Have you ever been approached with stolen car parts?

[SteveSS]

What I mean is have you ever been given the opportunity to buy stolen parts on the black market? We all hear of the Chop Shops. Is that just a movie thing? I've heard plenty of high HP Mopars get stolen. There must be a fairly large market for the drivelines. If someone was offering you a Hellcat or LS7 engine and trans for cheap what would you do?

Just so you know, no one is offering me anything nor have they ever done so.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Shut my mouth and buy it! Lol!!!

 

[Fran Blacker]

A large thieft ring in Michigan. If your buying stolen stuff your part of the problem!
From Detroit to Ohio, auto theft ring exposed after armed robbery of a postal worker

 

[cr8crshr]

Receiving Stolen Property or even buying it is considered a Felony and subject to imprisonment. So you go right ahead with that very stupid idea, And if you meant it as a joke??? Well it ain't no joke!!! cr8crshr/Bill

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

My attorney says I can’t give you an answer

 

[sam dupont]

Beside being wrong, it would make me a participant in a crime and more likely to be a victim. Also, thieves would be hanging around my place.

 

[LB0442]

Around 1988 I was working as a mechanic at a Chevrolet dealership just outside of Phoenix, I was 23-24 years old. I bought a 78 Trans Am that they had hit a deer with, 10 year old car at the time. Need a hood, core support and front bumper/facia. Newspaper ad had a guy selling firebird parts. It was a small junkyard down by the river bottom in Tempe AZ. I tell him what I need and he asks if I have a color preference, car was black and he says he has one coming in in a few days. I said ok, sure enough he leaves a message that he has them a few days later. I go pick them up, I think it was $300 for everything. I tell the parts guy at work what a great junkyard this is and he was even able to get the correct color I needed, awesome customer service. The parts guy was probably in his fifties and looked at me and said you know that was probably a chop shop? NOOOO, I never even thought about it, kid in my 20's, I just thought that was a cool car guy, liked his firebirds.

So maybe I have or have not bought stolen parts. I was worried for years the police were going to show up and want the parts. I still have the car, so no word on criminal involvement yet.

 

[5.7 hemi]

You boys OBVIOUSLY didn’t see the “lol” at the end of sentence.

 

[Fran Blacker]

You boys OBVIOUSLY didn’t see the “lol” at the end of sentence.

Removed X but lol easy to misinterpret.

 

[Cojohnso1]

I've never been approached with the blanton "Parts stolen" but I have certainly run across suspicious sales. Most are parts you can't really prove. If it's from a known peddler of stolen items? I avoid like the plague. It really diminishes your project if even suspected. The public never know. But I will. And that's certainly enough.

 

[Skytrooper]

I only buy from FBBO members

 

[Big Bad Dad]

If the steal from somebody else, they will steal from you too.

 

[3sloppydogs]

Back in the late 70s after we graduated high school one of my friends dream was to buy a mark iv continental. He found the one wanted at a small dealer on rt1 south of baltimore, they sprung up and disappeared all the time. He bought it and drove it a few months, loved it.
You know what happened next. Sure enough he got a knock on the door and a bunch of suits were outside ready to arrest him for his stolen car.
Luckily he kept all his paperwork because he loved this car. He did lose the car, it was returned to the rightful owner. Insurance replaced that car but it was never the same and he sold it.

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

Back in the late 70s after we graduated high school one of my friends dream was to buy a mark iv continental. He found the one wanted at a small dealer on rt1 south of baltimore, they sprung up and disappeared all the time. He bought it and drove it a few months, loved it.
You know what happened next. Sure enough he got a knock on the door and a bunch of suits were outside ready to arrest him for his stolen car.
Luckily he kept all his paperwork because he loved this car. He did lose the car, it was returned to the rightful owner. Insurance replaced that car but it was never the same and he sold it.

70s in high school, car theft ring? One thing comes to mind!

 

[Thrashingcows]

My brother has always made bad life choices and back in the early 90's he hooked up with a couple young guys who were into "crime" and they got him all kinds of cool speed parts and stuff for next to nothing. Well he was working at a small speed shop at the time and had acquired a very cool 409 intake with 6 stromberg carbs from his "friends" and had brought it into work to show it off. Well a guy walked in and noticed the intake and asked who owned it, owner told him it was my brother, the guy then asked where he lived...owner knowing the reputation of this individual (Hells Angel) gave him our address.

Needless to say a bunch of fine outstanding individuals showed up later that day, my brother was not home but my Father and I were....basicly they said they were going to go into our shop and take back their property and anything else they took a liking to....which they did and all we could do is stand there and not protest. They said they would track down my brother and have a conversation about things...he never said what happened when they caught up with him but he didn't buy parts from those guys again.

 

[DeltaV]

 

[WileERobby]

I grew up in Brooklyn. I can tell you chop shops are certainly a reality. Answer to your question: ask where it came from & what the numbers are.

 

[moparvinson]

I know buying stolen parts is illegal so why can scrap yards buy a truck full of stolen cat converters and no one says a word? They should be busted as soon as they buy them.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

So lets carry this a step further... Stolen property of any sort... Years ago I worked in a dealership in Stockton Ca... If you know Stockton you know, if not it's a town with allot of crime, drugs, gangs, homeless... Every morning a couple lot guys had to sweep up the needles & condoms before 7AM so the customers wouldn't see any of it.. Anyway on a regular basis there would be people selling tools or practically any other thing you might want cheap in the alley behind the dealership.... I never touched any of it... But plenty of the mechanics did... IMO if you buy it your part of the problem... If they couldn't sell what they stole they would quit stealing... Yeah, I might be a dreamer but I refuse to support theives..

BTW No I haven't knowingly bought stolen car parts either..

 

[coronet68mx]

One time a thief stole the headlight of my 94 Bonneville I went to buy an used one and to my surprise the headlight I want to buy have the same serial.mumber than my other headlight i sato the guy " hey this is my fu!@@#$% headlight!!!! Of course he denied it and after a while he said ok take th and i dont know the part but don't call the police, wich I did.