A CAR fanatic whose motor was nicked from his driveway unknowingly bought it back a month later – for £20,000.
Ewan Valentine, 36, was left heartbroken when professional thieves stole his black Honda Civic from his home in Solihull, West Midlands, in a two-minute smash and grab raid in February.
The software engineer reported the robbery to police, but was warned there was a slim chance he would get the vehicle back.
After his on a payout for the car, Ewan used the money to find a replacement.
He eventually settled on another black Civic, which he joked was a “mid-life crisis car”;, before buying it for £20,000.
Ewan told The Sun: “When my car was stolen, I was really upset, as anyone would be.
“I live in a suburban area with no ANPR cameras, and the only bit of footage was from my neighbour’s grainy doorbell camera.
“I found the replacement after about three weeks of looking, which was quite a lot like the one I had.
“It had the same custom exhaust system, the same colour and paint scheme.
“The thought that it was quite a lot like my car did enter my mind, and I joked to my partner that I should check the VIN number.
“I’d done a lot of research into what happens to stolen cars. It’s very rare that they stay in the local area or even in the country.
“And then when I went for a test drive, I saw the mileage was different, which put the thought out of my mind.”;
Ewan said he bought the car from a reliable dealership with a good reputation and added he did not believe the garage knew it was stolen.
Within hours of driving the motor home, Evan became suspicious about its background, even though it had different number plates.
He went on: “We had a Christmas tree and some of the pines got stuck in the boot, and in the new car, the same pines were there.
“I kept my locking wheel nut in a Tesco sandwich bag, and the same bag was there. It was a little bit scary because it was so similar to my stolen car.
“Then I looked at the sat-nav, which had my home address, my parents’ address and my partner’s parents’ address, which confirmed it was the same car.”; Ewan estimates he is still down £7,000 from buying the car back and admitted he did not feel “triumphant”; about having it again.
He said: “I realised that it isn’t some heroic moment. I didn’t go and get the car back. I felt like a bit of an idiot for the way I got it back.”; Official figures show less than half of stolen cars are recovered, with one taken from people’s driveways or car parks every eight-and-a-half minutes last year.
Some 61,343 were reported nicked last year, with Fords, BMWs and Land Rovers among the most likely to be taken.
