Help - my Vehicross was stolen

[thebear54]

This sucks so bad......
I hope you find your VX back soon. As for the guy who took the car..."hang him by his *&$#@)*^! on the village green"
Best of luck, you are following all the right steps if you take the advise of everyone here.
John

[crager34]

Totally sucks.... sorry to hear about this.

Did you find out if the license is a fake? Is there a SS # on there by chance? By now the police have done all this work, but more investigation on your end wouldn't hurt... plus... keep you busy with your VX.

Good Luck

[SPAZZ]

A Vehicross "period" is hard to miss, much less an ALL BLUE VEHICROSS. I don't see how they could get away with it unless they had no intent on keeping it, drove the 40 minute drive to Mexico, had a trailer or garage near by...but ultimately who, what, when where, and why a VX and more strange why a blue one???

[transio]

You know, it's also possible that he got into an accident, and decided to just park it in a lot and walk away. Also possible he got lucky and is in a nearby motel room with your VX parked out front! In any case, is the VX insured against theft?

Just be thankful he didn't kill someone with it while test driving it, becauese you would be responsbile!

** WORD TO THE WISE **

If someone is interested in buying your car, do not let them test drive it! Even if their intentions are good, you assume civil liability for any damage they might accidentally cause during the test - including personal injury or death! Why would you put your financial future at risk in the hands of someone you don't know?!

My own tale goes like this: I had an S2000 that I loaned to a coworker so he could take a girl to lunch (he drove a minivan). The roads were wet, and they took a corner too fast, lost control, spun out, and hit a lightpole which fell on top of the car and hit his head. With that, I had significant damage to the car, a broken lightpole, and his medical bills to pay - totaling more than $20,000. Fortunately, my insurance covered it, but I'm still paying elevated rates because of it.

[tiggergreen]

Everything was done through e-mail. I have sent e-mails to his aol account, but so far I have received no replies (and I even requested a read-receipt). I suspect that his intentions are to paint it so that it won't be obvious that it was mine. He could also use license plates from another vehicle (swap them between two cars). As long as he has it out of sight during the next two months or so, he could be home free. And no, the car is not covered for theft - I was only carrying liability insurance as I own it free and clear. So if I do not get it back, I lose everything.

On the bright side of things, I'm thinking this could make for a very interesting screen play...

Brent

[transio]

I was only carrying liability insurance as I own it free and clear. So if I do not get it back, I lose everything.

This is a valuable lesson to learn. Insurance is for protection. If you're not insured by a 3rd party against theft, you should do everything you can on your own to insure against it. That means "the club", a good alarm, lojack, or whatever. It also means careful supervision of unknown parties around your vehicle and secure placement of your vehicle's title. Otherwise, you're taking the risk of a complete loss.

[Anita]

Even IF he does paint it, he would also have to change out your upholstery. That is a dead giveaway.

[WyrreJ]

If someone is interested in buying your car, do not let them test drive it!

You won't sell many cars that way. You do need to be in the passenger's seat though.

As for getting info on the guy, assuming the DL information is right, there are a lot of questionable sources that can get you way more info than what is officially available through NCIC. Smart use of google should turn up all kinds of services - here's one: datatrace The cops need a warrant for those kind of searches (unless you can figure out a way to claim auto-theft is terrorism), but as an ordinary citizen it is still enough of a grey area that these companies are mostly out in the open if you know where to look.

At the very least it would be kinda cathartic to call him on his cell and scare him. Might even make him swerve off the road if you got him at the right time.

[newthings]

My screenplay is close --
An old guy (Write about what you know), gets hit in a gang crossfire in an LA courtroom while waiting to be paneled for a jury. Wounded but recovering, he is pretty mad at the system. He discovers a like minded group of oldsters who are doleing out justice. A Star Chamber of men and women to which our high speed society pays little attention. Conflict, pride, sacrifice, self recrimination, and betryal, are used to examine our justice system and the role of elders in our society. A platform to tell many stories.
A work in progress.
Roy

[bliptrip]

Sorry to hear about your VX. I live in San Diego and do a LOT of driving, so I'll definitely keep a lookout for it. With only about 4 or 5 full-time Vehicrosses living in San Diego County, it won't be hard to miss. I'll also pass on the info to any other VXers I see.

-Phil

[WyrreJ]

My screenplay is close --
An old guy ... discovers a like minded group of oldsters who are doleing out justice.

Grumpy Old Vigilantes?

[transio]

You won't sell many cars that way. You do need to be in the passenger's seat though.

Let them ride in the passenger seat, or sign a liability waiver that indemnifies you of any damage or injuries caused with your vehicle where they are at fault. I'm sure you can find something online.