He also took a little bit of a risk, as it's technically illegal to receive stolen property, but obviously they were not going to ever charge the guy as he did the right thing. Still though, I wonder if that crossed his mind at all, it would mine. Though doing the upstanding thing and being honest usually works in your favor.
@@patricksmith2553 I'm not sure that it's receiving stolen property. The truck wasn't reported stolen. As soon as he was aware that it was stolen, he acted to remedy that. If he'd turned it into the cops, the owner would probably never get his truck back.
@shawnbadanjek9561 , receiving a bonus for being honest. Another option would be the excess going to the real owner for insurance and registration. It would be unique if the person that he returned it to would leave it to him in their will.
The guy that returned the truck needs to be recognized for what he done, sadly there isn't too many people that would willingly lose $4500 of their own money to return a vehicle to the rightful owner. I'll throw in $20 and if it raises more than he lost so be it, I consider it a reward for doing the right thing, and if he wants to share the extra with the truck owner I'm perfectly fine with that too. Maybe he could seek restitution from the thief too. I had a similar incident happen a few years ago, I had about $3000 worth of tools stolen from my truck, a guy I kinda knew heard about them and found them when a guy he knew offered them to him for $300. He bought them and returned them to me, I paid him back for it and then filed charges on the thief, I was out $300 but it was better than having to replace all $3000 worth of tools. I now have my tools insured through my business policy for replacement value.
@@ehrgeiz0$4300 Isn't easy to come by for some people... With life and the expenses how they are at the moment, But I feel what you're saying. Bar has been kind of low for a while. Maybe doing the right thing by each other will become the norm again and in style. Lord knows we could use a little bit more kindness in our world
It's a miracle that it wasn't in a chop shop being found in Odessa. On the other hand, I am also surprised it didn't take a trip to El Paso and then to Mexico being a rare vehicle.
The first I ever heard about this kind of truck as a plot point in a novel. I figured it was fiction until I saw one in a parking lot 30+ years ago. I think I've only seen 2.
Can confirm, at least here in Canada, a buddy of mine had his kayaks stolen and he was paid out by insurance, then a few months later the police called and had found his kayaks, he had them dropped off at his place and insurance told him he could keep them and the money.
The kayaks dropped in value from four years ago.. so what the insurance company paid is not what they are worth today. I don't think that insurance companies want to get into selling used Kayaks.. Paying for a person to take it away and the storage of the Kayaks is are probably more than they are worth.
@@midorimage There is also that it's good PR to give some leeway. I am not saying you're wrong, just that on top of being a costly hassle (so going and seizing a kayak, bring it to a paid independent service to evaluate it and sell it back for... $500? Does that sound like a reasonable price for a used kayak? So $500 - $50 per hour for the evaluation - wage of people seizing the kayak - bureaucratic fees - gas - renting a truck - secure storage fees). You also create good relationships with the public. It's an odd situation where less work, more profit, and everyone being happier are all aligned 😅
@@midorimage insurance companies aren’t in the used car business either, they send them off to auction or to the scrap yard. They could easily do the same with a couple kayaks, there’s no shortage of local auction houses that sell off estate, liquidation and police recovered items
I know friends who had cars that got wrecked and once paid by insurance the company took the vehicles. They had extra items on engine and fancy stereo, but couldn't retrieve any of this, as it now belonged to insurance company. Seems like stolen could be the same. BTW, a simple rider 9n their insrance policy for 'customization' and they could have gotten recoense.
My husband rented a log splitter from a local rental place. When he returned it the owner of the business told him that awhile back he had a unreturned rental. He reported it stolen they couldn’t find it for months. Then one day out of the blue he gets a call from a unknown number asking about the stolen item. He told them that yes one was stolen. Next day a guy shows up with the item. Owner inquired as to how he ended up with it. The man replied “I stole it from the guy that stole it from you and now I’m returning it”
WELL, is it technically stealing if you stole from the robber and returned it to it's rightful owner? That would be an interesting question for our favorite lawyer.
@@roseblite6449 Don’t know but the way I see it the first thief will not report it stolen because eventually it will be found out that it’s not his and that he stole it so he would get charged for theft. The rightful owner isn’t going to say anything about the second thief because he got his property back. Only thing I can see the second thief in trouble for is possession of stolen property . If he happened to get caught with it, but I’m not a lawyer so take it for what it’s worth. In reality he probably should have just reported it to police and let them handle it, but I’m sure he had his reasons
I'd do something like that unless the possessor had paid for it from the original thief.. My take is that you can't be stealing from someone if they don't own it or have rights to it.
