My car was stolen yesterday... :(

B6/7 S4/RS4
#1

Hey everyone, asking for some help from the community. My car from the below thread was stolen yesterday.

http://audirevolution.net/forum/index.php?topic=2436.0

Long story that I hate to re-hash but here goes. Yesterday afternoon, around 3 PM… Two guys came to look at the car to purchase, they seemed a little sketchy but nothing out of the norm for the mid 20-30’s punks that have been interested in my car recently. They met me outside my apartment, standing by the car. The one (we will call him DB #1) who seemed to be interested in buying the car, told me a long story about how he wrecked his A4 recently (not his fault) and just got a $20,000 settlement check. Said he loved Audis and has always wanted an S4. They looked over the exterior for a while and asked some general questions (can you pop the hood etc).

DB #2 sat in the passenger seat and DB #1 sat in the drivers seat and they began looking at the interior, again asking questions, normal potential car buyer stuff. I was standing in the open drivers door, talking to DB #1 and answering questions. DB #1 then asked if he could start the car and hear it run. I said sure and he started it up. He revved it a little and said how nice it sounded. I told him about the exhaust and how it was my favorite part of the car. He then asked if he could rev it a little higher. Again I said sure.

He revved it up and dropped the clutch in first, spinning the tires a bit before ESP kicked in. Initially I thought it was an accident, like he didn’t know that the car was in gear or something. He then popped the clutch a second time and took off down the street. I was left in the dust, in total shock.

Called 911 right away and then called insurance.

No car yet, and insurance will wait 15 days for the PD to try and find it before we settle.

I just keep trying to understand what they have planned for the car. I’m thinking that it will be either a few day joy ride or it’s getting ripped to pieces as I type. All I can do now is wait. Just makes me sick to my stomach.

I know that people on here keep an eye out in the classifieds sections of multiple forums/Ebay etc. Please reply here if you see any fishy parts floating around. My major mods are in the sig.

If nothing else, enjoy your cars for me. Even though I was trying to sell mine, I miss it terribly and it is awful to think of it coming to such an end after putting so much work into it. And be careful selling cars privately, there are some bad people out there. At the very least get collateral or a driver’s license… anything.

Part of me wishes that I got in the backs eat with them before he started the car. But on the other hand, I realize that could have gone in a much different and worse direction.

#2

Damn! I really hope the police find those fuckers…

Also, that is why I always get in the passenger seat when someone sits in the car I am selling, the friend can wait outside as far as I am concerned. I doubt the thieves would have wanted to add kidnapping onto grand theft auto…but there are some stupid people in this world.

I can’t even imagine the feeling of watching that happen literally 2 feet in front of you…:-\

#3

damn thats brutal man, I hope your insurance is able to help you out

#4

Damn… That really sucks… So sorry that happened. Hope a good resolution will come of it.

#5

you have no contact information? or email or phone numbers to hand to police?

#6

and where are you located?

were they part of the forums? whats there forum name

#7

I wonder how they got to your location?

Was there a DB#3 that dropped them off? Did they park their car in your neighborhood, and then come back for it?

Do you live in an apartment complex? If so, there may be security tape of the parking lot that captures their car…

#8

Damn that sucks man. I hope they get caught.

#9

Sorry to hear that bud! Pretty shocking that they would do it in the open like that, but you never know I heard some pretty crazy stories. Should’ve somewhat seen it coming though, two young strangers, giving them keys with both of them in your car, letting them start the car while you’re standing outside…
I always follow these steps in the past and no issues:
-Meet in a public busy area with lots of people around, like mall parking lots
-Park the car so it’s not easy to take off, again mall parking lots work great.
-Check drivers license and insurance(if applicable) for validity
-Negotiate the price(pending on a test drive of course), if the buyer is serious they’ll have no problem negotiating prior to test drive. Otherwise whats the point to let a lowballer drive it and abuse it.
-Once you hand your car keys make sure you’re in the car, I personally prefer passenger seat.

