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Franklinstower
Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2006
Posts: 1895
Location: PNW
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 Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:38 pm Post subject: STOLEN: 1987 Vanagon in Seattle, WA **FOUND** |
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I just saw this on CL
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/4595828582.html
Hopefully the owner will post up some more information. Interesting that it was stolen from (or near) a well regarded VW shop.
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'89 Westy - EJ25/22 Frank 4.44 5mt
'75 Miami Blue Sunroof FI Standard Bug |
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fleet_maintenance
Samba Member
Joined: November 01, 2013
Posts: 323
Location: Upstate NY
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Crazy. Seems like Seattle is the only place on earth one could steal a van and blend in... |
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SyncroBilly
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2014
Posts: 230
Location: New York
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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| That's a bummer. I'm definitely thinking about some serious security for my bus, killswitch too. I may install an alarm to my train horns lol. My van sticks out like a sore thumb here on Long Island. I doubt anyone would get too far. I can't imagine there's more than 10 on the whole island. I could be wrong. |
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16502
Location: Brookeville, MD
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hans j
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2006
Posts: 2714
Location: Salt Lake City UT
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:00 pm Post subject: |
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Too bad they don't have recent photos of the van in it's current state. I usually take one or fifty photos of mine every week...
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1986 Canadian Syncro Westy TDI - 1989 Syncro Single Cab - 2001 Audi S4 - 1981 VW Caddy ABA - 1980 VW Caddy EV - 1973 VW T-181 |
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IdahoDoug
Samba Member
Joined: June 12, 2010
Posts: 10248
Location: N. Idaho
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:27 pm Post subject: |
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Have been using The Club on my Van every night. Kill switch is on my list as well.
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader |
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gbrandt
Samba Member
Joined: April 04, 2006
Posts: 578
Location: Calgary
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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The club and a kill switch. Both are so easy to install.
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'Lucky' our 1987 Red Westy, ASV 1.9 TDI ~130HP, Peloquin differential (had a GW 2.3 that we loved, but it died, we drove it hard!)
We've driven in 49 countries and 5 continents to date
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NoNameNeeded
Samba Member
Joined: July 31, 2014
Posts: 150
Location: Seattle, WA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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| fleet_maintenance wrote: |
| Crazy. Seems like Seattle is the only place on earth one could steal a van and blend in... |
You could probably blend in pretty well in Eugene too... |
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wcfvw69 
Samba Purist
Joined: June 10, 2004
Posts: 13389
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:57 pm Post subject: |
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| NoNameNeeded wrote: |
| fleet_maintenance wrote: |
| Crazy. Seems like Seattle is the only place on earth one could steal a van and blend in... |
You could probably blend in pretty well in Eugene too... |
So true about Seattle. I was there a couple of weeks ago and couldn't believe all the old, air cooled VW's around. I felt like I was back in S. California in the 80's.
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mbcbags
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2008
Posts: 68
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 10:01 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Guys,
The van in question is mine. It's an 87' that's mostly stock. It does have Mercedes wheels and a Thule roof rack with two bike mounts. And, unfortunately, I don't have any recent images to show 
It was overheating on my wife as she traveled through Bham so she pulled over and decided to have it towed in hopes of not causing any damage. The truck couldn't get there until late in the evening so we decided to have it dropped off at our mechanics shop on Meridian without us present. It was dropped off at about midnight. I stopped by on my way to work around 5am to make sure everything looked ok. It was there with all of our camping stuff in it. I called the shop owner to fill him in on the details and he told me that he had moved his shop three weeks ago! No big deal I'd just have to move the van asap. I went back after work around 7:30 and it was gone. I called the shop owner and asked if he'd moved or towed it but he hadn't. Called the police and they had no record of it being impounded.
My wife checked back the next day to see if our key was at least still there and the owner agreed to go back to check it out. Turns out that the shop had been broken into and there were people squatting in it. They also had taken the shops Sprinter van and had been living in it as well. The Sprinter has been recovered but my van is MIA. And most of our camping stuff was in the shop.
So I have a feeling that the van is in the area and the squatters were just joy riding around in it. But who knows? It could be a crack den at this very moment?
