Remember this?
My Mondeo Ghia X. The car I'm currently running as a project on the mag, and of course the car that will eventually go RWD. Well, last night, it was for lack of a better phrase, stolen.
I came home only to find that the car wasn't where I'd left it. Now here are the facts...
*I have my folks old Vectra as a daily, so the Mondeo is off the road.
*It's in an allocated space, off the road.
*It's declared SORN.
*It is 100% legal, in terms of an 'off the road car'
So, what happened? A neighbor, a busy-body, no good, nosey little old woman to be precise, took it upon herself to have the car scrapped. Why? "Because it hasn't moved for a bit" by a bit she means three weeks. The car is clean, tidy, washed, not in the way and I thought that everyone knew it was mine. But then again, as she doesn't even live on my street, how could she know, eh? She knocked on my door once, at 3pm when I wasn't in, and that was it. Even more annoyingly, one of my good neighbors told her it was mine, but she still had it scrapped.
Angry is not the word.
I came home, went mental, found out, got the police involved who got her involved who contacted the man who'd scrapped it. They told him he was handling stolen property, he'd already scrapped it though. The car was doomed, as was the engine I wanted, and the £600 of new stereo, and the new EBC brakes, and the new induction kit. Not good.
Luckily though, the guy got it back, it was the next in line to be crushed. Had it been 5 minutes later it would have been too late. He loaded it back up and brought it back to me.
It's screwed, the ignition has been smashed off along with the sender unit for the transponder, so even with the key it won't start. The window has been smashed too. Luckily everything else is in it though, stereo and my belongings etc. Have some pics....
...I know I should prosecute further. Get her to pay for the damage etc, but tbh I think I scared the curse word out of her (as a bonus, I wasn't trying to scare her). I also know that without a V5 the guy shouldn't have taken it. I'm just glad it's back.
Still, what a night. Ironic really, there are thousands of abandoned cars, but mine, the one which is legal and 'safe' gets taken and nearly crushed.
Still, it's dead now, so I may as well get on with that rear wheel drive conversion....
MODS, I'm sorry, I needed to rant.
My Mondeo Ghia X. The car I'm currently running as a project on the mag, and of course the car that will eventually go RWD. Well, last night, it was for lack of a better phrase, stolen.
I came home only to find that the car wasn't where I'd left it. Now here are the facts...
*I have my folks old Vectra as a daily, so the Mondeo is off the road.
*It's in an allocated space, off the road.
*It's declared SORN.
*It is 100% legal, in terms of an 'off the road car'
So, what happened? A neighbor, a busy-body, no good, nosey little old woman to be precise, took it upon herself to have the car scrapped. Why? "Because it hasn't moved for a bit" by a bit she means three weeks. The car is clean, tidy, washed, not in the way and I thought that everyone knew it was mine. But then again, as she doesn't even live on my street, how could she know, eh? She knocked on my door once, at 3pm when I wasn't in, and that was it. Even more annoyingly, one of my good neighbors told her it was mine, but she still had it scrapped.
Angry is not the word.
I came home, went mental, found out, got the police involved who got her involved who contacted the man who'd scrapped it. They told him he was handling stolen property, he'd already scrapped it though. The car was doomed, as was the engine I wanted, and the £600 of new stereo, and the new EBC brakes, and the new induction kit. Not good.
Luckily though, the guy got it back, it was the next in line to be crushed. Had it been 5 minutes later it would have been too late. He loaded it back up and brought it back to me.
It's screwed, the ignition has been smashed off along with the sender unit for the transponder, so even with the key it won't start. The window has been smashed too. Luckily everything else is in it though, stereo and my belongings etc. Have some pics....
...I know I should prosecute further. Get her to pay for the damage etc, but tbh I think I scared the curse word out of her (as a bonus, I wasn't trying to scare her). I also know that without a V5 the guy shouldn't have taken it. I'm just glad it's back.
Still, what a night. Ironic really, there are thousands of abandoned cars, but mine, the one which is legal and 'safe' gets taken and nearly crushed.
Still, it's dead now, so I may as well get on with that rear wheel drive conversion....
MODS, I'm sorry, I needed to rant.
