Help - my Vehicross was stolen

[grandeillusions]

Man that sucks! You can bet it is in a crate on its way to another country by now.

[Ldub]

I don't like to be hate'n on no one ...but I am always more than willing to make an exception for a useless waste of skin & breathing air who is too lazy to go out & work for what they want & instead steal from those who have.
I really feel for you Brent, I know how I would feel if this happened to me.
I hope this comes to a happy end.
Best wishes,Ldub

[JAFO]

Tiggergreen, sorry for the loss. I met you in Hillsboro a couple years back. I'll keep an eye out if it makes it up this way I will definately inform you and the police.

When you say the title was in the car you mean the registration and not the title right? I hope. The title and the vehicle should never be in the same place at the same time.

It may also be worth hiring a private investigator.

[tiggergreen]

No - I mean the title and the registration was in the glove box. I know - I am so stupid. *bangs head repeatedly on desk*

I have checked with the DMV and nothing has happened with that VIN number yet. The police are giving me the run around - they think it is suspicious that I have his license number... They don't want to do anything with it.

Brent

[Joe_Black]

The police are giving me the run around - they think it is suspicious that I have his license number... They don't want to do anything with it.

We've got all our fingers 'n' toes crossed for ya Brent! Of all the things to steal, they might as well have grabbed a burning fuel tanker to be less conspicuous. If the local PD won't step up to the plate go up the chain of command, you'll get to someone who realizes where their paycheck comes from. Just be honest about the incident and stress the uniqueness of the vehicle and maybe, just maybe, they'll grab for an easy feather in the collective law enforcement cap. If not, go to your local television news channel. They love stories about how ineffective and unconcerned local law enforcement is. This story would be like throwing a pound of raw beef to starved dogs.

[WyrreJ]

You should set up a recurring search on ebay for the vin and maybe for any combination of the words "blue" and "vehicross."

If he has the title, there is a decent chance that he will impersonate you and try selling it to a used car dealer in another state. I don't know how it works in California, but in Florida, the dealer doesn't have to register squat with the DMV until he sells the car, at which point the title transfer is recorded as going from the guy who sold it to the dealer to the guy who bought it from the dealer.

With so many used cars on ebay, there is a decent chance that if it ends up in the hands of a dealer, he'll put it on ebay, at which point you would automatically get an email from ebay telling you where your car is.

Sorry that I do not have any advice on how to make the police take you more seriously, do you know anyone in law enforcement personally that you can ask for a favor?

[WyrreJ]

Two more things:

1) Get your insurance company involved ASAP. The VX was stolen, your insurance should cover that, it doesn't matter that you handed the guy the keys, it was stolen through fraud, but stolen nonetheless.

2) If it does show up on ebay, the seller will *not* be happy to hear from you. I suggest talking to a lawyer BEFORE saying anything to the seller. Failing that, it would probably be wisest to send a certified over-night letter to the seller informing him that the vx is stolen, which would prevent him from selling it to anyone else, then you'll just have to figure out how to make him give it back - probably a fight that you would want your insurance company to handle, not yourself personally.

[kpaske]

I like Joe's suggestion about going to the media. There are two parts to the story - the complacent local police, as well as the "new way" to steal a car. I'm sure it's not the first time that's ever happened, but the media loves to put together stories about what to "be on the lookout" for. They get a good story, and you get pictures of your blue VX blasted all over the local news.