Soooo anyways... got my car nicked.

[Amanda]

@PatColo-- So sorry about your car!!! And it's definitely stolen, right? As opposed to getting towed for some reason??

I only mention this b/c years ago when I lived in DC by the embassies (where it's supposed to be safe) , I walked out one day and my car was gone---I totally freaked out, but some guy saw me and told me the cops towed it away, b/c it was supposedly illegally parked, but it wasn't (guy with me verified it--at the time they towed it, it was still okay for me to park there). I had to pay $150 to get my car back, even though I did nothing wrong.

[PatColo]

^ Amanda, yeah 'twas stolen no doubt. It was in the designated car space, next to the RV, in the space I was duly renting. The copper verified after he entered it in their system, when I finally reported it nearly a week after it was stolen.

https://www.vroomgirls.com/review/honda-fit-sport/

I see that reviews the '13 Fit - recall mine was a '16. Not sure exactly what year between then it was, but Honda typically does a "generational overhaul" every 4 years, major body/styling/motor/etc update... I've seen Fits like your article pictures from that '13 generation around -- a bit uglier, maybe smaller though I'd have to check dimensions specs, cheaper & girlier looking. But not by much! Article sings the car's virtues well enough.

Any thoughts on the Nissan Murano STV/crossover? If I'm willing to go a bit older, say 2012, & higher miles IE 50-75K, I can get for around the ~$15K ballpark I'm looking for.

Mileage be damned though - I'm looking at a 2012 model here, says EPA 18/24. ~4,100# curb weight would add some fuel tax to Chad too, if pulling on car dolly. If I got a 550# dolly, we'd be getting close to Chad's 5K# tow capacity.... meh, more car than I need... NEXT!

[Horn]

Its probably sitting back in carmax inventory within 3 months...

[PatColo]

Soooo anyways....

got muh car back.

Another Sac PoPo Sgt rang me this morning around 8:30, advised the Fit's been located, and I can come on over & pick it up; he'd be there waiting.

It was parked in the lot behind a Sizzler around 3-4 blocks from the RV park. I had to get dressed & walk; was there 25 mins later.

Car was totally undamaged, though the glove box & center console compartment doors were left carelessly open. Battery was there, everything under the hood untouched; car started right up.

There was near-nothing of value in the car in the first place - no material items, important docs, nada, all of said compartments as empty the day I bought it... except for an in-hose-line water filter which RV'ers use to prefilter all the incoming water feeding their rigs at RV parks. I was meaning to buy new/replacement filter media for it -- and this thief kindly left it there for me there on the passenger seat where I'd left it.

Thief was plainly some kind of short stack; driver seat was slid way close; I couldn't hardly get in until I slid it back to the max again!

And their kindness shined through yet again, in their not bothering to adjust the rear/side view mirrors to their shortstack ergonomic liking, for safe stolen car driving.

So this was a really f'n weird "white swan event"; I was so damn cocksure it was gone gone gone fuggedaboudit!! Oh yeah, I "forgot to share" (read: repressed): this Fit theft was (to be) a total unrecoverable financial loss for me, coz I 'frugally' bought liability-only insurance, as I've only ever bought coz I've always paid all cash (no financing), & never once made any kind of claim coz zero accidents. I'd always "bet on myself" vs the insurance co's, and had until this event, always "won that bet."

Meanwhile, I'd been doing all this research, enough to become convinced -- a flat towable dinghy vehicle is the ONLY way to go, vs the multiple dilemmas posed by my former Plan A of buying a tow-dolly monstrosity.

So my recovered Girly-Fit is now firmly in the queue for trade-in, in favor of a flat-tow compatible dinghy vehicle.

As of last night b4 this unexpected turn of events, I was closely looking at Chevy's [MANLY] Cruze, 2016 or newer. 30/40 MPG; bunch of manly connectivity shit incl iPhone/Android-Auto; attractive pricing... & flat tow friendly, needless to say.

[osoab]

Congrats PataColo.

That is a nice turn of events.

[ziero0]

However it is still a shame the vehicle is owned by the state trust.

[JDRock]

Were happy for you Pat. Maybe im paranoid but check for tracking devices! You have been front and center of exposing powerful people for a long time. It was returned to you a little too easy... jmho.

[JDRock]

also, alot of cholos seem to work at car dealers and we KNOW they deal keys and entry codes to other cholos for the price of a gas station burrito. The way the seat was pulled waaay up gives me more reason to think some chico cholo made the heist.

[Cebu_4_2]

Totally unexpected ending Pat. Congratulations.

I am near vicinity of a tourist town and not a day goes by without a vehicle/s stolen. Back your truck and trailer with high value vehicle on top against a wall and box it in front with another vehicle. Wake up in the morning and ALL of it is gone. Professionals big time. In the summer it's hot rod season and there will be dozens stolen every day. All most likely loaded inside enclosed trailers and gone forever. Nothing mentioned about this in local media or papers because it is tourist town. I learn about the amount of thievery through social media sites I subscribed to. Most of the reported thefts are from locals so I can't imagine how many really get stolen from out of towners since nothing is reported publicly.

Point is if they want it they will take it. Probably best to get some low theft angle vehicle with a monitored tracker system. I'm sure they make something like that, that will stay trackable on it's own power when the battery power is cut.

[woodman]

Totally unexpected ending Pat. Congratulations.

I am near vicinity of a tourist town and not a day goes by without a vehicle/s stolen. Back your truck and trailer with high value vehicle on top against a wall and box it in front with another vehicle. Wake up in the morning and ALL of it is gone. Professionals big time. In the summer it's hot rod season and there will be dozens stolen every day. All most likely loaded inside enclosed trailers and gone forever. Nothing mentioned about this in local media or papers because it is tourist town. I learn about the amount of thievery through social media sites I subscribed to. Most of the reported thefts are from locals so I can't imagine how many really get stolen from out of towners since nothing is reported publicly.

Point is if they want it they will take it. Probably best to get some low theft angle vehicle with a monitored tracker system. I'm sure they make something like that, that will stay trackable on it's own power when the battery power is cut.

The cops are in on it, without a doubt. There was a street in Detroit, I used to pass every day on my way to work; it was used as a storage depot for stolen vehicles. You could see them in different stages of being stripped day by day and finally they would be burned.