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Advice on buying a flodded SC300

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Old 09-17-14 | 09:32 PM
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Default Advice on buying a flodded SC300

Its at the auction and have no idea how high the flood was. I was wondering where the water can seep through. I know the ECU could be bad, but I'd like to know if water can go inside the engine or transmission.

If i ever buy it I will drain all the fluids and replace with fresh oils before starting the engine.

Any concerns or something i should look for?
Old 09-17-14 | 09:59 PM
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I bought a car at a dealer auction that had no end of electrical problems. The shop never could figure it out and just kept throwing new parts at it... I saw a few things that made me suspect it may have been a flood car. I wouldn't go anywhere near another such car unless it were dirt cheap, to the point that you could easily make your money back from some quick parting out.

So, to answer your question, price is the only thing I would look at.
Old 09-17-14 | 10:09 PM
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damn.. seems like a no go.

it's a 1997 with 91k miles.. My plan is use it as a daily driver. But yeah, electrical problem is already a trouble. I might get a Civic then lol.
Old 09-17-14 | 11:32 PM
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Could still be a desirable parts car if you can get it cheap. Dealer auctions can be all over the map, so to speak. I wouldn't risk putting much time or money into fixing it up, though, based on my prior experience.
Old 09-18-14 | 01:47 AM
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My advise I'd to not buy it. It'll have issues for the rest of its life.
Old 09-18-14 | 09:52 AM
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might be good for a partout but if you want to revive it then you will likely have to strip it down completely, clean everything and put it back together, and hope the wires all dried out and things didn't short out before you got it. seems risky.
Old 09-18-14 | 12:15 PM
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Flood cars are always a no-no unless you need just the body panels or non-electrical parts. Had a buddy a few years back that his parents purchased a Dodge Dakota flood vehicle. Everything was drained and new fluids, ran decent, but they didnt check the bearings, and the rear axle locked up on them while driving. Axle shafts tore through the rusted bearings and everything welded itself to the axle housing. Not a good deal.
Old 09-18-14 | 01:23 PM
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As everyone else has said, a super huge nightmare. My roommate's dad bought a Busa at auction after Katrina years back knowing it would be a fixer. It ended up being a huge loss even after parting out, after replacing all the wiring, there was still corrosion/rust inside the frame and the calipers etc.. It was a million little things that would otherwise nickel and dime you.

If you can find the previous owner through some ninja ways it would help shed a ton of light. But remember, its at auction because whoever had it gave up on it already.
Old 09-30-14 | 11:59 PM
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Only if it was cheap

Any pics?
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