This is a sequel to my thread here: SUV-owners - need your experience with these models.

I finally decided on buying the Xterra and what trim I wanted and I was very specific: "2005 Xterra Off-Road trim, Granite color, 4WD/Auto".

Returned to dealer yesterday and he says he cannot find ANY '05 Xterra-OR 4WD/Auto in Granite color available anywhere in any dealership in a five-state regional search. I live in Aztlan so I suppose he searched in the SW USA region. He says that with the '06 models coming soon and that Nissan stopped producing new 05s now and the Granite color was a very popular color and so it's very hard to find now.

Does that sound right to you? Are they becoming THAT rare to find nowadays?

BUT... he says he DID find one and was able to arrange for it to be shipped here... from Mississippi  

My immediate thought was "hurricane damage". Dealer promised they would not sell a damaged vehicle as new.

I got the VIN for the vehicle being shipped and it's due to arrive in about two weeks.

What say all of you?

1) Should I be worried about a vehicle being shipped from Mississippi?

And more importantly...

2) When it does arrive, how can I be sure it wasn't flooded or what should I look for to see if it had any water damage that the MS dealer may have tried to adeptly cover up?

If it were me, I would not buy a new vehicle unless it was manufactured AFTER the hurricane.  But I am paranoid...

Go to your local CSI and get a fecal matter test kit?

Catfish in the spare tire well?

ETA I don't think that any amount of Febreze will cover up the smell of swamp water mixed with ass.

Personally I would not buy any vehicle for awhile.

It's usually more difficult to determine if a new vs. a used car has been flood damaged because you're expecting everything to look new. If it's been cleaned up really well and lots of stuff replaced it's going to require a closer inspection.

Put the car up on a lift and look for mud/sand/silt. You shouldn't find any. See if you can remove the sills holding the carpet down and look under the carpet/padding/insulation for rust sand/silt etc. Try and inspect as much of the car as you can. Look for obvious signs of staining, water marks etc. Check under the oil filler cap. There shouldn't be any "milky" gunk under it. Have the wheels pulled and see if there is any sand/silt/mud gunking up the rotors/calipers or inside of the wheels.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!  Don't tell me this.

I've got a '05 Off-Road spec'd out (4x4, 6 speed in either red or Night Armor) but it's going to be after the 15th until I can do a damn thing about getting one (Credit Union decided to put a hold on the escrow check from my house sale ).

So far a few of the dealerships in my area have had just about what I want off and on for the past couple of weeks but knowing my luck they'll probably all dry up just about the time I can do something about it.

Dammit, I can't afford to wait weeks.  My current ride is about at the end of its rope and I'm *NOT* putting a dime into it.

Shit!

(for those that remember me asking about used 4Runners, I decided to go with the Xterra just because I had very specific specs for a used 4Runner and simply can't get what I want without going to Hell and back to track one down).

Quoted: It's usually more difficult to determine if a new vs. a used car has been flood damaged because you're expecting everything to look new. If it's been cleaned up really well and lots of stuff replaced it's going to require a closer inspection. Put the car up on a lift and look for mud/sand/silt. You shouldn't find any. See if you can remove the sills holding the carpet down and look under the carpet/padding/insulation for rust sand/silt etc. Try and inspect as much of the car as you can. Look for obvious signs of staining, water marks etc. Check under the oil filler cap. There shouldn't be any "milky" gunk under it. Have the wheels pulled and see if there is any sand/silt/mud gunking up the rotors/calipers or inside of the wheels.

To add: unplug electrical connections under the hood, and look for any dirt other than the usual dust.

Good advice guys. That's what I'm looking for. Keep it coming.

Okay, I did bunch of researching on Nissanusa.com and was able to find the vehicle I ordered and what dealer it's coming from.

It's from a dealer in Southhaven MS which is about 10 miles south of Memphis TN... WAAAAY far away from the gulf coast hurricane-damaged areas.

Makes me feel much better about it.

Still though, I'm gonna go over that OR with a fine-tooth comb when it arrives, just to be sure.