Add one more peril to the already-tricky process of buying a good used car: Floodwater.
A lot of cars and trucks got thoroughly soaked when Hurricane Matthew dumped 16 inches of rain or more on this region last month, setting off the worst flooding anyone has seen in a lifetime.
Some of those vehicles were already up for sale before the hurricane hit. More of them may be by now. And if they got flooded, chances are they're lemons in waiting.
If you're shopping for a used vehicle, this is a good time to tune up your eyes and your nose. Selling a flood-damaged vehicle without disclosing its condition is illegal. So first, take a deep breath inside the car. If it smells moldy - or of a heavy fragrance used to disguise mold - walk away. Look under the hood and in the trunk. Walk if you see a waterline.
Flood damage should be disclosed on the vehicle's title. It it's not, and you get stuck with one, contact the DMV. Its License and Theft Bureau will investigate.
Especially now, used-car buyers beware.
