Can anyone explain to me why anyone would steal an 11-year-old stick shift base model Saturn with personalized plates??
This happened this moring (8/16) in broad daylight (6:45am-9:45am timeframe), in the suburbs (I’m about an hour from Chicago), and from right in front of my door!
I am just reeling from this!!
I’ve been away from the boards for a while, but you always come through with ideas and help when needed, so I’m coming to you with the hopes that you guys can help me either keep the faith that it will be found unharmed (my car is like my child), or what to expect if you’ve ever gone through this.
Thank you in advance for any insight or help you may be able to give me!
I’m sorry, but if I were you I’d expect nothing more than the insurance payoff. When and if they find it it’ll probably be all torn up to the point that it would be cost-prohibitive to fix it.
That really sucks. I’m sorry to hear about it. People nowadays have no respect for other people’s property.
I’ve heard this already, but what I can’t figure out is why take an OLD base model car that has no power anything on it and really isn’t known to be a fast car? There wasn’t really anything in it of any real value (except to me and mainly the fact is that it was MINE)…
Possibly to commit a robbery with. At least, that’s what my 20-year-old rust-ridden Toyota was stolen for a couple of years ago.
I got it back after it was abandoned by the side of the road. If it’d been insured for theft I’d rather have had the money…
If it does get abandoned, hope like hell it’s somewhere they’re not allowed to park. I’m pretty sure the only reason why my car was discovered within a couple of weeks is that the council towed it after it accumulated about 8 parking tickets in 3 days (and no, I didn’t have to pay them. DID have to pay to get the car back from the towing place though. YMM(hopefully)V )
I know the feeling. Our 72 VW bus which was parked in front of the repair place and was stolen. She has a small repair palce so she doesn’t have secured parking, so to prevent things cars from being stolen the owner removes the rotor inside the distributor cap so the vehivle can’t be started. Our bus was the first vehicle to be stolen from her shop. We assumed that it was pros. Turned out it just had to be a bunch of drunks who had the energy to push the Bus 7 blocks away. It was found by her mechanic on a test drive when he spotted it down a dead end st. (Thankfully it has very distinctive paint) So we recovered our vehicle, but it was a nightmare while it was gone.
I hope they recover your vehicle and its OK. It is a horrible feeling of violation when you have something stolen. I grew up so far in the middle of nowhere that shit like this didn’t happen because there was’nt anyone around to it. Being close to people and knowing that their are people who would do this is still hard for me to deal with sometimes.
Good Luck, I hope that they find your car and it is ok! My thoughts are with you!
The unfortunate other reason for the theft was parts. Unscrupulous body shops are notorious for this with older cars for which manufacturer parts are cost prohibitive.
I’m really sorry about your loss, FalconFinder. I hope for you that it was just kids with nothing better to do on a summer day, and that the car is recovered in a restorable condition.
Oh, I just hate that feeling of going to where you know your car was parked and seeing that it’s not there. Those few seconds when you’re standing there staring at the empty spot thinking you must be mistaken somehow are just awful.
I have an 86 Jeep Cherokee that’s been stolen twice, once from the parking lot of a luxury hotel (complete with security guards) and once from in front of my house. The first time the car was 10 years old and the second it was 12. Both of its front fenders are dented in and rusted and it looks like hell. It didn’t even have a stereo in it the second time.
Both times it was apparently taken for a joyride. The first time, an alert homeowner called the police the next morning because it was parked in front of his house; the second time it was towed from a dirt lot by a motel on the edge of town a week after it was stolen (the towing company called us a week after that). There was damage to it both times, mainly the broken steering column. The insurance company considered it a total loss the second time, but we used the insurance money to fix it and we’re still driving it today. I hope your car will be found, too.
Someone tried to steal my 17 year old car once but couldn’t hotwire it correctly. Ended up breaking the steering column and ignition whatsit.
You may go through the three stages I did. The cop said they are normal. First you are scared(I cried). Then you get calm and think about what you need to do to get it fixed. THEN you get PISSED!
Take care of yourself, and I hope you get your car back.
Our 1991 Chrysler was stolen a few years back and was found abandoned in a parking lot later the same day. The bastards stole the “call police” sign and my little alien mascot that rode in the back.
The cops said it may have been used in a break and enter, or the thieves were deterred by the locking gas cap. When the tank was empty, they couldn’t refill. But really, I think if there’s a will there’s a way. How hard can it be to open a locked gas cap without a key?
The three stages listed above sound quite familiar! We felt totally scared and invaded at first and even worried that since our home address is on the documents in the glove box…what if they were using our car to rob our house? They know bloody well we’re not home. Seems silly now, but I remember it well. I hope they catch the assholes who did this to you.
My SO’s car was stolen on Halloween from the street in front of our apartment. It was just kids joyriding. It was reported a few days later because they’d just left it parked somewhere. The ignition had to be replaced, but otherwise it was just fine. I just wanted to let you know there is hope–it could be found with minimal damage. Good luck to you, and I hope they catch those jerks.
I knew I could count on the great people here to help me!!
