Moms car stolen today while at Doctor's office for a checkup...

[ultrarunner]

Mom always drove stick shifts until she bought this Toyota... it was her first car ever with Automatic, Power Steering, Radio and Air Conditioning...

Her 1976 VW Golf had none of the above...

Right around the time she retired... she was out on her daily walk and was attacked by a dog... it badly injured her shoulder and made it painful to shift gears and also parking without power steering... she slowly recovered...

I did find one 2001 Corolla S that was just like hers except it was a stick shift... she did not rule it out.

Stopped by the Sheriff's Office on the way into work... they told me no need to stop in because she will be notified if there is any update...

As for independance... Mom has been doing great... but she does rely on me for certain things like paying bills and if there is something we need to drive distance for... she's never had a ticket or put a scratch on any car... she doesn't like to drive the freeways or at night...

Don't know how many of you know the term sideshow... it is when a crowd... sometimes hundreds takes over a public street or freeway and shuts it down... it happens here quite a lot and she was terrified when she found herself in the middle of one with clouds of smoke so thick she thought there must have been a terrible accident and was ready to put her 50 years of Nursing experience to work helping the injured...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u09f4eDU6UM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17BTYQpP5-s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ddvckS5nxo&list=PL2nSpQ8W5J8Xyyoz_Zspn0mCAg6lbE2EO

It really is the wild west at times and I don't fault Mom for not wanting to be out in the middle of it...

 

[dmccarty]

I had a manual transmission car stolen, course that was a couple decades ago. :laughing: Not many people have or want manual transmissions and my truck is likely the last hand shaker I will own. I don't think Ford has a manual in a truck anymore.

Last year my mom had her purse stolen while she was shopping. My parents live in an area with a large elderly population and the elderly are certainly prey to the thugs. My mom was lucky in that the woman that stole the purse did not attack her, just took the purse from the cart when my mom's back was turned. Mom was also lucky in that the thief was caught. Mom noticed right away the purse was stolen and reported it to the store manager. Long story short, the thief was seen walking into the store with no purse and leaving with my mom's purse. It was obvious the thief walked in with no purse so she could walk out with a purse and not attract attention. A credit card was used quickly at a near by gas station and the clerk remembered the woman because he noticed the woman throwing away a nice purse. Between the gas stations cameras, information from the clerk and the store clerk the thief was identified, arrested, tried and sent to prison. :thumbsup:

My mom went to court every time their was a hearing and gave the thief the stink eye. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

It was obvious that the thief was targeting older people but we don't know if she specifically went after my mom. Mom has mobility and health issues so the thief may very well have targeted my mom. Flip side is that my mom was not likely to be the only person with health and mobility issues in the store, there were likely a dozen others. Luckily, the thief just took the purse from the cart. If my mom had been clutching the purse the thief might have just walked on by or gone after the purse which almost certainly would have injured my mother.

I drive by a house along a state road twice a day. The couple who owned the house have died, with the husband passing away after a sorta long illness last November. I would notice him gardening and plowing his fields even though he would not often plant anything. He just wanted to run the tractor and plow the fields. :thumbsup: The couple also took care of a elderly man who had done nothing but farm labor all his life. They gave him work and a place to stay. I found out that a coworker I have known for years has been a family friend of this couple and their son since he was a teenage. Small world. Years ago, when the wife was still alive, thugs broke into their house and the husband killed one of them. The coworker said that the wife never go over the break in and that it greatly affected her health.

Sorry to hear your mom was a victim.

Later,
Dan

 

[ultrarunner]

Elderly are prey for criminals here... they will often wait around a grocery store or pharmacy and then follow the person home...

 

[davrow]

ultrarunner, very sorry to hear about this. I too was surprised to see what 2001 Corollas are going for. Here's a 'local' 2002 with 36,000 miles is asking 5,100. ((((( 2002 TOYOTA Corolla Sport ))))) 36k original Miless *** It takes a good picture, but not enough info... feel free to shop down in So Cal, too ... someone here would be happy to drive it up to SF for your mom.

 

[ultrarunner]

^^^ Thanks davrow... I've been checking around to see if someone posts a 2001 in White with rear spoiler on the net... someone I know actually found his stolen car being advertised on the net a few years ago.

The one you posted is the lowest mileage 2001 so date... and it is a Corolla S.

Insurance wants to give it minimum of 15 days to see if it turns up and has offered a $25 per day rental... might go tomorrow and get it...

So far it's been 72 hours...

 

[davrow]

It was a long time ago in a different age... my mom's car was stolen from our driveway while we were on vacation. Just taken for a joyride in that day and age. Found a few days later in a parking lot behind a church. Good luck.

Yes, 36,000 looked darn good for a 2002. Next lowest was 86,000 for 4,900.

 

[ultrarunner]

If the Insurance pays I'm wondering how that will go...

Thankfully, I have full documentation... can even tell them when the car was born!

 

[Industrial Toys]

Bummer! And that's why you shouldn't have nice things as they say! My Mom just drives her Toyotas into the back of stopped cars and get's rid of them that way!

 

[ultrarunner]

Bummer! And that's why you shouldn't have nice things as they say! My Mom just drives her Toyotas into the back of stopped cars and get's rid of them that way!

A few suggested if she had not kept her car looking like new she would still have it... said it made it irresistible... she was always getting compliments on her car, which she enjoyed.

Definitely will be putting in some kind of locating device if the opportunity presents itself...

I gave my work cell to Law Enforcement and every time the phone rings I'm hopeful...

Visited a dealer today during lunch and he showed me a car that was stolen off the lot Friday and recovered today... 40 miles away... person drove it until it ran out of gas... was of little comfort since I just filled her gas tank and at 40 mpg the range is quite far...

At work this incident has generated a lot of talk... some say at 80 she doesn't need a car and that this was a blessing to which I answer I fully intend to make sure she has wheels one way or another...

It was devastating to my Step Grandfather when he could no longer drive and it was with good reason... really drove a wedge between my Grandmother and him the last few years...

As for Mom... she recently did the drive test and written last March and had no trouble passing.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I thought these cars had good theft detterence equipment. My Mom lives in a tough town (Hamilton) and often asked if she should bother with her steering wheel club and I thought no, because I figured the car wasn't that easy to steal. Maybe I was wrong.

I had my truck broken into twice down there and could not stay ovenight there any longer as I would try and sleep but listening for any signs of trouble. It's a big condo compex and there are comings and goings all night long.

The first time my truck was broken into, I had an ambulance siren connected to the alarm. The vehicle was two stories undergound, I was eleven stories up with closed windows, and the siren woke me up. Must have given the punks quite a surprise! None of this five dollar siren crap you get with the alarm packages!