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Flooded Vehicles From Hurricane Harvey Hitting Resale Market

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DALLAS (CBSMiami) - Eight weeks after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, it's estimated at least a million vehicles suffered flood damage.

Now dealers from around the world are ready to buy and resell the cars, but buyers should beware. Although Texas law requires each vehicle's history is made available to buyers, safety experts say the effects of water damage are often felt much farther down the road.

At the Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, thousands of neatly placed vehicles waiting to be repaired, resold or scrapped.

"Every vehicle here is here for a reason- it was damaged in some way, shape, or form by the storm," said Seth Angel, the racetrack's general manager.

Of those heavily damaged in Harvey's rains or floods, many ended up at the raceway or at a handful of makeshift scrapyards designed for a similar purpose.

At the Texas World Speedway, about 70 miles north of Houston, tens of thousands of cars and trucks line the track. Eventually, they will be sold by insurance companies to salvage yards, dealers, and individual buyers around the world.

While Texas law requires that each car's flood history be made available to potential buyers, safety experts say the effects of water damage are often not felt until much further down the road.

"More than 50 electronic control units are computers in the car today, these vehicles are very susceptible to water. And that water is not friendly to these kinds of systems and can cause all kinds of safety hazards," said Sean Kane with the Sfety Institute.

The racetracks expect to have every one of the vehicles gone by the end of February so they can be ready for racing season which begins in March.
Despite the damage the cars have sustained, Angel said they're are moving off the racetrack as fast as they arrive.

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