It’s time to unpack the headlines before the holidays…
For the last time this year, the Motorious Podcast reviews the recent headlines that include Cristy Lee’s stolen Hellcat, a Florida woman who found a stash of stolen cars, and Hertz settles with their customers. We also discuss why BMW is telling you to hang onto your used car, the Camaro becoming a sub-brand, and a Chevelle sends a minivan flipping in Florida. Watch here:
Headlines
Cristy Lee’s Hellcat Has Been Stolen
Getting your car stolen absolutely sucks, even if your insurance company covers the complete loss with a tiny deductible. Unfortunately, if you own a Hellcat or another hot Mopar, you are a prime target of these professional thieves. Automotive TV personality Cristy Lee found this out the hard way when some criminals stole her Dodge Challenger Hellcat recently.
Lee announced the horrific crime on her social media accounts, saying “SOMOENE STOLE MY F***ING HELLCAT” with a number of angry emoji faces. Obviously it was an emotional moment for her. Also, she shared surveillance video of the two thieves boosting her Hellcat from a driveway in Florida.
Read the full story here.
Florida Woman Tracks Down Her Stolen Car
It took a real estate agent in Manatee County, Florida just 24 hours to track down her stolen Mercedes-Benz E 350, an impressive feat for someone lacking law enforcement or investigative experience. However, what Rachel Speight lacked in know-how she made up for with sheer determination. Ultimately, she not only tracked down her stolen car but found several others.
While Speight did contact the sheriff’s department and reported her luxury sedan as stolen, she didn’t stop there. She also posted hundreds of flyers in the area and drove around hunting for any sign of it. That effort paid off because she recognized the Mercedes sitting in a vacant lot, specifically focusing on the awards from her grandchildren hanging from the rearview mirror.
Read the full story here.
BMW Says To Keep Your Old Car
In a move which seems to have shocked many, BMW executive Monika Dernai recently told a gathering in London consumers should seriously consider fixing up their old car rather than trading it in for the latest model. We know, that’s such a revolutionary concept of not always having the newest car so you can brag to everyone about being able to afford a ridiculous monthly payment. It’s just that pretty much nobody expected an automaker executive to say such a thing.
We live in an odd time when companies which make money off selling new cars are telling people they should hold onto their aging rides longer. However, this is also the day and age where automakers have sustainability managers, which is what Dernai is, so everything is shifting. That’s not to say we don’t advocate for keeping an older ride, because we absolutely do. After all, a good chunk of our focus is on classic cars. But a corporation advocating you don’t buy what it sells seems… off.
At the same time, there are those who think “saving the planet” or whatever they want to call it involves getting all the dirty, old, nasty cars off the road. This is why different states like Nevadahave been tightening up classic car registration “loopholes” so more people are basically forced into buying a new or newer vehicle for daily commuting.
Read the full story here.
Woman Shocked Electronic Rust Control Didn’t Work
If you live in an area where the roads are salted in the winter, you know how difficult it can be to keep your car rust-free. Thankfully, the wonders of modern technologies have provided us with better tools to fight corrosion. One of the tools you may or may not be familiar with is electronic rust control, something a woman in Ontario, Canada recently found to be insufficient at preserving the body panels on her 2017 Ford Escape.
For those who aren’t familiar with electronic rust control, which might be quite a few people, the system involves a module typically installed somewhere like the underside of a car hood. That device puts out a weak electrical current throughout the entirety of the car’s metal components. Supposedly, that current will disrupt the charge between the metal and oxygen molecules, essentially stopping rust from forming.
As you already guessed, this woman realized her electronic rust control device didn’t work as hoped. According to CTV News, rust started to take hold on the bottom of the doors on both sides of the crossover. Imagine our shock at learning such a wondrous technological development might not do the job.
Read the full story here.
Hertz Settles Car Theft Lawsuits
As we covered before, a few dozen Hertz customers filed suit earlier this year after the rental company filed police reports stating those customers stole vehicles they rented. That has resulted in a torrent of negative publicity for the company, which is fighting against ride-sharing and car-sharing services after going through bankruptcy recently. It seems the pressure might have helped influence the decision to settle out of court rather than let the sordid details of innocent people being arrested for a crime they didn’t commit, allegedly.
Per a report from NBC News, Hertz settled the 364 claims that it erroneously filed police reports against customers. The cost of the settlement is $168 million. We’re not sure exactly how many people will have to divide that cash, and of course attorneys as well as Uncle Sam will take their cut, but we hope it’s enough to help them repair the damage done.
In some of the cases, people claimed they called Hertz to extend their rental and thought everything was fine. However, an error in processing their card payment for the extra days and a breakdown in communication resulted in Hertz filing a stolen vehicle report. Some customers didn’t find out they had a bench warrant until they were pulled over police for something unrelated months later.
Read the full story here.
GM Reportedly Working On A Camaro Sub-Brand
According to a recent report from Car and Driver, GM is planning to make a Camaro sub-brand, similar to the rumored plans Ford has for the Mustang and Bronco lines. Supposedly, GM wants to do the same thing with the Corvette and Escalade. This could mean crossover versions of the Camaro and Corvette, maybe some sedans, a compact Escalade, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!
It seems odd GM would be working on a Camaro sub-brand considering how little support the muscle car has received in the past few years. In fact, production for it was paused repeatedly last year, signaling GM considers it a dog. The Escalade and Corvette, on the other hand, have huge loyal followings, so creating a lineup of models under those names seems like a natural fit.
Read the full story here.
Chevelle Flips Minivan On The Highway
The Chevy Chevelle is one of the most iconic vehicles to ever exist on a Chevy showroom floor. Beautiful body lines, great choice of power options, and a four-speed manual transmission made this car the perfect cruiser and race car for fans of the brand in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Nowadays we tend to think of them sort of like idols and become overjoyed pretty much every time we see one driving around but we also have to remember that they are still cars and I search the people the drivers behind the wheel are still people.
Recently, a video surfaced on the Internet showing a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle smacking right into the side of a minivan. Articles referencing the event claim that he was trying to show off though the camera pans away right before the big action happens, what a coincidence. Whatever happened, the driver of the Chevelle made a mistake and lost control which resulted in a pretty massive crash flipping the minivan and destroying the front side of his car. It was also raining so the road was already a little slippery adding for the possibility of simple driver error rather than Mal intent or purposeful negligence on the road.
Read the full story here.
Inventory Picks
1948 Chevrolet 3600 Thriftmaster
See it here.
1979 Ford F150
See it here.
Keyword: Florida Woman Solves Car Theft, A Chevelle Sends a Minivan Flying, and More…