooded or had salt damage. I noticed that is had rust on all the metal parts under the seats, some screws in the door area and trunk are also rusted, the cig. lighter (which doesn't work) has a rusted area in it. There is no ashtray to look in for rust. The glove compartment looks okay. The engine looks okay except for the air conditioner condenser thing. ha It is rusted bad, but I was told by the dealer that is was normal from sweat from normal use and the humidity in Miss. It has no visible salt damage, but then again it looks like they added new material on the inside of the tire wells.(sp) The brake area looks rusted though when you look at it from the rims. This was oiled really well and didn't show up for a few days until after I have had it because I did look at this before I purchased it and it was fine. There is quite a bit of dirt under the trunk carpet (which the carpet looks new.) The leather seats had sand appear on them after I drove it for a couple of days and I didn't ever get in the car dirty, nor did anyone else. The sand appeared where the top and bottom of the seat come together (in the cracks.) The carpet looks very clean, too clean. I thought it was just a well taken care of car. The mats were the only thing missing. After close inspection of the carpets though they look more new than just clean...... There is no smell really in the car. All the electronics works. (power seats, windows, cruise, air, cd player, etc.) How do I know if this car was flooded for sure???? Should I worry about it since it seems to run okay???? I am worried one day the rust will be a problem, of course. Can I return this vehicle to them and say I don't want it because.......? I feel like I was told lies. I feel like even if the top was down and it was rained on the underneath part of the seats wouldn't show that much rust and the screws too. I feel so stupid! Any advise on the law or etc. would be helpful. This was my first purchase without having tons of people look at it and I messed up big time. Thanks for reading......
Suzanne
That car was flooded, without a doubt. The corrosion that you see on metal surfaces may also be present on any electronics at or below the water line if they weren't adequately cleaned (I doubt it, based on your description of the rest of the car). It may not cause a problem now, but electrical connections and grounding points may cause some strange behavior later on as the corrosion builds up. I would run, not walk from that one but you're really in a tough spot there. There should be a way to get the dealer to take it back because those are some pretty obvious signs of flood damage.
Take it back immediately and show them the damage. There are laws against knowingly selling a flood damaged vehicle.
You can also take it to an independant shop and let them check it out before taking it back. That way the results are in writing.
I am not sure about your state but some states have a 3 day window to return a vehicle if purchased of a lot.
Sounds like a flood car cover up. A good detailer can make a flood car look like it was never submerged in water.
If you're willing to take apart the dash you might find traces of dirt/mud if the water level made it up that high.
Also Carfax doesn't always show if a car was wrecked, flooded, odometer tampered with, etc. The incident has to be reported.
For all you know the former owner could have ran his own detail shop, cleaned it up and traded it in to the dealer who sold it to you, and never told a soul. It's also likely the dealer knew but decided to scam you....which is all too common at a dealer.
Your rights vary from state to state, but if the car was "certified" (depending on what that means) you might be in pretty good shape to turn it back in.
If you can afford to, go talk to a lawyer ASAP.
If you didn't pay cash for the car, I'd drive it back to the lot and leave it there, and not pay any more on it (assuming this is in line with actual legal advice from a lawyer in your state, the more I think about it you can't afford NOT to talk with a lawyer!)
If you somehow happened to pay for the car with a credit card, you are in luck, drive it back and leave it, dispute the charge, credit card company should take it from there.
A possible alternative would be one of those TV "troubleshooter" programs that most local news outlets have. Dealer would not want the PR "black eye" from that..
There is a reason that car dealers are stereotyped as dishonest...a lot of them are!
My recommendation would be to invest in an expert to certify your fears in writing and then demand a full refund from the dealer (including any and all additional fees plus the cost of the certification) immediately.
The long term effects could be devastating in both financial as well as your safety if you choose to ignore this blatant misrepresentation.
Try to return the car to the dealer. If they refuse to take it back you have one VERY GOOD recourse. Park the car at the front curb near the SHOWROOM where potential customers can see the vehicle. With the top down place a sign thru the steering wheel that says "this is a FLOODED car they sold you". Also make a hand painted sign on the situation and PICKET/WALK on the front sidewalk during business hours. You will Get FAST RESULTS. I did this with a LARGE AUTO PARTS store for a $100.00 REBATE that was due me and they gave me the money and a letter of apology which I asked for all within 45 minutes from the time that I started to picket. Try it. They will be a SUCKER since your a female they took advantage of. Good Luck in trying. You have nothing to lose but everything to GAIN. Steve
If the seats had been submerged they would have been replaced. If flood seats would have been left in there they would be stinking, no matter how well they were dried out. Most likely the sand you're seeing is from someones body, very common after going to the beach and it's hard to vacuum out. It sounds like most of the rust is along the bottom of the car. It's possible the car flooded just enough to cover the floor and nothing else, maybe Katrina related, maybe not. I know some streets in my town flood after a heavy thunderstorm, and a Mustang is a low car. If you're really unhappy with it though you should take it back and try to work with the dealer. If it was flooded I doubt the dealer knows about it. The car probably came from an auction, just like 90% of used cars on a dealers lot.
I sold New and Used cars for a dealer decades ago. If we took in a Keeper on a trade in over the weekend, the owner would spend a $100 to have it detailed and put on the front line within 48 hrs. Evidence of sand does not show quality detailing for a NEW car dealership. Vacum cleaning or air hose will clean most surface sand. Reported 2nd owner only kept it for 5 months which is a RED flag in itself. My suggestion for picketing is the best solution. Steve
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Any advise on the law or etc. would be helpful. This was my first purchase without having tons of people look at it and I messed up big time. Thanks for reading......
