Well I have been looking for a 3g eclipse gt with a manual and low miles for some time now. I came across this one

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/3277764463.html

and thought it might be it. Well I talked to the owner and aparently it has a flood title. says he bought it down south in 06 with 90  miles on it. he told me it was damaged by kartina aparently only a broken window and some water got it, not enough to do real water damage. He bought in Loiuisana and got no paperwork from it.

I'm not sure I buy all that, would they give a flood title for somthign so small? Should I check it out or eject now?

it is registered and inspected.

The major problem with flooded vehicles isn't the upholstery, it's the electronics. Lots of cars have electronic modules on or near the floor; for example, if my Ford Escape gets water in it more than 4 inches above the floor, at least one electronic module gets soaked and the car won't run.

Check it VERY carefully with this in mind.

These just got some water in them too.






Personally, I'd stay away.

ya thats what I was most concerned about. also in the long run I'm sure i'd have a hard time selling it back.

run away unless you're totally gutting it to make it a dedicated track/race car...and even then you'll probably be looking for a donor car for electronics stuff.

Run away!

haha ok thats kind of what I figured the response would be.

That vintage Mitsubishi is bad enough in the electronics dpt without dunking it in fetid swamp water first.

RUN, don't walk away

I have no experience with flood vehicles, but all of my trucks have been salvage titled vehicles. There are plenty of good flood damaged vehicles out there brought back to life with no issues, but I'm sure there are also plenty of nightmares.

Insurance companies will total vehicles for a lot less damage than you would think. There are some factors that are instantly counted as a total loss, regardless of how much the cost to repair is. Stuff like flood damage, frame damage, or engine fires are quick to be totaled out by insurance companies. My current truck is a 2011 F-150 Lariat. The book value is about $35,000, but it was totaled out by an insurance company over $1,700 worth of minor fire damage.

So there may or may not be any issues with the car you're looking at. If he has been driving it for a few years with no issues, I wouldn't completely dismiss it immediately. But if he just recently fixed it and it only has a few miles on it since the repairs were done, I'd avoid it. And try to find out who did the repairs and what exactly was replaced. If you buy it, pay no more than 50% of book value. That's about what a salvage titled vehicle is worth. Sometimes, up to 60-65% may be ok if you're buying from a reputable shop that did the repairs themselves. In this case, since you don't know the seller or who did the repairs, err on the side of caution.

ETA: The fact that he doesn't mention the branded title in the ad would make me extra skeptical. If he's not being upfront about the title, I wouldn't want to buy from him.

Flooded in fresh water...........  Maybe if the price is right.  And you have the ability to work on it yourself.
We've rescued a few from the bottom of lakes (broke through ice).  One was on the bottom for a month, and is still being driven.  Changed all the fluids a few times, pulled the carpet and seats out to dry, new cluster, new radio.  Things like idler pulley bearings, alternators, heater motors, window motors, and starters tend to work at first but slowly die one by one from trapped moisture eventually corroding things internally.

Flooded in salt water...........  parts car.

I'd steer clear of that car. You'll be fighting electrical problems for eternity. Find an Eclipse that hasn't been under water, even if it means trying another state.