Car stolen... Sh#$@%

[tbushnel]

Well our one and only car was stolen last night, right from the front of our apartment building. :crap: On the one hand, I usually ride the bus or my bike or some combo thereof so I could get by without it, but my wife has to shuttle around our 7 month old son so some how we have to find a replacement. Just when you think you have enough for the "new edition" (in my case I was hoping to get on the Kirk waiting list soon), something comes along to suck up all the "extra" money.

If it were my bike that was stolen, I could utter the magical 5 words "time for a new bike" and not feel too bad. But a car is much more expensive and a pain to replace. Actually, it may not be more expensive than some bikes, but it sure isn't as much fun as getting a new bike. Maybe my wife would go for an Ottrott with a baby trailer. Maybe not.

Cheers,
Ted.

[Fixed]

bro I bet you get the car back in a day or so .you might still get on the list bro .cheers

[eddief]

That people can't leave other people's stuff alone?

I know it's a big subject, but it drives me crazy that we are a country of so many dishonest s.o.b.s.

Maybe my stolen S & S hard case will be in the back seat of your car when you get it back.

Good luck.

[tbushnel]

Fixed, I hope you are right. It would be much better to get it back and have to fix it some than to have to replace it. Oh and I have taken to ending my posts and emails with "cheers" because of you. What can I say, I like your style.

Eddie, if your S&S hardcase is in the back, I will certainly let you know.

Cheers,
Ted. :banana:

[shaq-d]

That people can't leave other people's stuff alone?


that's easy to answer, sorta. the human condition is the social condition.

sd

[flydhest]

Hope that they find it totalled or that you don't actually get the car back, in my ho. I had my car stolen 4 yrs ago. It was found completely stripped. The insurance company wrote me a check, all was well. I had bad daydreams of them finding it after 3 weeks of (mis-)use. A friend had a car stolen that was recovered and could never get a mysterious aroma out of the car afterwards. Plus, it died a premature death a couple years later. My guess is it had been driven like it was stolen . . . so to speak.

[tbushnel]

They found it - just like fixed said. Unfortunately, since it is the weekend the towing company isn't officially open, although they answer their phones and will talk to you. They just say, "yeah, we have your car, but no, you cannot come get it until monday". Of course I am sure having our car parked in their lot won't be for free. But, I guess i shouldn't complain, at least it was found.

The police say there is some damage, but it sounds like just to the starting mechanism. I will be crossing my fingers all weekend (especially after reading Fly's post - no weird smells, no weird smells, no weird smells). Maybe I will make on the Kirk list this year afterall.
cheers,
Ted. :banana:

[Fixed]

bro I 'm from the hood kids take a car drive to their buds hood and drop off the ride, all it is to them is a ride . now you to deal with the real crooks the towing co. i.m.h.o. glad you got it back .cheers

[rePhil]

Fixed my bro, The real crooks are the ones who took the car. The towtruck is dishonest.If it weren't for the thieves he wouldn't have to deal with the towtruck I think it's wrong to take a car for a ride to the hood. I teach at a school for troubled kids. I try to teach them the Golden rule, but most don't get it.
Cheers

[67-59]

The difference between those who steal and those who wouldn't dream of it is NOT the neighborhood, or how much you have, or race, or immmigrant status. It's whether or not you have been instilled with proper values from day one. I know plenty of people who came from "bad" beginnings, and who wouldn't dream of taking someone else's property, and those who have lots, but still would. Remember Winona Ryder? Martha Stewart? Ken Lay? Don't think they stole to get out of the 'hood.

The problem with society today is that too many parents don't take the necessary time with their kids. It's true with moral values, education and everything else. At my kids' school, the consistent difference between those who do well and those who don't is how much involvement the parents have at home. Are there exceptions? Sure, but with proper parental involvement, they will be exceptions, not the rule.

Sorry for the soapbox, but the truth needs to be told....

[Fixed]

bro walk a mile in their shoes most of these kids got no rents to look out for them or care about them .they are kids not dogs bro i.m.h.o. I didn't say they were right doing what they do I just understand it. :beer: cheers

[rePhil]

bro, some of them walk in mine. I have quietly given shoes among other items. And you know what? They would still steal from me. Yes, some have a horrible home life, worse than we can ever imagine.It's not my fault that they don't have parents, nor is it theirs. It's their choice to do the right thing.
I wish you could come to my school and talk to them.
Let me ask you this..
So often we will do an art project. It costs for the material, (some even comes out of our pocket) They have a good teacher teaching age appropriate projects. When they are done they don't even want to take their"junk" home with them. And if they do it's for their Auntie or Grandma, never a dad, rarely a mom. How do you fix that?

