Lost

This was posted in my local newspaper.

"Lost : 2002 blue Ford Explorer.
Who ever still has the car was supposed to bring it back after removing the engine. Please call --- ---- with info regarding this vehicle."

In more ways than one.

They couldn't get it to start.

Ummm... there is a whole lot of stupidity in the backstory to that ad.

'Lost : 2002 blue Ford Explorer.'

Okay, no VIN, tag number, other identifying markings etc?

'Whoever still has the car'

This means they have no idea who took the car. But they know it was taken. Therefore it moves from the 'lost' to either 'borrowed' or 'stolen' columns.

'was supposed to bring it back after removing the engine'

But this unknown person who borrowed or stole the car had permission to remove the engine. And the owner wanted it back, engine-less. Not like it was some super rare beastie, we are talking a rather common SUV.

'Please call --- ---- with info regarding this vehicle.'

Yeah, like that's going to happen. Give it up, you just blew what, $25 on this ad? By now it's one of those squashed car cubes you see on trucks every so often. Shoulda bought two more cases of cheap beer instead, that probably is what led to this whole thing in the first place.

It woould really be interesting to call that number and get the backstory to this. Letter/call to the editor of the local paper about this.

Gear-head interest aside, it IS a bit odd, in a man bites dog way.

And I'll say it before others: It's on the Island.

This "could" be one of those instances where an engine removal (for re-building?) was sub-sub-sub contracted out....as in I have a friend of a friend of a friend who will do this super-cheap, only the friend isn't really a friend, but an almost complete stranger.

Also wonder if the folks involved are really advertising this as a prelude to a lawsuit. As in, "we know who you are, and we will go to ANY lengths to get the car back AND drag your name thro the mud....but for the moment we are being civil".

Maybe the engine was coming out for some frame work (airbags?) and they for whatever reason could not do it themselves?

But yeah. I wanna know how the hell you lose an Explorer.

I once sold an engine out of a celica to a guy. He was from two or three hours away. He said he'd come get the car, pay me for the engine, drag it home, pull the engine, and drag it back.

I made sure to get the good wheels off of it before it left...that way It wouldn't have been any real big deal if the car got "lost."

I can see how this could happen. I can't see how the ad placer would think it was anything other than completely futile to run the ad.

Clem

...but in CrackHead circles; one's vehicle will pe passed around like a co-ed with low self esteem for [.] this much crank.

Remember those little trucks with the freezers from a few years ago? Guys used to sell steaks etc door to door from those, sort of like a low budget Schwan's. There was a guy down here doing that who went to a bar, got rip roaring drunk, ran up an enormous bar tab then gave the bar the contents of the freezer to settle the tab. Then the next day he claimed they knocked him out and stole the meat.