Sometimes I really wonder what is wrong with People :(

[jcyamaharider]

I am sick to my stomach right now. Brings back bad memories of the same thing happening to me. So sorry to see this.

 

[woodard1983]

thanks everyone for the empathy, it means a lot and is helping me to start feeling a little better.....

I haven't even been able to look at it up to this point, but I think I'm going to try to look at it today in the daylight and see if I can get a better idea of where I need to start and what it will take to start the repair process

 

[Ronnie]

@woodard1983 , I am sorry that this happened to you as well and have delayed writing the following to give you another day rationalize or accept it.

I had my truck, boat, trailer and all the gear in / on them stolen a few years ago from in front of my house, under a neighborhood watch sign no less. Before the flood of different emotions subsided I did everything you described to try and recover what was stolen from me. That is, I called the police who told me to do the same things they told you to do. On a related note, they spent a lot of time asking me if I was having financial difficulties, how much I owed on the vehicles and what my monthly payments were. So I posted flyers at local boat/pwc stores, checked craigs list and ebay at least twice a day, even went to a couple flea markets/swap meets. All of this only extended my hardship by having me relive the loss every time I took recovery actions.

Eventually the truck, boat and trailer were all found stripped and abandoned with in 10 miles of my home. What they got back I no longer wanted, it just wasn't the same and I knew that if I kept and rebuilt what was left they would be items that would make me feel bad not good when I saw them. Since that time I have improved the security in and around my home as well as for the boat (it's probably the only mod I don't post about).

The guys who stole my stuff were eventually caught and I went to their probation revocation hearing. They agreed to be subject to repayment but these guys were young career criminals (20 something skin heads with a long criminal history) so I haven't seen a penny and don't expect to, given the above, if I did get any money from them now it would only serve as a bad reminder of what happened so I wish I wouldn't have made the residual claim to begin with.

My point is this. Shit happens or in this case happened, you can't do anything to change that and can only change how you react to the situation. If your car is not technically "salvaged" it may be worth your time and money to rebuild it maybe with your kids. If it is salvaged and assuming you are not ok with that maybe its time to scrap it and remember it fondly through pictures. You may want to check your homeowners policy again, it may cover valuables in the car if not the car itself or things installed in it but your deductible may be higher than the value of such items.

Good luck with your recovery efforts and moreover with getting through or over any trauma this has caused you.

 

[cwoav8r]

@woodard1983 , unfortunately I see this stuff every day, but I also been a victim, and I completely know what you are feeling. To echo some of what @Ronnie said... there was nothing you can do to change what happened, but I am a firm believer in Karma. What goes around, comes around, guaranteed.

In the law enforcement community, while we take great satisfaction in solving the crime "right now" we also understand that if we can't immediately catch the bad guys, they are in fact bad guys, and will strike again. Eventually they will make a mistake and they will be caught. Take some comfort in this... the a$$holes that victimized you will pay for it in some way... you may or may not know it, but they will.

My wife an I have had a saying for the last 25 years of our marriage... everything happens for a reason. Good or bad, we can't explain it, but when we look back it starts to makes sense. There is some reason that this happened... only time will tell what it was.

Dig deep, take what you have, and make it even better than it was before... don't give up on it, after all is said and done it will mean even more.

So sorry that you became a victim and I wish I had more positive words for you. Just keep your head up... all will work out in the end... and those to blame will be held accountable.

 

[RumDiet]

Scum - really scum. Sorry for your loss.

 

[lashburn1]

This really sucks A$$, only time will heal this.... But time will pass

 

[dustinjean]

Wow sorry to hear about this, some people need to get out and earn things the hard way like the rest of us do. But things like this are why if I care about it I put full coverage on it just to be on the safe side even if it costs me a little more a month. Hopefully you are able to find some of your stuff and the people are caught.

 

[Bruce]

Very sorry for your loss. I have had similar experiences three times.

The worst was at the end of a month long trip to Europe where our car was broken into in Marsielle France. They took everything we had including our passports while we were eating lunch. We were flying home the next morning so it was the beginning of a wild rush to get temporary passports at the U.S. Consulate then starting the drive from the south of France to London to catch our flight in the morning since we missed the last flight from Marsielle. We eventually caught a flight from Geneva to London after driving most of the night in a damaged rental car. Marsielle was burning in the Muslim riots in 2012. I do not plan to go back there again!