InternetLegend, I know EXACTLY what you mean!! I’ve had those moments of panic before, but you calm down to think and realize you were in the wrong row, and then find your car, but to not find it brings on emotions you can’t name!
When I lived at home with my parents, we’d been burglarized and the feeling of voilation is unbelievable!
My cycle has been Panic, Disbelief, more Panic, Anger, even MORE anger, grief, and even MORE Anger!
You try to be a decent person, you work hard for your stuff and then some prick with no conscience just comes along and takes what isn’t theirs.
I’ll tell you one thing, they find the guy who stole it and I will be pressing every charge I can do legally!! Might even sue the jerk for emotional distress!
I’ve been in the market to buy a house, but if I have to buy a new car, that goes down the drain and I have no money.
I know one thing for sure – I’m not renewing my lease here. I gotta find something with a lockable garage – preferrable attached to the house!!
It doesn’t matter what car you have. People will steal anything if they need to get away real fast. The person who stole your car probably robbed a bank or killed someone, and your car was probably an easy target.
Yeah, that’s helpful!:rolleyes:
I think a majority of the time, it’s kids who are just joyriding. I believe that assuming a vehicle was stolen as part of a commission of a crime is seriously jumping the gun! Not to mention, completely unhelpful in terms of helping the OP feel better.
My own story dealing with vehicle theft:
About 20 years ago, we were having a New Year’s Eve party at my parents’ house. My BIL and sister were getting ready to leave (it was about 3AM). BIL opens the front door, just in time to see someone pulling their station wagon out of our driveway!! The car was recovered, pretty much undamaged, about 2 weeks later, IIRC. My sister had lots of cassette tapes in there, that had been stolen be the car thiefs. They proved very hard to replace!
Best of luck, Falcon Finder. We dopers will be here for you.
Do not hope that the stolen ride is parked where it’s prohibited. I got slammed for a good chunk of cash when my Camaro was robbed. The tickets were dated well before the date of my report to the police. That’s kind of understandable because my tush was at sea when my ride was taken! Since I couldn’t pay for the storage fees the county was charging also (the car got towed), I ended up signing the vehicle over to Alameda County. Seriously: don’t wish any more grief on the real owner of the car.
When I was a little girl, our house was broken into while everyone was fast asleep. The thieves climbed on the top of the family mini-van, which was parked right under the porch roof in the driveway, and then climbed into my parents’ bedroom.
They stole my mother’s purse, which had been right on the floor next to her side of the bed. They stole my father’s suits. They stole me and my sister’s violins. But it still wasn’t enough. They had to go and steal the family van too. All while we were asleep!
(The house must have been filled with angels that night. My father is a light sleeper and I hate to think of what would have happened if he had awakened.)
The van was recovered about five days later. The interior was a mess but externally it was fine. And it was driveable. So there is hope that everything will work out.
Kputt, my car is not exactly fast, so it’s pretty unlikely it was a getaway vehicle.
Besides, my apartment building is in the middle of a small complex and wouldn’t have been something someone would have just been wandering by and thought “Hey, let’s take this one.” It’s not near the road at all.
I feel they were casing the lot and my car was behind a van that, while not visible from the road, would have been very visible to anyone that happened to be looking out their windows on either side of the parking lot. But the wouldn’t think of that I’m sure. Though it was pretty ballsy to do it in daytime hours when people would be up and about.
This town is not exactly the hotbed of crime. Kids around here would probably pick something better (so as not to get laughed at, basically) to joyride.
Whoever took the car was professional enough to be able to pick the lock and take off.
The police told me this morning (I called) that in recent months, there have been reports of this and the cars have been found abandoned in fields, but they didn’t mention the condition, which is what really worries me.
I don’t feel violated yet, but something tells me that if they recover my car and I can use it, I’ll feel mighty violated at that time.
Anyone know anything about Kill Switches? I’m wondering if it would be the most effective method of preventing theft once I either get my car back, or, heaven forbid, be forced into buying a new one…
I wasn’t trying to scare you or hurt you more about what I said. I was just repeating a point I heard said by cops about this subject on tv’s.
I think the biggest deterrent is an alarm system on the car. Also, put a vehicle tracker in your car. Also, lock your car doors. From what I heard, these car thieves look for the easiet car to get into.
FYI: My doors were locked. It’s a deeply engrained habit.
I did find an interesting little deterrent online earlier today, it’s called “Auto Taser.” Basically, it shocks the thief and they can’t steal the car. They can’t get to the steering wheel - it won’t shock them until after a 120 decibel alarm goes off and it warns them with lightning arcs.
As you can imagine, this appeals to me immensely. It’s about $200, but well worth it in my opinion!!
FYI: My doors were locked. It’s a deeply engrained habit.
I did find an interesting little deterrent online earlier today, it’s called “Auto Taser.” Basically, it shocks the thief and they can’t steal the car. They can’t get to the steering wheel - it won’t shock them until after a 120 decibel alarm goes off and it warns them with lightning arcs.
As you can imagine, this appeals to me immensely. It’s about $200, but well worth it in my opinion!!
