cmjohnson

I would absolutely without question take that car on as a project. I am highly qualified to salvage electronics that have been submerged, even in salt water, and would jump at the chance to get a car like that knowing fully well that it'd mean I'd have to put in several hundred, probably more than a thousand, labor hours into it in order to get it running reliably. In fact in the weeks and months to come I will be specifically looking for Porsche flood cars with this in mind.

Macster

Should be able to buy all you can afford. Rumor is a number of flood damaged cars from Texas and more recently Florida will be "sold" either as flood damaged or as used or even new after repairs.

Your time must not be very valuable if you are willing to spend up to 1000 hours. At $100/hour that's $100,000 in labor alone to resurrect that Turbo S.

And who knows what the parts cost will be?

I believe one could seek out the best 996 Turbo S low miles unmodified example available and buy it for less than $100,000.

cmjohnson

I'd trade my labor in lieu of cash I don't have. I'm not a wealthy man and although I do make ends meet, I do it in a way that doesn't mean that putting more time into my work will result in more income. So I end up with quite a bit of spare time to do other things.

champignon

The problem is that once you fix a car like this up, no matter how perfect it is, you end up with a branded-title car. I guess you could try to get a "title-washing done," which would be unethical, otherwise, the resale value of the car you worked so hard on will be severely limited.

Some people buy branded-title cars; most are sold with stories, the veracity of which cannot be proven. I would just avoid all of them, period.

cmjohnson

Resale value is NOT a consideration. My interest in a car is to drive the living hell out of it. Even if it had a title type that made it impossible to legally drive it on the road, it'd become a track beast. I would not buy it as an investment, or with any intention of getting my money out of it. It'd only be to drive it and for as long as I can keep it running. Expect me to put a quarter million miles on it, or more if it'll take it.

32krazy!

Electronics aside your looking T a full rebuild on the engine since it has sat to long. Just the crank is 6k heads 3k each oil pump 1500 and so on. Then trans and front diff. Car is a money pit waiting to fall into an unsuspecting diy guys hands

cmjohnson

I'm aware of those issues. I would still go for it.

911 Rod

I hate to say it, but I think all flooded cars should be crushed.
So many have the title washed too (see what i did there :-) ) and unsuspecting buyers buy them.

cmjohnson

I understand the concern regarding sanitized titles. I would prefer to have that issue addressed by a national standardized system of title classifications. One that addresses the issue of a flood damaged or salvaged car by ensuring that its title classification applies nationally and not on a state by state basis. And one where a salvage or flood title can never be reclassified as a clean title.

For a track car, all I need is good steering, brakes, and drivetrain. Anything not serving those essentials can be stripped out and still allow me to have fun track days.

champignon

Certainly, I'd be very wary of any car that lived in coastal Texas and parts of Florida during this time period and that then later went back on the market, especially if the car was re-registered in another state. It shouldn't take that much sleuthing to figure out that a car was at risk of having been flood damaged. Even a Carfax or an Autocheck report ought to supply some pretty good clues. I would think/hope that the period of residency in these places around the time of these hurricanes should not be easily expunged from the car's history.

The problem would be years from now, as the memory of these events dimmed, that with an apparently clean title, the actual history may not be obvious.

As I suggested much earlier in this thread, it would be really nice if anyone who does have their flood-damaged car totaled by the insurance company, would post the VIN# after the insurance buyout is made. That way, with some google searching one could hopefully figure this out even if a subsequent buyer of the car tries to hide its history.

Jones R

I'm posting the VIN below. Pass it on to anyone you know car shopping.

WP0AB29975S685217

RIP

cmjohnson

Has it already been taken away? I wish there was a way to get the insurance company to just sell it to me right now.

Jones R

Dude. I used to think the same as you regarding a project car. But flood waters are basically diluted sewage. Below is a photo of the interior a few days after. My car is always clean, so the source of that mold is feces.

RClurg84

Holy Sh*#!!!!!! Yea that can go get crushed.

Ck986

Yikes!! and they're heated sport seats.