Royal Purple Raceway (1 Viewer)

[Cliff]

Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown has closed their track for the rest of the year, in order to store flood damaged cars. There are over 100,000 cars there now, parked in pit area & spectator areas. Track said this was their way of helping the flood areas. Saw an interview on Fox 26 in Houston (which can be accessed on computer) & they showed all the cars. God bless the Angel family for helping in this way. Texas Strong, Baytown Proud.

 

[Jeff]

I'd be surprised if they were not compensated for this service, but it is a nice thing to do to help insurance, etc. process the vehicles to their ultimate disposition. Fortunately, the bracket, national and divisional season is completed, but they will forgo their fairly popular Friday night "street" racing. Seth has also made clear that the track is still available for private rental.

 

[Cliff]

I hope they do get compensated. It was strange seeing on TV all the cars that are already stored there. Tow trucks were bringing the cars in 2-3 at a time. The sad thing is that there are always scammers who will sell flood damaged cars & people buy 'em. That happened with Katrina & now with Harvey. arghhhh

 

[JF]

I hope they do get compensated. It was strange seeing on TV all the cars that are already stored there. Tow trucks were bringing the cars in 2-3 at a time. The sad thing is that there are always scammers who will sell flood damaged cars & people buy 'em. That happened with Katrina & now with Harvey. arghhhh

Flood cars make great starts for Racecars. You have to gut it anyways. Think of the Camaros, Challengers that are full of water waiting to now be race cars

 

[.]

http://abc13.com/automotive/flooded-vehicles-winding-up-at-baytown-raceway-/2374381/

 

[you]

 

[Butch]

I read in a article covering the auto salvage, that COPART only was renting this property. Another big
salvage company was scattered around Houston using what land they could find. So evidently there
sponsor ship with Bernstein made for some great connections.

 

[Cliff]

Have read that up to a million cars are flood damaged. All the rental companies are out of cars & having to ship cars in from other states. Well, one good thing is that the new car sales were in a down cycle, & this will pick things up. Used cars as well. Lord take care of those folks in those areas. We had a tiny taste of weather a few years back in Phoenix, with bad hail storm. We had to replace the roof cuz of hail damage, & lotsa cars with hail damage as well - windshields broken & car bodies with dents all over from the hail. Very rare here but we do get strong winds that knock over power poles, especially in the east valley (Mesa, Chandler, that area). We have a NOAA radio that broadcasts alerts, & it goes off a lot this time of year.

 

[mick]

friend and i just talking about this last weekend; how many flood cars from texas, louisiana, florida, georgia are going to enter the used marketplace nationwide in the not so distant future......a handful of not-so-honest folks are gonna' make a killing

 

[Nunz]

Mike, there are just a handful of not-so-honest folks selling used cars?

 

[Butch]

Cliff, I remember that HAIL storm it was wild.

 

[ironpony]

I will be out of the buying a used car market for a few years till all of these get weeded out.

 

[vegasnitro]

I will be out of the buying a used car market for a few years till all of these get weeded out.

Much harder to get one of those cars these days via nefarious means. The insurance companies will likely total all of them, and any they run through an auction will have to do so with a salvage title. As always, look at CarFax and similar services before buying. They are very good about recording all title transactions.

 

[DrRocket]

As always, look at CarFax and similar services before buying. They are very good about recording all title transactions.

Take CarFax report with a chunk of salt. My wife works for the state in the department that amongst other things, processes car titles. People bring in CarFax reports all the time madder than hell, complaining they found out that the car was in an accident and it wasn't on the CarFax report.

All she can do is tell them to "take it up with CarFax." She considers the reports useless.

 

[vegasnitro]

Take CarFax report with a chunk of salt. My wife works for the state in the department that amongst other things, processes car titles. People bring in CarFax reports all the time madder than hell, complaining they found out that the car was in an accident and it wasn't on the CarFax report.

All she can do is tell them to "take it up with CarFax." She considers the reports useless.

For accidents, it is hit or miss at best. It is up to the repair shop to report the repairs. For instance, lets say I hit a telephone pole and smash the front of my car and set off the airbags. I decide not to turn it in on my insurance and pay the repair shop out of pocket. If the repair shop does not report it to CarFax, then later I can sell the car with a "clean CarFax report". That is 100 per cent NOT CarFax's fault. Most large insurance companies require their authorized repair shops to report to CarFax, and it is theorized that if you own a previously wrecked vehicle that the insurance companies will charge you more to insure that car, even if you weren't the one that wrecked it. It has not been proven of course.

However, as it pertains to this thread, ALL title transactions in every state are a matter of public record, and CarFax is very good at reporting title transactions. Once those vehicles in Texas are totaled, they must be sold with Salvage titles. Most will go to scrap yards for parts, some will find their way back to the road, HOPEFULLY with salvage titles. In this instance, if you see a vehicle re-titled out of Texas in this time frame on your CarFax, be VERY wary.

Even for all of it's flaws, buying with CarFax today is better than buying without it 30 years ago. More information is always better.

I feel bad for your wife, CarFax is a private entity and has nothing to do with the State.

 

[ironpony]

OR a car it titled in Ohio, sold, retitled in Michigan and bam clean title, it is called title washing, it is done all the time.
1 million cars 5% get missed 50,000 cars sold to unknowing people.
Every flooded car needs crushed, do you want a flooded car? or parts off of one that was underwater?

 

[nitrobobby]

I m a indiana dealer. there is a salvage form must be signed by customer that it was a flood car. I f not disclosed its a $10,000 fine and loss of dealer lience

 

[Muddy]

It's not uncommon for a title to get washed and the car never physically leaves the state it was damaged in. Saw it all the time when I was the director of motor vehicle information for the state. Title leaves the state and is processed in multiple states until it returns as a "green title".

 

[Jeff]

A flooded car has a ton of good parts. It is absolutely environmentally irresponsible to say that their only logical disposition is the crusher. Crush the ECU, fuse panel, steering column maybe a few other key parts. Create a dedicated VIN listing for flooded cars that have been through insurance .... apply some real thought to it. Crush the whole car to prevent an idiot from buying one with a washed title (e.g. it had to go through a salvage operation to get a salvage title)? ... not one brain cell wasted on that thought.

 

[troy boy]

A flooded car has a ton of good parts. It is absolutely environmentally irresponsible to say that their only logical disposition is the crusher. Crush the ECU, fuse panel, steering column maybe a few other key parts. Create a dedicated VIN listing for flooded cars that have been through insurance .... apply some real thought to it. Crush the whole car to prevent an idiot from buying one with a washed title (e.g. it had to go through a salvage operation to get a salvage title)? ... not one brain cell wasted on that thought.

It sound stupid at first but unfortunately because the insurance co now owns the car any part that would be sold if it failed later on the insurance co could be held liable.
So say they sell an alternator and it shorts out later catches the car on fire and some one dies. The insurance co would be liable. It's not worth the risk for them so they get crushed. Just the cost of fighting one lawsuit would outweigh the cost of a car.
I was out on the site in Alameda when they where filming the Matrix. They had built a whole freeway scene on the runway. They had about a hundred brand new flood cars from Texas there with the stickers still in the windows. They had to build the freeway because the cars where illegal to drive on the street. Even a closed street. They wrecked a bunch of them and then they crushed them all. They had an insurance rep on site and he made sure every part went to the crusher. I know cause I tried to get a set of rims and tires. I figured no harm in that but he was adamant. Everything gets crushed.