I have an opportunity to pick up a late model mustang that was flood damaged. Is this a bad idea? I intend on ripping it apart anyway so don't mind replacing carpeting, stereo, etc. but don't know what else I should be aware of. What are the potential pitfalls? I don't want to make this deal until i understand what I'm getting into.

 

You'll be getting into a mess, carpet, stereo is easy, you'll have to replace all the wiring, rip apart the engine. You'll basically hae to replace the whole car. its not worth the aggrivation. I wouldn't do it bro.

 

True, if I had to get a car with a bad title, I would prefer somthing that was stolen and stripped.

But Ive never delt with a flooded car, so I dont know what other problems it could have.

 

yeah i guess the title would be an issue when i go to sell it and with my track record it's only a matter of time before i'd want something else. For a few thousand more I can avoid the whole bad title problem.

 

Unless you are turning it into a drag car, dont' bother.

 

If you were getting it super cheap, then you were going to strip it down to every part to fully refurbish it, like new wires, and sanding the whole thing down, then powdercoating the entire suspension, then it wouldn't be to bad, but if you want it to be a fixer upper to just drive around, by all means FORGET IT!

 

Well, now, I used to be a Parts Manager of a large dealership and it all depends. We saw a bunch of cars that you couldn't even tell had and water damage....on the other end people would bring them in with "phantom" problems by the miilion caused by water!! How bad was it wet? Get all the details you can of the severity of the water damage and I can try and help you out, PM if ya' want. MOst people are scared of H2o damaged cars, but I've seen some damn nice cars go for CHEAP because of that. PLEASE BEAR THIS IN MIND ALWAYS THOUGH!!! With water it can screw stuff up that doesn't appear until lateron down the road...months, even years and those are the absolute worst kind of problems to have because it has been "doing damage" for so all it's AFU!! Let's hear some details before anyone can make an educated and informed opinion!

Ryan

 

How deep was it? carpet pad is probably all it needs, and a good cleaning.Was the fuse box under water? motor? why would the title show flood damage,maybe carfax if insurance paid off on it?
Most of the car gets wet every time it rains.

 

The guys above are right
How high did the water get ??
Minor flood is no big deal
Rebuilt plenty of them
I yank the interior - steam clean and deodorize it
clean the back sides of the panels etc...
I pulled apart every connection in the harnesses and
sprayed them with WD or silicone.
Flush all the fluids, engine, trans, rear, brake fluid, psteer, etc...
Do a trans service with a filter
Can have a real nice driver - if is not real bad
Also how long did it sit since the flood ??
If the water got into the dash or submerged - let that one go...

 

i'm told the water got to about 3" above the carpeting and judging from the stains that looks about right. It won't start though and since it's being sold 'as is' that is my real concern. Could be simple or could be a nightmare.

it's a 2002 GT with 15K miles on it and they want $6500. I'm eager for a project and an empty garage awaits but I don't want to get in over my head.