Stolen: 2001 Ford E350 4x4 - Page 3

Blowby · 08-30-2020, 06:57 PM

Great to see you got your van back!This is definitely a tale that you won't forget in a hurry and I can't imagine what it's like to go through an ordeal like this and hopefully I will never find myself in the same position.
Cheers and hope you don't need to deal with to much damage!

JonBertsch · 08-30-2020, 07:37 PM

Quote:

secondly, HUUUGE shout out to JonBertsch for reading my post, picking out my van on the side of the road, and reaching out immediately to give me the best shot of getting her back. while I've only had this van a little over a month, it's already carried me 5k+ miles and put shelter over my head for a week's worth of nights.. and we were just getting started - can't thank you enough JonBertsch. I'm glad you were able to stop by later in the day so we could connect in person and I could get to know a little bit about you and your rig!

@ndecker9 you're welcome. Power to social media in this case. I think everyone on the forums is happy to keep an eye out for any stolen van, they are our way to get out of town and enjoy the outdoors. It's a bummer for all of us when one gets taken. As I said it was only because of the color and plates that it stood out from the crowd of E350s on the road. Did a double take as I drove past it and slammed on the brakes for a closer look.

Good luck with the repairs and conversion.

Jon B

RemingtonM · 08-31-2020, 10:59 AM

This is incredible, so glad you found your van!

I had a car stolen last month in front of my house in Sunnyvale, it was a sucky experience but I was so grateful it wasn't my van, with all the work I've put into it I would have been devastated.

arctictraveller · 08-31-2020, 06:23 PM

Fantastic news! What an amazing tale and fast recovery. If it were mine, I think I would immediately up security and install at least a GPS locater. You can even wire them to disable the engine remotely, so as soon as you discover it missing you can shut it down and know where it is. Best of luck with your repairs..............

Jack K · 08-31-2020, 08:40 PM

It's always wrenching to read of another van stolen, glad to see a happy ending so quickly. As others have mentioned, look into installing a Ravelco, a company that claims that no successful thefts have occurred from defeating their system. Also a tracking device. Nice looking rig, by the way! Hope damage is not too great.

JWA · 09-01-2020, 03:08 PM

Very, very good news indeed!

I can't recall a time while I've been here on SMB where a stolen van has been recovered so quickly by anyone through any means. I'm not a fan of "social media" per se but in this instance it seems to have been useful.

Here's hoping any damage is minimal and not too costly.

Congratulations if such a thing is possible for just having your possessions returned to their rightful owner!

shenrie · 09-01-2020, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonBertsch

Power to social media in this case.

One of the very few things I like about social media. Huge kudos to you for having a keen eye and spotting this rig and helping the owner get it back.

I sold a car to a friend a few years back. He called me one morning to tell me the car was stolen from him. This was about 8am. My wife posted the news on her fb page with the new owners phone number and asked anyone that thinks they have seen the car to contact him. He had a call just past noon by someone neither of us knew. Just a share that made it to his feed. He went out and confirmed the car was his and had the police there by 2pm. Unfortunately it was stripped clean before he even got the call, then to make matters worse the police stormed in without a warrant... idiots. Insurance saved the day, but it was a car very hard to replace anymore, so he took their offer. Seriously only parts left in the car were the quarter window trims. It was nuts, but it was amazing seeing how fast he got a call from the social network. Even the cops were amazed at how fast he found the car.

Vanzila · 09-06-2020, 10:22 AM

Great news... Now get yourself a GPS tracker for it.. and a good Alarm that kills the ignition.. So happy you found her.

Ed Matney · 09-06-2020, 12:25 PM

My van was stolen three years ago, luckily Nextdoor neighbors had video which we posted along with photos. Van was found 2 miles away next day partially stripped thanks to Nextdoor. I moved out of Oakland thereafter.

dougmitchell · 09-06-2020, 03:26 PM

Anyone have any suggestions of specific name-brand products that they know are good GPS and ignition killing alarm systems. I've got fears of this myself.