flood cars...stay away?

Figit090

Fastest mk3 GT4 1/4 mile!
Jan 7, 2006
1,835
1
36
Humboldt County
oh. lol.

yeah...maybe. you are probably right.

they said it was "submerged for 12 hours" because they parked it by a river before a flood.

*oops.*

here's the last email;

The carburetor seems to be messing up. The Jeep was parked next to the river and it rose. It was submerged for about 12 hours. When it was towed out, the vehicle was pressure washed inside & out, all the fluids were immediately drained and replaced, and the electronics were removed and cleaned. The interior was then stripped when it was clear it was unrepairable.

i'm assuming by "it" they mean the interior.

they said it would be a good ranch truck! lol. 100 dollars seems pretty cheap though...i dunno. this is a tuffy.
 

suprarx7nut

YotaMD.com author
Nov 10, 2006
3,811
1
38
Arizona
www.supramania.com
For 100 bucks its gonna be fucked up one way or another. If you can afford to spend that on a car to fuck around in, then I say definitely go for it.

If you want a well-running SUV to get around in, spend another couple grand and get a working jeep of a similar model.

If it were me, I'd buy it at this point if you could theoretically drive it home. I would love to just drive the shit out of it. :)
 

Anth505

Failte
Apr 8, 2007
105
0
0
45
Toronto Ontario
Hey all..still kinda new to SM but a long time Supra owner and more recently a Jeep owner. I am part of the Tri-City Jeep Club here in Ontario Canada.

http://www.tricityjeepclub.org/ is the website. I'm sure they can help you answer any questions you may have.

A good friend of mine has a similar Jeep. It's a purpose built off-roader. There is essentially nothing left of the original vehicle except the frame, body and dashboard. It sits on 37" Goodyear MTR's, the rear leaf springs have been converted to schocks/springs. Rear drums have been converted to disc. Full roll cage, full custom engine build, custom lifted suspension, hell it even has an on board air compressor!

The reason I'm telling you this is that some would kill to find a Jeep like that with a good frame and body for $100. You have a clean slate to work with. Parts are relatively cheap and abundant (at least here..I would imagine it's like that everywhere), and if you have the mechanical skill you can build whatever you like. Interior? Who needs an interior? It's just another thing to clean after a day of wheelin'!

Mind you, you don't have to go as crazy as my friend has, and it's taken him years to get there, but for a few G's you could definately build a decent rock crawler or mudder.
Jeeps are the same as Supra's in the sense that once you catch the 'bug', you're hooked! :)

What you do is totally up to you, but just thought I'd put in my .02!

Anthony
 
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iwannadie

New Member
Jul 28, 2006
981
0
0
gilbert, az
Sounds like a good deal to me. 100 bucks to get a nice platform to start with. Even if you gotta gut it and replace the motor and trans its still a good starting point.
 

Greg55_99

New Member
Apr 2, 2005
55
0
0
MA
Flood cars are fine for building IF you're going to do a ground up restoration. Headliners, electronics, wiring, the whole works are going to be shot. Don't even THINK about the drivetrain. It's going to need TOTAL rebuilding. BUT, if you're putting together something for off road use ONLY, it would be OK.

Greg
 

Figit090

Fastest mk3 GT4 1/4 mile!
Jan 7, 2006
1,835
1
36
Humboldt County
well i think if i did that i'd want to start with a toyota shell.

no offense to jeeps. when i saw this i was like...SICK! cheap offroader!

but like you guys just informed me, i was worried lots of stuff, despite prompt after-flood cleaning, would still be shot. they told me they took out and cleaned the electronics...and the interior is already gone, and they powerwashed the thing, but i'm skeptical and it does now sound like a headache. 100 bux better spent in my supe, or something that doesnt have issues.

thanks for the help guys, unless they email me today with a reply from last night and say something like 'you can have it for free' or 'just give me 50 bux' or something....i'm passing.

you guys have saved my butt several times, i cant tell u enough how much i appreciate this!

(oh, and i cant really afford to build up a nice offroader from scratch...considering i'd probably need a new drivetrain....not my cup of tea right now. gotta have a nice drivetrain AND shell, i.e. stocker in DD condition.)
 