[Fixed]

bro there ain't no fix i.m.h.o. cheers

[jerk]

Fixed my bro, The real crooks are the ones who took the car. The towtruck is dishonest.If it weren't for the thieves he wouldn't have to deal with the towtruck I think it's wrong to take a car for a ride to the hood. I teach at a school for troubled kids. I try to teach them the Golden rule, but most don't get it.
Cheers


yeah,
he with the gold rules.

jerk

[tbushnel]

Just to put the thread to rest, we checked out our car at the tow yard this morning. Surprisingly, the towing guy (small business) seemed like a very nice person and was polite and helpful. I felt good about that. The car had the expected damage to the steering column/ignition and did had some spiteful minor damage to the interior (put out cigarrette on a seat back and bent hinges on the center storage box) but no exterior damage at all. They did a professional job getting in the car for sure. Probably the worst part is that the baby car seat (expensive gift) was taken. I guess crooks have families too.

I believe in cosmic justice... what comes around goes around. At least that makes me feel better, or should I say enhances my serenity.

Cheers,
Ted.

[Skrawny]

Same thing happened to my car.
Stolen, then they arrested the guy driving in it about a week later (pulled over because he had removed the plates -duh!)
Wheels, hubs, bumpers and side panels were scraped up, but repairable.
He left me a full tank of gas, a "Fast-trac" for bridge tolls, a few porno mags and some "Ho-hos" The cops removed the drugs he got caught with.

Completely gone is $500 worth of Yakima roof rack.

He also wrote "BIG TIME!" across my steering wheel, which I still can see if it catches the light right...

-s

[72gmc]

He left me a full tank of gas, a "Fast-trac" for bridge tolls, a few porno mags and some "Ho-hos" The cops removed the drugs he got caught with.-s

The cops left the Ho-Hos? If they were Ding Dongs, not a chance.

Tbushnel, PM me if you want, I may be able to help you chase down a used car seat. I'm in Seattle (Greenwood) and now have my second child in co-op preschool. Kid stuff all over the place in my neighborhood.

[tbushnel]

Skrawny, thats a good story, especially regarding the Ho Hos. I spent 5 years at UCSF and never had a problem with my car even when I lived in the "mish". I always thought Seattle had less crime than SF or LA. What do I know. Oh well.

72GMC, thanks for the offer to help. I will get back to you if needed. We have a carseat to use for now and we will await the insurance money. The generosity of the forum always amazes me.

Cheers,
Ted. :banana:

[Skrawny]

My Saturn was stolen from Pacific Heights!
-s

[ti_boi]

Whew....man that sucks....I just got a new red BMW and I am PARANOID! It is like a beacon to thieves....I should let my wife take it, she works in a secure facility.....while my parking is pretty much out in the open....and not protected....my old cars got tons of dings, but never was lifted....sorry.

[jeh]

Same thing happened to my car.
Stolen, then they arrested the guy driving in it about a week later (pulled over because he had removed the plates -duh!)
Wheels, hubs, bumpers and side panels were scraped up, but repairable.
He left me a full tank of gas, a "Fast-trac" for bridge tolls, a few porno mags and some "Ho-hos" The cops removed the drugs he got caught with.

Completely gone is $500 worth of Yakima roof rack.

He also wrote "BIG TIME!" across my steering wheel, which I still can see if it catches the light right...

-s

Happened to me too. Left me with gas, 2 bags of groceries, a bit of marijuana (that the police didn't take.) a pipe for smoking the marijuana, a bunch of used syringes.

but they took about 5 grand worth of camera stuff.

-j

[davids]

Tbushnel,

So glad to hear about the "good" news. It completely sucks that some scumbags ripped you off, and you're going to have to pay just to make it back to zero. But it could have been worse, huh? :rolleyes:

Picshooter (and others),

Wise words of experience! You're right - your background is the hand you're dealt, but ultimately you're responsible for the choice you make. It's not fair that some of us get that message earlier, more consistently, and more lovingly than others do. But it doesn't change the truth. An underprivileged background may be an explanation, but it's not an excuse for crime. And like someone said, a privileged up-bringing ain't no guarantee of moral rectitude!


I've got my own car theft story, from the heart of Dorchester... During the '88 World Series, my wife and I had been invited to join a friend to watch that night's game. My wife drove to the local Stop & Shop for some munchies, and then met me as we each arrived home from work. We were in the house for, oh, 15 minutes, to change and grab some stuff.

We walk out the back door... the driveway's empty. Our '80 Cutlass Supreme (with the Brougham vinyl roof!) was gone, gone, gone. It was so disconcerting that my wife actually walked down the driveway looking for it, like it was a puppy that might have wandered away.

The cops theorized that some kids followed my wife home from the grocery store, waited for her to go inside, pryed the window from the frame, and hotwired the car as they rolled it down the driveway.

By the time the car was recovered ten days later - 5 miles away, in a vacant lot, the interior completely trashed (I didn't bother doing an inventory before selling the thing to the junkman for $50) - we'd purchased a spankin' new Acura Integra. And that baby had an alarm before it spent a night in the driveway. We owned it for 8 years, and it was never once molested.

That Cutlass, which I'd bought for $1000 five months earlier, was easily the most expensive car I ever owned. It was such a cr@ppy thing that we didn't bother insuring it for theft or damage. D'oh!