MX-3.com

My teal-blue mx-3 was stolen out of my driveway (Tigard, OR) between 10:00 pm Saturday 10/23 and 2:00 am Sunday 10/24. If you happen to came across any information regarding the car or it's parts, please help me out by reporting the information to me or the Tigard City Police (503.639.6556).

Car: 1992 Mazda mx3 GS
License place: OR SGF 489 -- tags expired.
Teal Blue, lowered.
Front bumber wrap (Onderground MP5) is broken on right side with black tape repair.
Carbon Fiber hood, with damage on rear corners.
Dezent Wheels w/ Kumho Ecsta tires
Altezza tailights

Black/Silver interior
Speedhut aluminum instrument panel face
Aluminum MX-3 racing pedals,
B&M short shifter,
SRD billet e-brake handle
Alpine MP-3 receiver
4 channel Alpine amp
Rockford Fosgate 20 mp3
Infinity Basslink sub

1.8L v6
blue oil cap
Tokico struts
Ractive stainless exhaust
Ractive hose sleeving kit in blue
PRM intake (has been repaired with aluminum tape; can't see PRM because of tape)

Pic up a pic if you have it!

The car has been recovered. The city of Portland found the car abandoned. The tow truck driver just got done delivering it. The Tigard police came out and collected some evidence.

The stupid thieves these things in it:
2 partially used packs of cigarettes.
A partially drank water bottle.
A new CAI tube and filter.
A backpack with tools (cats paw, screwdrivers, etc)

I'm hoping that they find good prints and can identify the thieves. I did not have comprehensive insurance on it, so I can't collect from INS. If the thieves are identified, I may be able to recover costs from them.

The car is in mostly good condition. It hasn't been parted out, it hasn't been wrecked, it hasn't been vandalized, other than the damage involved with the theft. The steering column plastics have been broken. The ignition key set has been reamed with screwdrivers. It will need to be replaced. The car can't start right now because the ignition won't budge. There is a hole in the drivers seat. The center console/arm rest was damaged. It also smells of smoke now too.

In all, I am very lucky that I got the car back, and that the damage was fairly minimal.

If you want to know the procedure on replacing the ignition cylinder, PM me.

Did you say THEY left the CAI and backpack in there, or were they yours and they didn't take it?

Ryan wrote:If you want to know the procedure on replacing the ignition cylinder, PM me.

Did you say THEY left the CAI and backpack in there, or were they yours and they didn't take it?

Ryan -- Thanks for the offer of info. I will definately PM you when it gets time. I was going to do a search before asking any questions though. And I do have the service manual, so maybe I'll be able to get this done before too long. There is a beige piece of plastic under the cylinder that is supposed to have 2 wires coming out of it. That has been broken and the wires pulled out. And the bottom plastics have been removed. I'll post a pic of the cylinder soon.

Yes -- They left their CAI tube, filter, backpack and tools in the car that I did not own before. Hehehe. I had to submit it to the police as evidence. But when the case is closed, I will get the items back unless they are identified as stolen goods.

Eric

OROutdoors wrote:Yes -- They left their CAI tube, filter, backpack and tools in the car that I did not own before. Hehehe. I had to submit it to the police as evidence. But when the case is closed, I will get the items back unless they are identified as stolen goods.

Correction: It was a Short-ram, not a CAI. I thought I'd better make that correction before others do it for me.

Ryan wrote:If you want to know the procedure on replacing the ignition cylinder, PM me.

Okay, so as far as I've been able to find out, removing the ignition is pretty simple -- it's a matter of cutting slots in the tops of the screws to make them into standard screws, and then removing them. I suspect drilling a small hole and then using a screw extractor would do just as well to remove the screws.

Yup, thats about it. Just use a thin angle grinder blade. 1/8 is too fat. Use a new disc too, or you get a rounded slot and its a pain.

If you have a dremel, that'd be better.

Congrats on all the new tools and parts! I have no idea how you can be stupid enough to STEAL A CAR, and freakin' put your parts in it... like your home free after (how long) of having it....

Okay, here are the Pics of the steering column/ignition key cylinder damage, and the intake tube and filter they left behind.

They caught a suspect. I have to testify before a Grand Jury today, as a witness. The kid was 18 years old. The DA is filing charges of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. I would have preferred Grand Theft Auto. I'll keep you informed.

Ild push for GTA hes 18 he should be classified as an adult, and if not Ild want criminal neglect filed against the parents. Thieves are the lowest rung of the ladder in my book, GL with the prosecution, hopefully you can get reimbursment for the damages and your time as well.

Indeed, of course this isn't his first one; don't feel sorry, don't feel bad, make him learn a lesson and pay for what he did. Take no prisoners! He didn't borrow your car, he broke in and stole it. Violated you and your car.

Sleeper6 wrote:Ild push for GTA hes 18 he should be classified as an adult, and if not Ild want criminal neglect filed against the parents. Thieves are the lowest rung of the ladder in my book, GL with the prosecution, hopefully you can get reimbursment for the damages and your time as well.

Okay, So I found out why they aren't going with GTA. Two reasons: there were three people in the car when they were stopped and arrested, so they can't prove who was the one who stole it; and the county they were arrested in was different than the one that the car was stolen from. They (Multnomah County) say that Washington County can press charges later for the theft. They are only pressing charges for possession of a stolen vehicle (and only for the driver) because that is what they can prove. They can't prove which of the three was the person who stole the car, so no GTA.

In a similar, twisted logic, they can't prove that the passengers knew that the car was stolen. It is not the burden of a vehicle passenger to inquire as to if the driver owns or has legal permission to operate the vehicle. However, i'll be trying to get the two different jurisdictions to talk to each other.

There was another attempted vehicle theft the night mine was stolen. There was a car leaving the area with four occupants, but there was no link to the attempted theft. The Tigard police did take names and fingerprints of those four people. If three of those names match the names of the three arrested in the car, then it could be proved that they were all in the area together at the time of the theft. Which means that the passengers may be able to be charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. Or, they may be charged as accessories to the crime.

Oh, since the charge of possession is at a different time, (perhaps date) and location, then it is a completely separate crime than the theft, and double jeopardy doesn't apply, they could be tried for both, each by a different court system.

Other notes: one of the passengers was arrested on meth possession charges. The officer who made the arrest said that they appeared to be scoping other vehicles for theft at the time.

Putting them through the courts 2x sounds great to me... Lots and lots of hastle

wow, glad you got your car back, and all the best with the double-charging!! They definitely need to be taught a lesson!!! I totally agree that theifs are the very lowest rung in society...

Okay, now get this-- that same guy was released, then he was arrested yesterday for attempting to steal a Mustang. How stupid can a person be? On trial for stealing a car, so he goes and tries to steal another...