Steve thank you for covering this story, this whole thing has been absolutely crazy, never expected the story to blow up so much. thank you all for the support!
It’s a great story of a great outcome. I bought a Toyota Tacoma from CoPart, the insurance industry auction, it was a stolen truck and the insurance company sold it to me. I still own it today 20+ years later.
When my house got burgled, the insurance company said if anything was recovered in the next 3 years, I was to notify them. I asked why. Would I have to reimburse them for the returned item? My insurance agent gave me such a look. 'It's just corporate policy. No one ever tells us when something is returned, and we really don't care." 😂
"It's just corporate policy, " we just heard about that with the man getting his insurance cancelled after the accident for an unrelated reason. So expect to reimburse and maybe insist on it to protect yourself.
@@rnash999 Correct. It's two sides of the same coin. Either you try to foster a world where people get their insurance unfairly cancelled, and you don't report recovered stolen items. Or you try to foster a world where insurance can't be unfairly cancelled, but in exchange you dutifully report recovered stolen items. Either you (and everyone) takes the dishonest path. Or you (and everyone) takes the honest path. You can't have your cake and eat it too. And since it comes up so often, I'll point out that the "well that guy's insurance company screwed him over, so it's OK for me to screw over my insurance company" line of reasoning is self-defeating. If you flip that around, the insurance company can say "well this other client screwed us over by not reporting his recovered stolen merchandise, so it's OK for us to screw you over on this unrelated matter." Unless *your specific insurance company* screwed *you* over in the past, you have no justification for trying to screw them over (and vice versa). This is actually the same flawed reasoning used to justify racial discrimination. "That black guy on TV was a criminal, so it's OK for me to treat every black guy like he's a criminal."
I spent 10 years working on insurance claims. After the insurance company pays for something, they own the damaged or lost item. The owner would not be required to reimburse the insurance company as it is understood that the money has been spent to replace the item. The way it works is that insurance companies can take and sell the paid for item but they only bother if the item has a sale value worth the effort,. They will then get it auctioned, such as a car. If it is damaged or low value, they won’t bother that’s how it works.
I have no idea how I ended up listening to some lawyer guy yap about stuff that I never thought I would find interesting. Thank you Mr. Lehto. I enjoy your podcast. (about 3 years now lol)
"Police told the buyer not to expect his money back." Is that because all the money they found when they went to arrest the guy was claimed as Civil Assest Forfeiture? 🤔🤔🤔
WELL, we are talking about Odessa TX here. The only time I had a run in with the police over there, how do I put this... Ah, the movie 'Spaceballs' when Dark Star find out he is surrounded by 'A-holes'.
You’re exactly right about the insurance thing Steve. That’s one of the few ways that people don’t realize insurance companies don’t inherently wish the worst for everyone in this world.
Facebook.. that says it all. The number of junk cars and cars that say "no title" speaks volumes for how trustworthy the platform is. I'm glad the buyer was able to sort out the situation and return it to the rightful owner (and probably avoid a ton of impound fees in the process).
DANG, that's REAL close to me. I'm in the Midland/Odessa area and go over to Odessa on occasion. Glad to hear that people in my area are good people and honest.
I own a Syclone, and for someone to give one up without compensation is amazing. Mine is sitting in my garage in need of engine work, but I still have it insured . The original owner must have been in tears when it was returned.
That's Awesome of the guy who bought the vehicle and gave it back. I didn't know that the Cyclone had a 4.3 Vortec with a Turbo Charged engine. That is very helpful as I am looking to restore a Chevy Blazer and 'strengthen' the engine by adding a Turbo to the 4.3 Vortec engine.
It's been awhile since I've come across a feel good story, had to think about it, seems the world is a dark and depressing place lately, this was a great deed and a feel good story.
My RV was stolen by “tweekers”. It was trashed and most likely contaminated with meth residue. Seven months later it was recovered. The insurance company didn’t want it back. They offered to give it to me if I paid the salvage yard storage and towing fees. My reply was no thank you.
Steve, this was a Real Good Man. I bet he would tell you that he has a Higher Authority to answer too about everything he does. Even more, I hope he has the proper representation when he has to go to this Higher Authority. I also hope that they Raise enough money to re pay him for his GREAT, FANTASTIC, HUMANE and HONEST Deed.
