delija

I have found 2007 CLK350 with 25 000km on it. It is storm damaged vehicle. It is going to go for auction.
It is not mobile.
Water has entered the oil, as it is white when i checked the dipstick.
You can tell water was up to seat level.

What do you guys think is it worth of buying? It would be easy to change all fluids and clean interior ground up. But i am worried about electronics, ECU, airbags, etc.

Is it worth buying? Any similar experiences?

Thanks

bheng

not that i have heard of, but i would be worried about the electronics of the system. it would be a good project car and will take some money and time to build up. but i think it would be worth it if the price for the shell is worth it.

it really all depends how badly the electonics got owned.

dariusf

In 1995 I purchased a 1993 Mitsubishi 3000 GTSL with ~20k miles that was flooded auction rebuild. It was done by a shop I knew. There was no water in the engine but all 'computers' had to be replaced, the radio and some cleanup. After it was done all worked great and the car looked brand new. I owned the car for 3 years with no issues. Well one, I had to replace alternator but that was after maybe 6 months and then some other maintenance stuff. I guess its a gamble. The price made it worth while as I traded it in 3 years later and got a higher amount for the trade in value then I originally paid for the car

pcardoza

There are a lot of electonics in these cars! Make sure your bid limit gives you plenty of room for shop labor!

delija

Well here this one is valued around $60 000 AUD. Let say i get it for $15 000 just a guess(i might be way off) in worst worst case i spend another $15 000. Still excellent buy!

I am just worried i will never ever make it run... and not sure how water can enter the engine oil, exhaust? air filter maybe?.

How can water damage transmission, as i think it is closed system?

dariusf

In my case it was a total gamble as I guess it always is in buying damaged cars. There is so much one can check at the auction. They pulled the oil dip stick and it looked good. I would do good research before spending any cash even if the deal is great. The rebuild shops can always fall back on parting the car to get their cash back. If they can get it for a very low price assuming not many bidders that day at the auction, they can make a good profit just with all the parts. Personaly I would feel more comfortable with damage to the rear and stuff you can see. Buddy got a very good deal on a VR4 few month after my purchase pf the 3000 and it was a stolen car that had lots of stripped out parts. Got a very good deal on the auction and more or less knew what he was getting in to.

Thats a very good point, more and more electronics in the cars, sometimes that could be more of a pain than the mechanical stuff.

Also remember that the car will have a flood title so for any resale its a big deal.

chrislis

its simple really.

one, if you know what you're doing it's an okay buy.
two, if its reported to the history report of the car as a flood damage car you'll never get anything close to what you put into it when you try to trade out, sell, etc.

basically if you don't know if you'll be able to complete the car and get it running, you answered your own question.

delija

Good points there guys, thanks for that...

delija

I'll probably wait for the that rather has hail damage. Like lots of small dints to the body work. Than at least i know what is wrong with it.

I am excited about this as it would be great project car and at the end hopefully earn me some $

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