Quin

Trans killer
Dec 5, 2006
1,989
0
36
33
Columbus, IN
Then have fun paying at least a grand more for a high mileage one. 100 if the body is good is great. Fuck the interior, you don't need it for offroading. You aren't building another Supra, by a SBC for 300 off Craiglist and tinker until it works. Good ORV for less than 500. If it still runs, definitely get it. If it doesn't run, I'd still do it.
 

Figit090

Fastest mk3 GT4 1/4 mile!
Jan 7, 2006
1,835
1
36
Humboldt County
well the drivetrain might have gotten screwed up (the WHOLE car was underwater for 12 hours) and water may have made its way into funny places and started some rusting.

i know its a good project now after all your replies, and i want it...but that 100 bux is better spent somewhere else.

i'd have to pay a few hundred just to get it to my house if i couldnt tune it at their house... and thats several hundred i'd much rather dump onto my current car.

and i'd rather start w/a toyota shell. jeeps are nice but i like toyotas more. (dur?)
 

Anth505

Failte
Apr 8, 2007
105
0
0
45
Toronto Ontario
It probably just needs a carburator service. You can drop in a used 4.0L FI motor pretty cheap, or just fix the carb. I'd drop in a used 4.0L myself. They run forever.

Toyota's are not bad for off road, but if you're going to build an off road vehicle Jeep's are the way to go. Parts are very easy to get, and they hold up very well.

Were talking about $100 dollars here not $1000's. Rent a trailer from U-haul, tow it home and play with it. If you end up not wanting it, sell it to a Jeep enthusiast or a scrap yard.

I've driven my Jeep 'IN' rivers, with no damage what so ever. Get some used diffs and axels, bolt em on and have fun. It's not something your going to build in a day, it's going to take a while, but it's worth doing.

I know guys here who would buy it with no drivetrain or engine for $100.
 

Figit090

Fastest mk3 GT4 1/4 mile!
Jan 7, 2006
1,835
1
36
Humboldt County
they said the electronics are shot..."lost of problems in the switches and cables"

i'm not totally sure to the extent of that...but i think that would make things kinda difficult for me...

i dunno. im going into college so having two cars isnt practical and i cant use the jeep as a DD... so i dont really think this one is for me.
 

Anth505

Failte
Apr 8, 2007
105
0
0
45
Toronto Ontario
Figit090 said:
i dunno. im going into college so having two cars isnt practical and i cant use the jeep as a DD... QUOTE]

OK, if you had said that from the start, I would have said never mind. I was wondering why $100 was such a big deal, but now I get it! lol
 

Figit090

Fastest mk3 GT4 1/4 mile!
Jan 7, 2006
1,835
1
36
Humboldt County
lol. well even then 100 bux doesnt seem like a huge deal to me...i should save all the money i have but right now i do have 100 bux i could spend.

its the money i'd be required to dump in after the fact. and yes its really cheap but where i am in my life this type of project car isnt a good idea.

if i get a project vehicle it will be a DD. and that will be a 4runner probably. something i can put time and money into, but it will drive me some 10 miles to school and back everyday. (upgrading a stocker...not fixing a beater)

thanks again guys. if they put it up for sale again i'll offer them like 50 bux but i'm sure it will be gone soon.

the u-haul trailer is a smashing idea BTW...i always forget those exist. i'd have to borrow a truck but it would still be cheaper!
 

Figit090

Fastest mk3 GT4 1/4 mile!
Jan 7, 2006
1,835
1
36
Humboldt County
iwannadie said:
I wish I could find that around here, 100 bucks is no thing for that jeep. My energry drink fund for the month prolly is more lol.

yeah. well there are jeep clubs up here i'm sure one of them will nab it.
 

tte

Breaking In - in progress
Mar 30, 2005
940
0
0
Northern California
My uncle bought a flooded 2001 Toyota Sienna years back.
I helped him take out all the seats, carpet and clean the interior and outside.
Did basic tuneup and sold it $19,000. Alot of people wanted to buy it too.

He bought it for $10,000

Cheers,
Roy
 

Figit090

Fastest mk3 GT4 1/4 mile!
Jan 7, 2006
1,835
1
36
Humboldt County
huh?

those pics were taken AFTER the 12 hour submergence.

they pressure washed the thing several times inside and out after they received it from a friend after the flood..

hence the bare-bones interior. take a look.