This is for all you guys out there who at one point lost your car to the clever hands of thieves: never give up hope. Who knows, decades after it was stolen, your four-wheeled beauty might find its way back to you (of course, by then arthritis and prostate might prevent you from enjoying it anyway).
It may come to pass that if you recover the car decades after it got stolen, it may become a vintage item, hence having a bigger value when you bought it. This is pretty much happened to Robert Andrews from Nevada, who bought a 1973 Camaro and was left without it in 1983.
He reported it at the time, but soon gave up any hope of ever seeing the pony. Until this week, that is, when California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers knocked on his door and handed him his car. 27 years later, that is.
Now, don't go thinking that during this entire time police were working like crazy to recover the Camaro. Finding it was a combination of sheer luck and some very well-organized file cabinets. Ah, and a woman, with no knowledge of cars whatsoever.
Last month, a man bought a Camaro from a woman in Los Angeles, who had the vehicle lying unused in her back yard for some 15 years. The buyer went to the Department of Motor Vehicle and CHP to have it registered. Once they checked the VIN, the police officers had a pretty clear idea what they were dealing with.
As for Andrews, he is “in shock” as CHP spokesman Travis Ruiz told LA Times. Strange... We would have been glad as hell...
It may come to pass that if you recover the car decades after it got stolen, it may become a vintage item, hence having a bigger value when you bought it. This is pretty much happened to Robert Andrews from Nevada, who bought a 1973 Camaro and was left without it in 1983.
He reported it at the time, but soon gave up any hope of ever seeing the pony. Until this week, that is, when California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers knocked on his door and handed him his car. 27 years later, that is.
Now, don't go thinking that during this entire time police were working like crazy to recover the Camaro. Finding it was a combination of sheer luck and some very well-organized file cabinets. Ah, and a woman, with no knowledge of cars whatsoever.
Last month, a man bought a Camaro from a woman in Los Angeles, who had the vehicle lying unused in her back yard for some 15 years. The buyer went to the Department of Motor Vehicle and CHP to have it registered. Once they checked the VIN, the police officers had a pretty clear idea what they were dealing with.
As for Andrews, he is “in shock” as CHP spokesman Travis Ruiz told LA Times. Strange... We would have been glad as hell...