You would be surprised how many cars and trucks are run through dealer auctions. I would say at least 90% of all cars on every used car lot are from a dealer (not public) auction. Most dealers, new and used, go to the dealer auction at least once a week. They like to do what they call "flipping". If a car sets on their lot to long they run it through the auction, and drive home a different one. This keeps the lot looking fresh with new cars and trucks coming in all the time. Keeping the inventory fresh makes customers think they sell alot of cars. It brings in business. Would you shop at a lot that had the same 30 cars all the time. They pay wholesale at private dealer auctions, so they make money on every car they sell. Its a good idea to ask, before you buy, if it is a local trade and if so ask if you can contact the previous owner. I occasionally "dealer trade" for a friend who is the manager of a local dealership and I have went to auctions with him just to drive cars home to sell. They ALL do this, even if they tell you they don't. Most of the cars for the dealer auction are good cars, but the truth is they dont know. So if someone tells you it came from the auction, check it over good, have a mechanic look at it, ask if you can drive it for the weekend, anything to delay the impulse buy. Take your time and really check it out.

 

I was thinking the dealer he got the truck from got it at a public auction.

 

Check under the dash and remove the plastic panel that surrounds the radio and heater controls to see if any of the metal is rusty or you see water lines on anything. It could be someone just used the truck to play in the mud and it was not a flood victim. If the truck was actually in a major flood, as in water high enough to get into the cab or even high up on the firewall, the odds of all the electrical functioning properly is probably very low. If you start having weird or intermitent electrical problems, I would get concerned and consider getting rid of the truck, otherwise just enjoy your ride.