Edmunds.com Presents Five Steps for Hurricane Sandy Victims Who Lost Their Cars

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hurricane Sandy is believed to have damaged as many as 250,000 cars and left millions of people wondering how to clean up a giant mess and get back to normalcy as quickly as possible. Edmunds.com, the premier resource for car shopping and automotive information recommends these five steps for those who suffered the loss of a car:

1. Make it easy for your insurance company to handle your claim. Generate a free appraisal of your car at http://www.edmunds.com/used-cars/ and present that to your insurance company, whose claims adjusters may be too busy to get to you anytime soon. Also, indicate to your insurer what it will take for you to replace your car by printing an appropriate example of current dealer inventory from http://www.edmunds.com/inventory/. Further advice on what to do after your car is totaled can be found at http://www.edmunds.com/auto-insurance/a-total-loss.html.
2. Decide whether you will buy a new or used car as a replacement vehicle. There are pros and cons to each choice, especially given that many dealerships suffered great losses during the storm. New car buyers will likely find favorable credit conditions with interest rates at near-all-time-lows. Those in the market for a used car may want to hold off on their purchases if they can: Edmunds.com estimates that used car sales will climb $700 to $1,000 in the short term due to storm-damaged dealer inventories and brief interruptions in the supply chain. For more on making the decision between new and used, please see http://www.edmunds.com/car-leasing/compare-the-costs-buying-vs-leasing-vs-buying-a-used-car.html
3. If you choose to buy a new car, check with the automakers of interest to determine if you are eligible for one of the many incentives available to storm victims. Good national incentives may also be available. See current incentives and rebates at http://www.edmunds.com/car-incentives/.
4. If you need to buy a new car quickly, work the phone and the Web to find the right car for you. Be sure to ask for an "out-the-door" price that includes all taxes and fees. To save even more time, you can also ask the dealership to deliver a new car to your home or office. For more on buying a new car quickly, please see http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/buy-a-new-car-in-one-day.html.
5. If you’re buying a used car, make sure that it was not one of the many damaged by flooding. Look for discolored carpet, dirt build-ups and unusual odors. Also make sure to run a vehicle history report on the car to make sure there was never a flood or salvage title placed on the car.

Edmunds.com is committed to making it easier for everyone to buy a new or used car, especially in difficult times. We encourage anyone who has specific car buying questions to reach out to our Live Advice team via phone, chat or email or to post a message to us on Facebook or Twitter.

About Edmunds.com, Inc.

At Edmunds.com, we’re committed to helping people find the car that meets their every need. Almost 18 million visitors use our research, shopping and buying tools every month to make an easy and informed decision on their next new or used car. Whether you’re at the dealership or on the go, we’re always by your side with our five-star Edmunds.com iPhone and iPad apps and our Edmunds.com Android App. Our comprehensive car reviews, shopping tips, photos, videos and feature stories offer a friendly and authentic approach to the automotive world. We’re based in Santa Monica, Calif., but you can connect with us from anywhere by following @Edmunds on Twitter or by becoming a fan of Edmunds.com on Facebook.