Thanks for posting my CL ad and looking out for me. I'm still in a little bit of shock so it's good to know you guys have my back!
Steve
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dobryan
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Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16502
Location: Brookeville, MD
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mbcbags
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2008
Posts: 68
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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Right, it's 098XUR. Any images of it are on my old computer and I need to set it back up to find them. I'll post them tomorrow for sure.
Thanks!
STeve
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M_atthewanderson
Samba Member
Joined: January 25, 2005
Posts: 288
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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You may want to call any "Towed at owners expense" signs posted at the shop or contact the current tenant/owner to see if they towed it. I did drive by the old shop after he moved to Westlake and there were still one or two cars parked there but it may be worth a shot.
Also, what kind of idiot steals a car from a mechanics garage with the expectation it functions properly?
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vanonimous
Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2013
Posts: 362
Location: Burien, Center of the Universe
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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Ay...I'll keep my eyes out for your van Steve. Most stolen cars are eventually found in our area. Just read there are on average 106 cars reported stolen every 24hrs in Seattle alone.
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insyncro
Banned
Joined: March 07, 2002
Posts: 15086
Location: New York
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| Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 4:12 am Post subject: |
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"The Club" is completely useless...watch gone in 60 seconds  |
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mbcbags
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2008
Posts: 68
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 6:39 am Post subject: |
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I had no idea he'd moved the shop until after I contacted him the next day to let him know the situation with my van. The vans still on the lot are junk and look like parts vans for sure.
Since the key was dropped in the drop slot the people squatting in the space had a key/van handed to them. Had to be the easiest heist ever "here you go, take my van!" I feel for the shop as well because the squatters trashed the place and messed up his shop Sprinter.
So far the police haven't had any hits on the plates, but I'm heading out later today to cruise this trailer park where other vans have been found. Hopefully that will unearth something (fingers crossed). It was overheating when it was pulled off the highway so I doubt it could be too far from the shop. I'm thinking it might have broke down on the perps so they just left it for dead?
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danfromsyr
Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2004
Posts: 15144
Location: Syracuse, NY
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| Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 7:38 am Post subject: |
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Just unhook the throttle pedal rod
that always keeps me from driving the van..
| insyncro wrote: |
| "The Club" is completely useless...watch gone in 60 seconds |
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MarkWard
Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2005
Posts: 17116
Location: Retired South Florida
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| Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 7:45 am Post subject: |
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The number of thefts in that area blow my mind. We think of Washington state as a coffee sipping, tree hugging, make love not war sort of place. This is not helping the state's public image.
Also, what type of shop owner moves his business and does not notify his customers? And then leaves an empty building and their Sprinter so squatters can break in. That is all just as hard to fathom.
Sorry for your loss. Hope it turns up like the others have.
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_smoker_
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2009
Posts: 108
Location: Farmville, VA
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| Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 7:46 am Post subject: |
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Man, that sucks. Hope you find it! And cruising a trailer park in search of a stolen vehicle?.... sounds like movie material.  |
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Christopher Schimke
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Joined: August 03, 2005
Posts: 5390
Location: PNW
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| Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 8:02 am Post subject: |
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| rsxsr wrote: |
Also, what type of shop owner moves his business and does not notify his customers? And then leaves an empty building and their Sprinter so squatters can break in. That is all just as hard to fathom.
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Eion is a GREAT guy! He is simply spread a bit thin trying to make his dream of owning his own business working on Vanagons. The shops was previously called the Tec Shop when Eion took over total ownership, but the name was recently changed to Eion's Automotive. He has sunk a bunch of time and money into opening up his new place (just moved there in the past couple of weeks) and while it does suck that this happened in the first place and yeah, maybe things could have been done to prevent it, I don't believe that Eion deserves to take any heat for this. The owner asked the tow truck to drop it off at that location. Eion didn't know the van was coming, the owner didn't know that he had moved (and wasn't present to see the sign on the door) and the tow truck driver was just doing what he was told. It's just one of those bad timing situations.
Sorry for that, but Eion is just such a good guy that I don't want to see anybody jump on him for this.
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