- Location
- United States
I'm anxious about buying a Houston car since hundreds of thousands were flooded by Harvey. There are tell-tale signs of flood damage, but I figure an unscrupulous owner would be willing to spend $10k or more in parts/labor to remove all signs to avoid taking a $50k bath.
What are the chances this one's a Harvey makeover? Keep in mind (Harvey was Aug-Sept 2017)
2016 LC Carfax History - Carfax says one-owner (personal lease)
5/27/2016 - Sold and Titled by Sterling McCall Toyota (Houston Dealer)
8/24/2016 - Oil Change (6574miles)
1/30/2017 - 10k Mile Service at Dealer (10,400 miles)
xxx Harvey hits late Aug 2017
12/20/2017 - 20k Mile Service at Dealer (18,286 miles)
5/4/2018 - TX Inspection (20,204 miles)
10/25/2018 - Tires Rotated (23,121 miles)
5/2/2019 - Vehicle Sold (25,700 miles)
5/23/2019 - Dealer inspection and offer for sale by high-end used car dealer near San Antonio (25,818 miles)
Looks like a 3y lease with no problems. Since it was sold to a dealer, I doubt I can talk to the owner.
The timing and mileage between the 10k and 20k service looks right. The dealer service record just contains boilerplate...no remarks about rust, water, etc.
I assume it would be fully insured if it was a lease-vehicle, but it's not clear how carfax identifies personal leases. And if it was insured, then it would be totaled or branded as a flood vehicle.
What else can be done to eliminate the risk it was damaged?
What are the chances this one's a Harvey makeover? Keep in mind (Harvey was Aug-Sept 2017)
2016 LC Carfax History - Carfax says one-owner (personal lease)
5/27/2016 - Sold and Titled by Sterling McCall Toyota (Houston Dealer)
8/24/2016 - Oil Change (6574miles)
1/30/2017 - 10k Mile Service at Dealer (10,400 miles)
xxx Harvey hits late Aug 2017
12/20/2017 - 20k Mile Service at Dealer (18,286 miles)
5/4/2018 - TX Inspection (20,204 miles)
10/25/2018 - Tires Rotated (23,121 miles)
5/2/2019 - Vehicle Sold (25,700 miles)
5/23/2019 - Dealer inspection and offer for sale by high-end used car dealer near San Antonio (25,818 miles)
Looks like a 3y lease with no problems. Since it was sold to a dealer, I doubt I can talk to the owner.
The timing and mileage between the 10k and 20k service looks right. The dealer service record just contains boilerplate...no remarks about rust, water, etc.
I assume it would be fully insured if it was a lease-vehicle, but it's not clear how carfax identifies personal leases. And if it was insured, then it would be totaled or branded as a flood vehicle.
What else can be done to eliminate the risk it was damaged?