Did you ever steal a car?

[dantama]

I read a SLC news story today about a 12 year old that went joy riding and crashed his brother's car (brother was out of town).

My first thought was "kids these days" ......followed by, well I probably did similar; 12 felt pretty old when I was 12.

Then I thought some more and I could remember driving the fork lifts and tractors at the orchard I worked at when I was 12-13 when nobody was around.

At 16 there was a jump that you could get pretty good air in a car on in my town. I would steal the car that the Mexicans owned that worked at the orchard and go jump it late at night, then bring it back and park it in the same place.

One of them murdered the bosses son a few years later, didn't know how dumb it was to be stealing their car when I was a teen.

I'd also joy ride another bosses ATV after hours.

I had to rethink my "kids these days" thoughts after thinking back.

This was all when I was a teen, and got me wondering if any of the rest of you have stolen or went for a joy ride as a kid or as an adult.

Fess up, you can stay anonymous :)

[cactusjack]

My then 16 year old son did this to me. I was at work one day and he decided to take my 1994 Chevy K1500 4x4 on a ride to the store. Keep in mind even though he was 16, he did not have a driver's license and had never taken driver's ed. He rummaged through my desk until he found a spare set of keys. He made it 3 miles from home when he took a left turn too fast on a narrow road, swung wide and hit the curb, which bounced him back across his lane into a 2006 F250 that was waiting for a light to change. He totaled my truck. By the time I got to the scene of the accident, the Ford had already been towed, so I never got to see it. My truck was impounded for 30 days, which is mandatory under state law anytime someone is caught driving with no license, insurance, or registration. The truck was registered and insured. I had to go see a judge a few days later to ask the court to release the vehicle from impound to me (technically my insurance co.). Knucklehead got 24 hours of community service, had to attend traffic school and had to pay a $150 fine. Initially, my insurance company wasn't going to cover the damage to either vehicle because he wasn't listed as a driver (no kidding - he had no license). In the end, they covered the damage to the Ford and reimbursed me for my total loss.

The truck was paid off, in very good condition and his older brother was using it. He wasn't driving it that day because he carpooled with my wife who worked at the same company. I could have wrung his stupid neck. I had just put a few hundred dollars into the truck since it had been sitting a few years barely being driven. His brother had just replaced the stereo, speakers, and blower motor.

[dantama]

That's too bad Cactus, it would have been interesting hearing some of that conversation between father and son :)

I had a son with the mentality for wanting to do it, but that I know of....he never did it.

When I had a 16 horse power John Deer riding mower, at 5 years old he could drive it. He would back up and suddenly go forward, looking down at the rear wheels to see if they were spinning.

There are plenty more stories that would bore anyone but a parent :)
I'll have to ask him sometime if he ever took the car.

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by Dan Lund

That's too bad Cactus, it would have been interesting hearing some of that conversation between father and son :)

I had a son with the mentality for wanting to do it, but that I know of....he never did it.

When I had a 16 horse power John Deer riding mower, at 5 years old he could drive it. He would back up and suddenly go forward, looking down at the rear wheels to see if they were spinning.

There are plenty more stories that would bore anyone but a parent :)
I'll have to ask him sometime if he ever took the car.

If I recall, it was a one-sided conversation. I was doing all the conversatin', Nick was doing all the listening. After I was done, his brother lit into him.

I almost forgot about my oldest son trying to ride an old Honda Passport scooter we had around. He somehow started it up, revved it and kicked it in gear. He destroyed the neighbor's planter before he hit the big tree with it. SOB neighbor called the police when she got home. I didn't know what had happened yet. I spent the next two weekends building a new redwood planter for the neighbor. I guess Jeff was about 12-13 when that happened. He's 26 now and married.

[jussmatt]

Well....I too as a kid was driving most everything around the family farm...so taking a quick "un-authorised ride" seemed like no big deal to me.

