Flood, Fire & Hail Damaged Cars: What They're Worth

Storm Season in Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay sees floods every summer and fall during hurricane season. When tropical storms push storm surge into the bay or heavy rain backs up the Hillsborough River, thousands of vehicles get totaled. Insurance writes them off. Then what?

Flood-Damaged Cars

**The good news:** flood cars are excellent scrap candidates. Most electronics are shot, but the steel, aluminum, and copper are still valuable.

**The bad news:** insurance companies often retain the title. If the car was a "total loss" insurance claim, the title may be branded. We can still buy it — we just need to verify the brand.

**Tips:** - Document the waterline (interior door panels often have a visible line). - Be honest about which electronics worked after the flood. - If you have photos of the damage, share them with the driver.

Fire-Damaged Cars

Burned vehicles are priced strictly by weight. The plastic, fabric, and electronics are all gone. What's left is metal — and metal has value.

**We require the title for burned vehicles.** This prevents insurance fraud (a stolen-and-burned car being sold for scrap).

Hail Damage

Hail-damaged cars are usually *running* and *driveable* but have dimpled body panels and broken glass. Insurance totals them due to repair cost vs. value. We buy them as parts cars.