CLEVELAND -- Buying a used car can save a lot of money, but it could also give you a financial headache -- half a million hurricane cars could be heading to a used car lot near you.

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating natural disasters in American history, with homes destroyed and lives lost.

In the midst of the disaster, thousands of vehicles were trashed by saltwater.

But now, a second wave is coming. NewsChannel5's consumer unit found that some scammers may be trying to sell those vehicles to consumers in northeast Ohio, reported 5 On Your Side's Angie Lau.

When the storms hit, Special Agent John Paskan of the National Insurance Crime Bureau rushed down to Louisiana hoping to prevent serious crimes.

"We had agents down there cataloguing cars that were damaged as a result of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma," said Paskan.

The investigator discovered that although the cars were completely wrecked, some scammers were still trying to sell them.

"Some of the vehicles were so devastated by the storms, they were twisted up like pretzel, and people would still sell it," said Paskan.

There are an estimated 500,000 cars out there, about to be siphoned into the used car market.

One such car was delivered to Cleveland and dumped on an unsuspecting buyer who thought he was getting something else.

"We pulled part of that down, still see evidence of mud in dash component, especially when it get into a saltwater situation, it will corrode the electronic component of this car and makes it unusable," said Paskan.

Paskan said the dealer didn't even bother cleaning up the vehicle, and sold it as it was, while making it out to be a much different vehicle than what it actually was.

But many more use the popular makeover trick -- getting rid of the evidence to make the customer believe they're getting something they're not, costing them money, or worse. There could be major safety issues with the car, such as airbags that won't deploy or the antilock braking system failing.

NewsChannel5 brought the Katrina wreck to Eastside Auto. The mechanics there gave the junked car a major makeover. They did a lot of work on the car: buffing, polishing and scrubbing, and even spray painting to cover the rust.

After 3 and a half hours, the car went from Katrina wreck to used-car-lot ready.

But it still doesn't change a thing. The car may look good and may even run for a short period of time, but a car like this won't last, Paskan said.

Eastside Auto showed NewsChannel5 that even as good as the junker may look, there are clues that nobody can hide.

There's no hiding the rust and corrosion taking place behind the door trim panel if it is pulled back.

A victim could pay $1,500 for a hurricane car, but it may cost him three times that just to get it running.

"He's got about a $1,500 boat anchor right now. It should go back in the water is what it should do. He's never going to be able to fix this to make it right," said Paskan.

You don't have to be an expert to spot a hurricane car, you just need to know what to look for. In Ohio, lemon laws only apply to new cars, not used ones.

So that best way to protect yourself is to always get the car checked out by a mechanic.

For more information on hurricane cars, go to the National Insurance Crime Bureau's Web site.