[mmartin]

Remember people if its not on paper it didn't happen, thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

[rflnomad]

Hmm.
Would this count?
67 Nova for sale that did not run. Quick pull of a plug showed very wet ( no spark). Tested compression on two cylinders..(it was ok).
Looked at coil. The 12V line was off. I asked if the owner would take $250.00. He agreed. Went to transfer the title & get a plate. once we got back to the house I told my buddy to get in our car and get ready. I stuck the wire on the coil and hopped in the car and it lit right off!! And down the road we went!!!
The anemic and ailing 6 cylinder came out and the 427 went in.

[dantama]

Originally Posted by rflnomad

Hmm.
Would this count?
67 Nova for sale that did not run. Quick pull of a plug showed very wet ( no spark). Tested compression on two cylinders..(it was ok).
Looked at coil. The 12V line was off. I asked if the owner would take $250.00. He agreed. Went to transfer the title & get a plate. once we got back to the house I told my buddy to get in our car and get ready. I stuck the wire on the coil and hopped in the car and it lit right off!! And down the road we went!!!
The anemic and ailing 6 cylinder came out and the 427 went in.

I think that is border line, make it a Shelby Mustang and it's outright stealing :)

[coacha]

Ok, really not stealing but when I was in high school my buddy had a Torino that had a hopped up engine in it and my truck key and his car key were almost dead on matches. So a couple times I would go to the parking lot and drive his car home instead of the truck. We lived two houses apart so it wasn't a big deal.

[VulcanE]

I never actually stoled one, but when I was a teen, I would go to used car lots and "test drive" lots of cars. We would really give them sHELL, then carry it back and say "it wasn't for me".

[dantama]

Originally Posted by VulcanE

I never actually stoled one, but when I was a teen, I would go to used car lots and "test drive" lots of cars. We would really give them sHELL, then carry it back and say "it wasn't for me".

That brought back a memory. In high school I bought a motorcycle from a car dealer. They ripped me off in some manner, don't remember how now, and wouldn't make it right.

The next year (I was still only 18) they had a 66 Corvette. I persuade the to let me test drive it for an hour, no salesman with me (crazy of them, I know).

I went to the local drag/cruise spot and picked up a total hottie. We rode around a lot, time got away from me (it takes a certain amount of time to get to the point I wanted to get with a stranger) :)

With hormones going, a hot woman at my side, being the envy of all the other guys out there, and teenage lack of good sense.....I was uncomfortable going back, so I just kept riding around.

I eventually took it back, hours late, with a hottie still with me. The sales man was sitting on a chair outside with the office completely dark. He was pissed, very pissed. I made up a lame story about the battery dying and needing a jump start. Gave back the car with a lot less gas, and got back into mine ( a hot 71 Torino for the other torino thief that posted earlier :) )

When I was in Iraq I remember a couple different occasions where we needed a road block. My platoon Sgt. would tell me "go grab that car over there and bring it over here." I was still in the mindset at the time that we're Americans and we can do whatever we want. After getting the vehicle set where we needed it a few Marines would dead line it by breaking all the windows out, slashing all four tires, and pulling all the spark plug wires off. Looking back on it I feel like crap knowing it was probably some guys only means of transportation to support his family. If some invading army did that to my car I'd walk up to them and shoot 'em in the head. Reminded me of a breifing that we had before the war where we were told that we are allowed to comandere personal property if the mission requires but the government will pay the person back..........yeah right.

[dantama]

The poll results are pretty clear, overwhelmingly we are not car thieves :)

Here's a story from Utah today.

LOGAN, Utah (AP) -- Police say a Logan paper boy wanted to make short work of his route and stole a neighbor's pickup truck to make his rounds.

The 14-year-old boy ended up crashing the vehicle into a house on his delivery route.

The house sustained only minor damage, but police summoned the boy to appear in juvenile court for various offenses.

The Herald Journal of Logan said the paper boy -- one of its own -- returned the pickup truck to his neighbor's driveway after the crash, then went to school like nothing had happened.

[jmorrow]

I've drove a few cars like I stole it.