It really makes you feel violated. The French police found our suitcases and I paid to have them shipped home but the value of the contents when they arrived was way less than the shipping costs.

If you want to fix your car then hopefully it will be an enjoyable experience to build it again. If not then it is an unnecessary reminder of how some people choose to live their lives.

 

[ToddW850]

Dang that sucks. And very unfortunate these theives can't just get a real job and leave people's property alone. I wish you lived in my jurisdiction, because I'd do everying I could to help. But like @cwoav8r said, Karma is out there and she hits hard.

 

[davel501]

If the car was stolen out of a garage and was hardly driven it is time to look nearby. Shady neighbors, shifty friends, workman, etc. Any chance you belong to a Camaro club?

 

[dancathy]

Sorry to hear about a fellow Iowan getting ripped off like that. Same thing happened to my Toy Hauler last winter. I'm Not that far from you and a friend of mine owns the local pawn shop and a few others around the state. I'll let him know to keep an eye out if you can post what brand equipment was taken

 

[woodard1983]

If the car was stolen out of a garage and was hardly driven it is time to look nearby. Shady neighbors, shifty friends, workman, etc. Any chance you belong to a Camaro club?

Yea, I'd say it was definitely someone close....I had the car out about two weeks ago for an evening and I'm sure that's when it caught the eye of whoever took it

 

[woodard1983]

Sorry to hear about a fellow Iowan getting ripped off like that. Same thing happened to my Toy Hauler last winter. I'm Not that far from you and a friend of mine owns the local pawn shop and a few others around the state. I'll let him know to keep an eye out if you can post what brand equipment was taken

Thanks @dancathy, I appreciate that!!!

Headunit-Alpine DVA-7996

Surround Sound Processor-Alpine PXA-H710 w/controller

Amps-3 Elemental Design nine.1
1 Elemental Design nine.4
1 Elemental Design nine.2x

Subs-2 Elemental Design E12A & Q logic F body enclosure

Mids-5 Morel MW 165's

Tweets-5 Vifa XT25G30's

TV Screens-2 IconTV MT7001W 7" screens

Batteries-2 Optima Yellow Top Group 75/25

Tons of Stinger Power and speaker wire as well as 3 fuseholders and KnuKonceptz RCA Cables

If your friend has any idea which pawnshops in Des Moines that I should be looking for the items in that would be greatly appreciated as well..

at this point I still have not received even a call from the detective

 

[Lextacy03]

Now is the time to turn it into a race car. Continue on stripping it down and just go for it.

 

[BigN8]

This thread needs an upbeat positive direction! Maybe this will help. Karma's a bitch!!!

 

[sstegh]

That was awesome! Brought a smile to my face. Thanks.

 

[BravoMike]

It is bad enough to have something broken into or stolen. But, when it is something as special as this car was to you, that is beyond sucking. It down right hurts! So sorry this happened to you.

 

[Big Shasta]

@woodard1983 Did you ever get anything back or get anywhere with the investigation?

 

[woodard1983]

No, I've been searching craigslist, ebay, & s few pawnshops on a regular basis. The police told me to let them know if I found anything, so not looking for any help from them :/

 

[sysinu]

Really sorry for your loss :-\. There is no amount of surveillance or protection that you can do... there will always be someone to ruin it for everyone. My wife's Escalade was tossed (they were looking for a garage door opener) and we got it on surveillance. Caught the guys that did it, but now she's forever tormented by the violation of it all.

To a much lesser degree, I can sympathize. Where my primary concern with a theft that happened to me was identify theft, I only lost a few possessions (laptop bag, laptop, ipad, clothing, etc) but they got my passport and laptop. So now I check craigslist and other things frequently. The irony as it relates to this message board is I was meeting @Ronnie to give him the carpet kit that I took out of my 242LS when it happened right in front of us in the parking lot. So far, nothing on ebay or craigslist that I can find and unfortunately it happened in Oakland, where unless your police case involves a murder, Oakland PD will never get around to helping you (even when you can tell them exactly where your stuff is because your ipad has 4G LTE and you have find my iphone tracking it while it drives around Oakland).


Actually I think who stole it from me is trying to sell it right now. They are in NorCal and there is a strong Tile presence in NorCal (tile is a bluetooth based asset tracking device) and they just popped up in a Starbucks (not the one my rental car/suburban was burglarized in) parking lot. I have Tile's in my computer bags, on my keys, etc so I can find them when I forget where I put them.

In any event, I am really sorry for your loss :-(.