Where Do All The Stolen Cars Go?

It's 2am and you hear SMASH, then the start-up of a familiar engine. Someone’s stolen your car.

Everyone knows the police are usually too busy to help you with stolen cars, so it's up to you to find it. But more often than not, that’s it - you have no hope in finding it, your car is gone.

But where does it actually go? I had the same question, where DO all the stolen cars go? Let me explain.

But first, let's address the fact that the chances of actually having your car stolen today are pretty low. There are about 287 million cars on the road in the US, and only 810,440 cases of vehicle theft in the US in 2020, and 89,400 cases in the UK. That’s about 246 thefts per 100,000 people in the US and 132 per 100,000 in the UK.

So the odds of your car being stolen today are pretty low, but never zero.

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A chop shop is an illegal garage that profits off selling or repurposing the parts off stolen vehicles. Often run out of a legitimate storefront, an expert chop shop can strip an entire car down to its frame in less than three hours. If your car is unlucky enough to find itself in one of these, chances are you’ll never see that car again.

What’s mad, is that cars are typically worth more as parts than as a whole. While a junk car may be worth only $500 in scrap metal, chances are the individual parts on that car are worth thousands. And chop shops know this.

#StolenCars #Cars #Automotive

[OVERDRIVE.studios]

Have any of you guys had cars stolen? I would love to hear the stories!

Thanks for watching guys! *Don't forget to subscribe!*

[mnemon]

A friend of mine saw her beige '92 Land Rover pass by her 12 years after it was stolen in Portugal, while she was going to work at a contruction site in Luanda, Angola. It still had the same stickers she had put in the rear window.

[nicolae-stefancurpas]

I'd love to see the statistics for how many stolen cars were recovered within the UK. I remember Beckham's car being stolen in the UK and found in a chop shop in Romania.

[sotospt]

Imagine ordering parts for your car and then get your car stolen because someone would like to fulfill this order!!

[aztecducky]

I live in Texas, it is very common for vehicles stolen anywhere in the state to find themselves driven across the border into Mexico. This is especially common for trucks, as they use them a lot of times for cartel vehicles or as drug smuggling vehicles.

[ЮрийРулёв-иж]

Article isn't covered fully!
In UK (and therefore I believe the same in USA) cars are stolen not only for chop-shop purposes or joyriding, they're stolen to be used as a getaway vehicle from a more serious crime scene. And, yes, it will be recovered by a police forces, but in a burnt-out state.

[dercorta-noyokamiboyteenpr]

best way to protect your car. dont leave your car unlocked or even with the key in the ignition. and for people who keep their car running while going away from it theres no help for them anymore

[raydriver]

Another interesting video. I had my (1955) Morris Minor stolen by a man just wanting to get home. It cost me £1.01 to buy a new ignition lock 🌞

[gobblefunkfrothbungler]

Superscott is the most blursed thing I've seen in a while...

[albinoguidedog]

Actually, key fobs have made it easier to steal newer cars. Some fobs are always active(sending out signal) so all you need is a receiver and you're good to go. Then hold the receiver near the car and it can unlock and start the car(the car thinks it's the key). Then you drive the stolen car back to your shop and use a OBD2 code and make a new key and BOOM you got yourself a new car.

[Chetanoo]

That's the first time I heard about stolen US cars going to Russia. I though distance and border problems not worth the risk. What's interesting is that cars stolen in Russia are shipped ot the Khazakstan with zero chance to return. Thanks for the info!

[bighigh]

Cops: yeah we found your car 8 days ago and its been sitting at an impound lot. Come pay the fees to get YOUR car back.

[robertlloyd]

Caught a guy trying to nick my motorbike, admittedly used my helmet in a different manner lol and shouted don't touch what you can't afford XD

[RichardEnglander]

He said people stole cars to make money, in the 80s they stole cars just to drive home in from the clubs, or to go find some police to chase them!

[SHENGEsiyabonga]

Less than 3hrs, huh? In South Africa stole cars are fully stripped in under an hour.

[royalkina]

My man...stuff is completely different here in Brazil lmao

[RahulMaurya-vrfq]

Its 2 AM and you hear smash, then the startup of a familiar engine. You've just launched GTA 5.

[Jerry-tglj]

i recall in Australia seeing a dark blue GLC 63 AMG frame just dumped on the side of the road a few years back, probably strippes for parts and the vin was the biggest liability

[sharkycat]

I thought this was Donut Media at first, then I saw it wasn’t and almost clicked off, but decided to stay.

I’m glad I did, this was an amazing video and great explanation, just subscribed

[kennoble]

While working for a PD in SoCal, I received a call from Scotland Yard wanting to speak with our auto theft detective. While speaking with the Scotland Yard officer he stated he was calling about high price cars being stolen in SoCal that were ending up in Saudi Arabia. Apparently they were being driven straight to the docks and loaded onto ships.

In another case, a Canadian Mountie called with a recovered vehicle stolen out of my city. He stated the vehicles, which were usually truck, were being placed in the back of a tractor-trailer and brought to Canada where they usually ended up on a ranch.

A third was our citizens who couldn't pay for the vehicles would drive them across the boarder into Mexico. The only problem with this is that every vehicle's license plate is photographed when driven across the border, along with a photograph of the driver. It made for some bad days for those citizens when we told them they were being arrested for filing a false police report.