VIDEO: Hurricane Impacts Car Buying

LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Consumers often fall victim to deals that are too good to be true after disasters. With hurricane season in full swing Attorney General Jim Hood urges Mississippi residents to be aware when purchasing a vehicle.

When inventory becomes damaged the responsibility can fall on the shoulders of consumers who aren’t vigilant.

When most people go to buy a car they check the usual.

“First of all, I look for the price of the vehicle. I also ask for a car facts to make sure it hasn’t been in an accident or anything,”

“I try to see if there’s any knocks, see if it’s knocking. If there’s any smells, if it’s running hot so typically your average stuff, you know, things you don’t want to happen to you while you are driving down the road”

“Check you’re tires, this is how you check your oil this is what you need to look for under the hood, if you have a leak does it all look right, are there any lights on?”

Well now, when shopping for a car, Mississippi Attorney General, Jim Hood encourages residents to be mindful, hurricane season may play a role in the decision making process.

Corrie Mullin works for Crowson Ford Dealership in Winston County. He says you must pay close attention when buying a car after a natural disaster.

“You want to have the carpet inspected, look for a particular smell. Lift the carpet up look for rust. Of course, if someone sprays a lot of air freshener you’re going to want to know why it’s in there. Those are the things you want to look at; covering up odors, flood-less carpet mildew,”said Mullin.

Mullin says those tips aren’t including under the engine.

“It just depends on how bad it was flooded. If it has water in there of course there’s going to be sputtering. If it’s got water in the gas lines or in the engines,” said Mullin.

Mullin says if you evaluate your vehicle and it’s not checking out, ask the experts.

“Take it to your mechanic, if you think it’s going to be a problem, get your mechanic to thoroughly check it out, just to get a second opinion,”said  Mullin.

Reports show an estimated 500 thousand cars were damaged in Hurricane Harvey alone.