The typhoons Bolaven and Tenbin struck the nation hard, leaving many cars submerged beneath flood waters. Unfortunately, many of these flood-damaged cars may find their way onto the used car market. Thus, potential car buyers should remain on the alert to this particular problem.

 The KCA (Korean Consumer Agency) has analyzed a number of consumer counseling cases involving flood-damaged cars. According to its analysis, 261 submerged cars have been sold on to unwitting consumers who were not informed of their car’s history.

 The number of such cases has been increasing annually, from 169 cases in 2010 to 337 cases in 2011. Furthermore, the analysis discovered that 268 cases, or 34.9% of consumers who asked for counseling related to car damages, were reported within half a year to a year. More than a half of all cases were reported within a year.

 However, it is not easy to recover one’s payment for a damaged car. In many cases involving a dispute over a flood-damaged car, the seller simply denies that the car was ever submerged in water or blames the agency that examined the car and issued it with a Steady-State Performance Confirmation.

 As such, the KCA offers the following advice to used car consumers: first, before making the decision to buy a used car, they should check the car out on www.carhistory.or.kr (operated by the KIDI or Korea Insurance Development Institute); and second, they should check whether the interior of the car smells musty or damp.

The KCA also offers the following advice:

-Keep the contract issued by the government agency, the dealers.

-Check that the information provided on the Steady-State Performance confirmation matches the condition of the car exactly.

-Be aware that if the car is on sale at a much lower price than its market value, it may be because it has been submerged in water.