On a bright side, you got rid of your car, maybe not the way you wanted it to go, but it’s gone. Hopefully, they won’t find it or if they’ll find it, insurance will total it whether it’s due to damage or parts theft. Wait for insurance check and buy that RS4 ;D

#10

Wtf man, sorry to here this shit. I never meet people alone because…there are too many assholes I this world. I also believe in concealed carry…

#11

Agree…I myself am not feeling too bad for the OP. Sheeit happens and this has happened before. I think it just gives him the opportunity to buy a replacement.

#12

They texted me from a 320 number. I gave it to the police but the detective said that they were probably using Google Voice or something like that, which makes it pretty much impossible to trace.

I’m in Salt Lake City, Utah.

No, I seriously doubt these guys are true forum members, but then again… I remember a large number of thefts happening from within the Rx-7 community. That’s why I didn’t want to post anything on AZ. My hope is that they jump on there to sell stuff and they can get caught red-handed.

#13

Didn’t see a third person and didn’t see them drive up. They were just standing by the car when I looked out my window. I’m guessing that if they had a car, it was parked pretty far away.

Yes, it’s a new apartment building downtown. I asked about cameras right after it happened and the manager said that they didn’t have any that faced the street.

#14

That’s so shitty. Also pretty ballsy of them to do it with possible camera’s in the parking lot.

#15

Absolutely great advice, I will certainly take a different approach when/if I ever sell a car again. I’ve sold many cars before and have never had an issue before. I guess I became a little too trusting in the world over the years.

But yes, you are both correct. Thankfully I was looking to sell the car anyways, and I had already begun the process of emotionally distancing myself months ago. It’s still unfortunate. My wife says that if they part it out, at least it will be kinda like an organ donor, and the parts will live on in other cars (warm and fuzzy). Haha… She’s always looking on the bright side.

Depending on the insurance settlement, things could go a few ways. I’ve heard from some people that they give you blue book value in cases like this, which as we all know would be AWFUL.

I also have a family member that is a former auto insurance adjuster and he said that they will either need to find a very close replacement to purchase, or give me retail value to buy a replacement. If that’s the case, I may be in good shape. The insurance adjuster also asked about aftermarket parts and recent major repair costs (even though I never listed them in my policy), so they may give me a bump for the parts as well.

But in reality, this whole thing makes me want to take a break from cars for a while. I can’t decide on what car I would realistically want to replace it with anyways. I go back and forth on getting an RS4, 911 Turbo, V8 M3 or even another turbo Rx-7. So I will probably just set aside anything I get and wait to clear my head.

Oh, and another fun fact. The detective on the case called today. Apparently the patrol officer that came out after the theft listed the car, not as stolen, but as a “breach of trust”. Utah law states that in the case where they were given access to the car, they have 48 hours to return the car before it’s considered officially stolen. Because of this, it was not listed in the Nation Stolen Vehicle Database. It was only listed in SLC for the “breach”, so if someone ran the plates in another city in the past 24 hours, it wouldn’t show up as stolen. The detective said that the patrolman was new, and this was a big mistake. So it is now in the national database, 24 hours after the theft. My guess is that doesn’t help the chances of finding it one bit. The detective said that because of the cost of the vehicle, he’s very skeptical that they were going for a joy-ride. So it’s most likely getting parted out.

#16

I like the way you think!

#17

That’s a frigging bummer. Hopefully you get a fair payout from insurance.

Best part is you’re ok. Second best part (if you get a decent payout) is you were selling the car already, so it’s not a real fly in the ointment from that perspective, but damn…crazy story. Would have been great if you had video of that to fuck them.

Sounds like they’re well practiced. They’ll get caught. That’s the thing about crime. Every criminal is a mastermind until they get caught, and they most of the time in serious situations do.

Google the story about Tim Bosma from last year if you REALLY want to thank your stars. Two assholes did the exact same thing, but they brought him with them…then killed him for sport…and burnt his body to a crisp in an incinerator at one of the guys’ hobby farm.

#18

Saki I had never heard of that Bosma case… That’s fucking scary!

G-rat as you mentioned in the OP, it could have taken a turn for the worse if you we’re in the backseat. Fingers crossed you get a good price from your insurance companies!

#19

G-Rat – the good news is all they took was your car. I have heard about ppl coming to see ppls stuff from CL and then getting killed for it. Some ppl out there are just desperate.

#20

Yeah, it was a fucked up case, especially in “friendly” Canada.