Holy shit Steve, a person with the same morals as myself. God bless him. It's sad that the world is full of worthless pieces of crap who waste precious air every day of there lives
The 4.3 V6 was the toughest engine Chevrolet ever had. My 1st truck bought new was a 1992 chevy s10 Tahoe package. I sold it in 2007 with 325,000 everything still worked. Great heat/ac. Biggest mistake I ever made was letting her go.😢
@@notsocrates9529 yes sir. Got my 1st 3 speeding tickets in it too! I kid lol it was only 2. But I did race everyone @ school & owned almost everyone except the kid with an lx5.0
I bought two new full size half ton work trucks in 93 for my business that had the 4.3 V6 and 5 speed manual transmissions. When I sold them they both had over 300,000 miles on them and looked like crap bot mechanically both was still great. I agree with you 100% on the 4.3!!
@@jackburgess9482 the guy i sold to took it to Virginia (from upstate South Carolina) on the way back the engine blew @ 374,000. He'd ran over something & put a hole thru the oil filter lising all the oil. He thought it would be ok to drive the remaining 400+ miles without oil 😔
@@jackburgess9482 I wish Chevy would have put out a 4.3L V6 instead of the 3.6 of the newer models. I couldn't afford an SS but damn it I wanna go fast too lol Either way, 5 seconds 0 - 60 is good enough to get past the majority of cars merging and on the highways. Not so much if it is a mustang GT or Hellcat, or this dudes badass little s10. I humbly bow, and to anybody reading this, get an older SS if you want a Camaro. I love having a new car but I get so envious when I hear a rumbling V8 engine. My next car is going to be an SS sleeper sedan because I am getting old.
He returned it because he’s legally obligated to. Same thing happened to me 8 years ago. Bought a car and the next day when I went to the license branch I found out the title was a fake title. Had police run the vin# and sure enough I purchased a stolen vehicle. $10k cash down the tubes! Guy got his car back the next day. Come to find out that was the second time that car was reported stolen from the same guy in a two month period. Something tells me he was in on it
I went through the same situation with a vehicle with an Illinois title. They stole it, and I always knew in our community of Peoria, who stole it. Long story. I personally went and retrieved it from the thieves 22 years later. On a hunch, I had a feeling they still had some of our vehicles in their rural barn. I got it back, but the title had been turned into State Farm on a theft claim in 1975 and they no longer had any records, paper or computer. The Peoria police department had changed over and purged all of their paper records and had a new computer system. The Vin tag had been taken from the frame. Yeah I know about other ways to identify it doesn’t work on this one. Long story short. So I have a 1972 to 1974 Honda CT 90 but out of stubbornness I have restored it and want to give it back to my 65-year-old brother but the only way that I can legally do it is to transfer everything of value (except the nice paint) to a titled basket case frame. So yeah, I understand the story. The funnest part Was running a reverse con on the felon, who stole it with his brothers as his dad a ringleader and used to take them all burglarizing when they were young. So it was enjoyable to tell him “years later that somebody that he f’d in 1975 just asked f’d him back. I had unofficial assistance from Peoria County police and they told me that the family were known dirtbags in our community and the dad at the time (1997) was still stealing heavy equipment for a living in another state of which I informed the son I knew just to F with him some more.
You want to wait till vehicle is recovered because if it is damaged the insurance will sell u back the vehicle title to repair or part out and readjust the insurance claim payout by subtracting $500 from the few thousand dollar check for my totaled jeep I wanted to keep.
Not only was this the right thing to do but it saved the new owner troubles in the future. I have a friend who bought a truck from a private party and found out the hard way that is was stolen, police arrested him and took him to jail in front of his fiancé. It was an expensive and embarrassing experience.
A friend who worked in an insurance claims office said there were 2 reasons, as you indicated. There's not only all the legal costs (for a car that most times is totalled) but they could also potentially be on the hook if the corporation is the legal owner. He said, if a car isn't returned in the time it takes to make the pay-out, it's almost never worth recovering.
Many years ago in my city, someone reported his car stolen from a local parking garage. Filed police report and got paid by insurance company. A month later, the city parking enforcement supervisor discovers that the car has 30 days' worth of parking tickets from the same place. Police can now show car likely never left based on time of first ticket. Owner refused to claim car because he had been paid by insurance.
I solved a stolen car situation locally for a friend, and the insurance company that paid off on it - took the car and auctioned it off at an auction that wasnt open to the general public. It was maddening!!!! Its a crazy story.
bottom line: there is no return for the insurance company to title the stolen cars for the rare occasions one comes back in salable condition - and then resell the recovered car. keep in mind that better than half of stolen cars have their value reduced to less than the cost of a title transfer before the owner even knows they are stolen. because despite the movies; the majority of stolen cars are used for a joyride and then totaled for kicks or to destroy potential evidence.
