Flood Cars

Concrete

Concrete

Concrete

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Joined
8 Jan 2007
Posts
1,989
Location
Barcelona
So everyone agrees that buying a flood car is madness and I tend to agree.

Any car with 'modern' electronics would be a no no, but this is a 2000 C5 Corvette.

It was fresh water flooded in 2016, was put back on the road in 2018 and has been taxed and used for the last 6 years.

Its a manual for a really good price and the owner seems genuine (with a lot of more expensive cars), if this a terrible idea?
 
Can you give the car a full inspection?

Is there anywhere in the car design that water could have collected to cause unseen long term damage? E.g. chassis damage.

What country is the car in? Probably less of a problem in a dry climate.
 
Also, price must come into it. If it's well priced it will give you more leeway for repair. I might be worried that a critical component might fail unexpectedly, but if it's been used for 6 years then it has been tested somewhat. To a certain extent it depends on the car design on whether it will be ok after flooding; an enthusiasts group would know.
 
If it's run for 6 years since then I can't see there'd be too much to worry about it. Did it get a CAT write off marker at the time? (if that's of any concern)

Edit just seen your location, not sure how insurance deals with things like this over there.
 
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Whatever you do, check out the condition of the harmonic balancer. It's a common failure point on C5s and it costs a fair whack to get it sorted. Not a pleasant job to do, either. And get a Carfax on it; it might have been written off a few times before it even got to this country, if it's an import.

C5s can be rife with electrical issues, which would give me pause for thought, but if it's all working and ticking along okay, I'd be less concerned – but, well, has it actually gone far, or been used much, in the past several years? Just worth checking.

They're not expensive cars at the moment, though, and hard to shift – so you might have to give us a steer on the price. Any other details, like mileage or specification? Convertible, FRC, Coupe, Z06, HUD, etc.?

If it's got a marker, well, it'll probably need to be in the high four-figure range, only nudging significantly into five figures if it's really exceptional or a particularly desirable specification. But even then, well, depends on how much disposable you're playing with.

Additionally, you can pull the diagnostic codes from it very easily. Worth doing, as it might give you some clues as to what might need attention, if anything.
 
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Hi, really useful info so far, thanks everyone. Additional information:
It's a convertible and has the HUD.
200km on the clock, will get a Carfax done today! Not really worried by high mileage given the age and I am reasonably familiar with a set of spanners and have loads of cheap/competent mechanics available.
Offered at 13k euros, but LHD cars always go for a premium here on the mainland.
Only electrical issue specifically mentioned is ABS sensors, good call on pulling the codes, I already have an OBD2 reader.
It's had a full respray recently due to lacquer peel and seats were also recently upholstered.
It was issued a certificate of export or destruction which the owner has given me a copy of to make sure it's legal in Spain.
 
Concrete said:
Hi, really useful info so far, thanks everyone. Additional information:
It's a convertible and has the HUD.
200km on the clock, will get a Carfax done today! Not really worried by high mileage given the age and I am reasonably familiar with a set of spanners and have loads of cheap/competent mechanics available.
Offered at 13k euros, but LHD cars always go for a premium here on the mainland.
Only electrical issue specifically mentioned is ABS sensors, good call on pulling the codes, I already have an OBD2 reader.
It's had a full respray recently due to lacquer peel and seats were also recently upholstered.
It was issued a certificate of export or destruction which the owner has given me a copy of to make sure it's legal in Spain.
Click to expand...

I'm poor at the moment from building this house, but if you do buy it and move it on in a few years give me a shout :) Sure my wife would love another old car to be miserable in :D
 
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