I got a call Monday at about 4AM; the police found my car. The arrested the guy driving it. It now has body damage and a bunch of mechanical issues that need to be fixed. Plus, I need to replace all of the controls and trim on the steering column. I haven't yet put together an actual list of everything that needs to be replace/repaired, but it looks like it will be pretty long.

Also, my neighbor had his Land Rover Defender about 2-3 hours earlier. They unhooked his trailer from the car before they stole it. They couldn't figure out how to remove the trailer safety chains from the car so they unbolted them from the trailer. Here's where it gets fun: I found trailer chains sitting on the floor of my car when I picked it up from the tow yard.

Sucks bad dude. They'll prob total it if it's too bad. Post up some pics.

Hey captain, I'm glad you got your rig back. Yes, it sucks to begin with. If you need a wrenching buddy for the repairs, let me know. I would gladly help. I'm glad the police found the guy and arrested him.

Im glad they found it. I knew they would. What I didnt ever imagine is they'd catch the guy. Makes me glaf they did. Can you press changes or sue for damages. Doubt guy would have any money, but just wondering.

Now if you dont have the parts or a u pull nearby or whatever, post up pics or whatever you need, and I'd be happy to help send some stuff over if I have it.

(I understand the defender going, but did a these guys have the mitsu confused with a land cruiser or something of resale/parts value?)

If you can, post a list of what you need. I'd be surprised if I can help, but I will if I can.

I'll help with what bits i may have as well. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Ditto ditto on the parts. I have the steering column surround.

A while back two guys at a gas station argued whether it was a land rover or land cruiser. they just had to walk around the front to see the quality symbol...

Glad to hear your rig made it home. Do post a list. I'm in junkyards whenever a Gen 1 shows up. If you can't find it here I'll be happy to grab what you need.

The kid arrested in my stolen car, was charged with operating a stolen vehicle, unlawful use of a vehicle, and interfering with a peace officer. The first two are class c felonies.

The neighbors Land Rover was recovered, but I guess it is a total loss. Apparently there was a police chase involved and other cars were damaged as well. No word yet on who was arrested, what they were charged with, or it the police can actually prove the cases are connected.

I still haven't yet put together a complete list of all the parts that are broken or missing yet. I will do that eventually. I need to at least get some estimates so I can at least try to get restitution. If that doesn't work, I may have to go to small claims court.

Both axle seals are blown and now there seems to be a power steering leak. I guess he was running around some alleys in the city and hit a parked car. Apparently he got stuck on the frame slider and struggled to get free. I'm told there are black tire marks from where was trying to get unstuck. The officer I spoke to said the car that was hit looked to be in much worse shape, with the front bumper ripped off.

Anyway, here are some pictures. Everything that looks a bit off/terrible are parts he added or damaged. It used to be in really good shape considering its age.



















I'm still struggling to figure out why he felt the need to rip out the hazard and rear wiper switches. It took me awhile to figure out how to get the brake lights to work without that switch in place. Also, that is probably the worlds worst shift knob. It wasn't even attached properly so it was almost impossible to use.

I have a bunch of switches and many other parts. I was thinking the same thing about why did they mess with the switches and feel the need to go by autozone to accessorize it.