You are all of you capable of doing what that man did. Every single one of you has the light of God shining within you. It’s your choice whether you bury it, or let it shine. Once it’s shining, you can focus it like a laser.
Steve, how could he NOT get his money back? If they can prove it was originally stolen, couldn't he still sue the guy for selling him a stolen vehicle? I know he can't EXPECT the money, but is there anything he could do?
@@C1Ksdafafdsa980ufsd Thieves are not known to have much if any money. Even if sued there is an old saying, "Can't get blood from a Turnip" (or Rock, take your pick).
Insurance companies rarely claim stolen vehicles but almost always claim "totaled" cars. Because they can sell the wrecked car 100% of the time. They usually offer to sell it to the owner first.
That was my question for sure. Why cldn't the insurance company come and take it if they paid a claim for it. So his insurance didn't pay a claim to him so it is still legit his. I'm glad the man decided to return it. 🙏🏻💜
The man who returned the truck must hate thieves. I do, too.
In old Welsh Law and Custom, Theft was more egregious than manslaughter.
@MyreQ That’s an unreasonable position
He also took a little bit of a risk, as it's technically illegal to receive stolen property, but obviously they were not going to ever charge the guy as he did the right thing. Still though, I wonder if that crossed his mind at all, it would mine. Though doing the upstanding thing and being honest usually works in your favor.
@@patricksmith2553 I'm not sure that it's receiving stolen property. The truck wasn't reported stolen. As soon as he was aware that it was stolen, he acted to remedy that. If he'd turned it into the cops, the owner would probably never get his truck back.
Talk to the government
If there was ever a place someone with a moral compass would show up….it is with Steve Lehto. Time well spent for all.
It’s enlightening to hear a positive story every once in a while.
If we could get 4,500 people to donate just a dollar, that guy could get his money back
Looks like people are finding the GoFundMe (I did) and it's up to $3600 of a $5000 goal.
donated 10$ , let's make this happen
subtract what he already got
@shawnbadanjek9561 , receiving a bonus for being honest. Another option would be the excess going to the real owner for insurance and registration. It would be unique if the person that he returned it to would leave it to him in their will.
The guy that returned the truck needs to be recognized for what he done, sadly there isn't too many people that would willingly lose $4500 of their own money to return a vehicle to the rightful owner. I'll throw in $20 and if it raises more than he lost so be it, I consider it a reward for doing the right thing, and if he wants to share the extra with the truck owner I'm perfectly fine with that too. Maybe he could seek restitution from the thief too. I had a similar incident happen a few years ago, I had about $3000 worth of tools stolen from my truck, a guy I kinda knew heard about them and found them when a guy he knew offered them to him for $300. He bought them and returned them to me, I paid him back for it and then filed charges on the thief, I was out $300 but it was better than having to replace all $3000 worth of tools. I now have my tools insured through my business policy for replacement value.
It sure is nice to start my day hearing about this honorable and saintly man who did the selfless act and right thing. I hope to be like him.
We, as a society, need more men like him. What a good example he is.! The kindness he has shown would, and should, be returned many times.
Saintly? I'd say that's the bare minimum for a civilized society but in these times I guess that qualifies as saintly.
@@ehrgeiz0 I agree fully.. Oh, how we have adjusted to the new normal.
@@ehrgeiz0 In my day, this was the normal minimum. Also, get off my lawn!
@@ehrgeiz0$4300 Isn't easy to come by for some people... With life and the expenses how they are at the moment, But I feel what you're saying. Bar has been kind of low for a while. Maybe doing the right thing by each other will become the norm again and in style. Lord knows we could use a little bit more kindness in our world
Saaaaa-LOOOOT to the gentleman who did a little homework and returned the truck.
This is the sort of behavior that helps make America a better place.
We can distil every law down to just one. "Do not steal". Do not steal property, do not steal liberty, do not steal time.
but we'd have no government! ;-)
@@gottahavitvt Sweet!
How about simply "Do What's Right."?
@@gottahavitvt Yeah. Because they'd be in jail for stealing! 🤪🤣😛
i like "don't hurt people, don't take their stuff" but you are right.
