You may have seen the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Irene. Raging waters swallowed up cars in Chattanooga, Tennessee earlier this week.
Edmunds.com warns that when there is flooding, there are flood-damaged cars hitting the market. You don't have to be in a flood area to see those cars being sold. Damaged cars are sometimes refurbished and resold, often to unsuspecting buyers on the West Coast.
You can protect yourself by checking the government's new database on a car's history.
A flood title on a car warns future buyers about the damage.