What are the odds....????

[DJR-351]

Hot rod is hot item: Chevy Camaro stolen 36 years ago turns up 3,000 miles away on eBay
By Daily Mail Reporter
7:31 PM on 12th May

When a car has been missing for 35 years, you would hardly expect it to turn up at all let alone 3,000 miles away on eBay.

But the New Jersey owner of a 1969 Chevy Camaro SS got the shock of her life when a police officer told her that the car she had stolen almost 36 years ago had been recovered in Santa Maria, California.

In February, Keith Williams bought the car on eBay for $28,000 from a private seller in Tennessee but said he noticed there was something not quite right about it and it had features that did not match the original.
When he contacted the police, he discovered it was stolen.
Speaking to KSBY 6 he said: 'I saw some video of it. It looked pretty good. It was quite eye catching. But you research a car long enough, you kind of know what to expect and there were things missing.'
He said that certain features seemed inconsistent with a 1969 Chevy Camaro SS. Closer inspection confirmed that the car had been completely restored and its body was a complete collage of parts, with the six cylinder engine replaced with a 427 V-8.
Officer Chuck Johnes with the California Highway Patrol said: 'There's identifying numbers on the car in several locations and through those numbers, we were able to rebuild the original VIN number.' When they ran a check they found the car had been stolen on July 8, 1975. When it was stolen it was yellow.
Officer Johnes said that when he contacted the owner Janice Maffucci in Jersey, she hung up several times thinking it was a crank call.
The car had been stolen from the post officer where her father worked 36 years ago.
She told KSBY 6: 'Being we're in New Jersey and this was recovered in California, I couldn't believe it, and I still can't believe it, but I think it's just great!
'I had given up hope and I never thought that this would ever happen.'
According to the police, Ms Maffucci was not going to bother arranging for the car to travel across the country thinking it was now 'just an old car'.
But when they explained to her that it was worth a substantial amount of money she changed her mind and now plans on selling it.
Mr Williams had fortunately insured his $28,000 eBay purchase and will get reimbursed for everything but the $875 transport fee.
But he told KSBY 6 that it was a 'modest price for a timeless tale'.
The CHP says this is one of the oldest vehicle's it's ever recovered and are investigating the car's registration history to find out who might have stolen it.

Recovered: Officer Frank Lewis, left, pictured with Officer Chuck Johnes with the 1969 Camaro Stolen 36 Years Ago from New Jersey

Fixed up: Closer inspection confirmed that the car had been completely restored and the six cylinder engine replaced with a 427 V-8


And better than original............

[TheInterceptor]

Wow! Miracles do happen?

Fantastic for the owner!

[pottery beige]

quite a few cars could tell this tale....

[MITCHAY]

Lol free upgrade. Awesome car

[galaxy xr8]

How nice, someone went to all that trouble to do a full resto and drop a big block Rat in there for her...ahhhhhhh.

Win win for her, not only does she get her car back but one that has had all the fruit done for her.

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

The guy on the right, I reckon he's an enthusiast, just by the way he has his hand on the car, not leaning on the paint too much.

[93EB_SXR6]

That is awesome.

[last fairlane]

Just one thing doesnt sound right
doesnt the Camaro SS have a V8 not a six?
I thought all SS models were V8s
could be wrong though
John

[Road Games]

I would sell it to the guy for $15000 ..fair price ?

[Yellow_Festiva]

Wonder if the owner was paid out way back when it was stolen and if so what happens seeing as it's now returned?

[Supercharged]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Wonder if the owner was paid out way back when it was stolen and if so what happens seeing as it's now returned?

Yes, if it was insured it would belong to the insurance company if they are still in business and can quote the policy number it was paid out on.

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by last fairlane

Just one thing doesnt sound right
doesnt the Camaro SS have a V8 not a six?
I thought all SS models were V8s
could be wrong thoughJohn

Yes you are right....

I think the car was originally a Series 23 6cyl and it's just the way it's been reported in the storyline....
The way the word “restored” has been used confuses things, even though it's also incorrect it probably should read “restored into an SS clone”....
(Like the fully restored XY GTHO replicas that pop up now an again....)
Sounds like the guy who bought it of eBay thought he had the genuine article but twigged to the fact it wasn't a genuine SS and this is how the story came to light....

[LukeGT]

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

Lol free upgrade. Awesome car

There are plenty of panel shope around that will take this long to restore a car when you are paying them!

[AWD Chaser]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

What are the odds....????

1 in 2 - Car gets found vs. Car doesn't get found....

[LukeGT]

So he bought a stolen car on Ebay and insurance paid him out for it when the cops too the car:

"Mr Williams had fortunately insured his $28,000 eBay purchase and will get reimbursed for everything but the $875 transport fee."

I assume this was the Ebay / purchase protection insurance and not his car insurance .... good thing to have, pity its not offered more widely with car insurance, a lot of people get caught out with this.

[Bearman]

Spare a thought for the seller. He may have bought the car in good faith some years ago and spent a mozza on it not knowing it was stolen.

If the seller was the thief or had some other involvement then

My XA GT Sedan was stolen just on 25 years ago. It's possible it may be someones pride and joy sitting in their garage, having no clue of what occurred on 5th June 1986!! I'll let that sleeping dog lie......

[Road Games]

Originally Posted by Bearman

Spare a thought for the seller. He may have bought the car in good faith some years ago and spent a mozza on it not knowing it was stolen.

If the seller was the thief or had some other involvement then

My XA GT Sedan was stolen just on 25 years ago. It's possible it may be someones pride and joy sitting in their garage, having no clue of what occurred on 5th June 1986!! I'll let that sleeping dog lie......

Likewise my 11sec XC i lost in 94' ,the only way of tracking the engine No or other details is by the rego number on file... 304 AHT.. all paper work was in the glovebox, police were not very helpful back then because it wasn't currently registered and i have always wondered if my engine may have ended up in an Elite class street machine where No's don't matter much?

[THE CADBURY KID]

Can someone arrange to steal my eb and put a blown coyoye engine in it,trans to match.Cheers

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

Fixed up: Closer inspection confirmed that the car had been completely restored and the six cylinder engine replaced with a 427 V-8

Not sure that a close inspection was required to confirm this

[xisled]

Another article.

http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/13052011/36...6-years-0.html

[TUF_302]

So who now has actual right to the car?? the original or the poor bugger coned into buying a stolen vehicle??

[xisled]

the original owner.

[Feathers]

Considering she's only going to sell it, she should come to some agreement with the bloke that bought it off ebay - if he still wants it.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Wonder if the owner was paid out way back when it was stolen and if so what happens seeing as it's now returned?

If you buy a stolen car, and spend tens of thousands doing it up, and it's then found by the authorities...tough luck, you've done your dough. And you'll be facing a few pointed questions about whether you knew the car was stolen in the first place or not...

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by Feathers

Considering she's only going to sell it, she should come to some agreement with the bloke that bought it off ebay - if he still wants it.

The guy of eBay is chasing a "Genuine" one....