Great story! What that man did for the guy who got his truck stolen, you can't put a price on that type of generosity. Warms my heart ❤
This man is old school. Grew up with high morals and respects the law..this use to be the norm when I was growing up
It's a miracle that it wasn't in a chop shop being found in Odessa. On the other hand, I am also surprised it didn't take a trip to El Paso and then to Mexico being a rare vehicle.
The first I ever heard about this kind of truck as a plot point in a novel. I figured it was fiction until I saw one in a parking lot 30+ years ago. I think I've only seen 2.
Can confirm, at least here in Canada, a buddy of mine had his kayaks stolen and he was paid out by insurance, then a few months later the police called and had found his kayaks, he had them dropped off at his place and insurance told him he could keep them and the money.
The kayaks dropped in value from four years ago.. so what the insurance company paid is not what they are worth today. I don't think that insurance companies want to get into selling used Kayaks.. Paying for a person to take it away and the storage of the Kayaks is are probably more than they are worth.
@@midorimage
There is also that it's good PR to give some leeway.
I am not saying you're wrong, just that on top of being a costly hassle (so going and seizing a kayak, bring it to a paid independent service to evaluate it and sell it back for... $500? Does that sound like a reasonable price for a used kayak? So $500 - $50 per hour for the evaluation - wage of people seizing the kayak - bureaucratic fees - gas - renting a truck - secure storage fees).
You also create good relationships with the public.
It's an odd situation where less work, more profit, and everyone being happier are all aligned 😅
@@midorimage insurance companies aren’t in the used car business either, they send them off to auction or to the scrap yard. They could easily do the same with a couple kayaks, there’s no shortage of local auction houses that sell off estate, liquidation and police recovered items
I know friends who had cars that got wrecked and once paid by insurance the company took the vehicles. They had extra items on engine and fancy stereo, but couldn't retrieve any of this, as it now belonged to insurance company. Seems like stolen could be the same. BTW, a simple rider 9n their insrance policy for 'customization' and they could have gotten recoense.
Good man.
I wouldn't want to own a known stolen vehicle knowing I could lose it at any moment.
My husband rented a log splitter from a local rental place. When he returned it the owner of the business told him that awhile back he had a unreturned rental. He reported it stolen they couldn’t find it for months. Then one day out of the blue he gets a call from a unknown number asking about the stolen item. He told them that yes one was stolen. Next day a guy shows up with the item. Owner inquired as to how he ended up with it. The man replied “I stole it from the guy that stole it from you and now I’m returning it”
Takes all kinds, thank God.
WELL, is it technically stealing if you stole from the robber and returned it to it's rightful owner?
That would be an interesting question for our favorite lawyer.
@@roseblite6449 Don’t know but the way I see it the first thief will not report it stolen because eventually it will be found out that it’s not his and that he stole it so he would get charged for theft. The rightful owner isn’t going to say anything about the second thief because he got his property back. Only thing I can see the second thief in trouble for is possession of stolen property . If he happened to get caught with it, but I’m not a lawyer so take it for what it’s worth. In reality he probably should have just reported it to police and let them handle it, but I’m sure he had his reasons
I'd do something like that unless the possessor had paid for it from the original thief.. My take is that you can't be stealing from someone if they don't own it or have rights to it.
But? How would you know it was stolen? It could have been somebody else's log spitter they legally bought from a store?
Steve thank you for covering this story, this whole thing has been absolutely crazy, never expected the story to blow up so much. thank you all for the support!
Awesome story, awesome dude
Your a badass man !
It’s a great story of a great outcome. I bought a Toyota Tacoma from CoPart, the insurance industry auction, it was a stolen truck and the insurance company sold it to me. I still own it today 20+ years later.
So shines a good deed, in a dark world.
When my house got burgled, the insurance company said if anything was recovered in the next 3 years, I was to notify them. I asked why. Would I have to reimburse them for the returned item? My insurance agent gave me such a look. 'It's just corporate policy. No one ever tells us when something is returned, and we really don't care." 😂
"It's just corporate policy, " we just heard about that with the man getting his insurance cancelled after the accident for an unrelated reason. So expect to reimburse and maybe insist on it to protect yourself.
@@rnash999 Correct. It's two sides of the same coin. Either you try to foster a world where people get their insurance unfairly cancelled, and you don't report recovered stolen items. Or you try to foster a world where insurance can't be unfairly cancelled, but in exchange you dutifully report recovered stolen items. Either you (and everyone) takes the dishonest path. Or you (and everyone) takes the honest path. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
And since it comes up so often, I'll point out that the "well that guy's insurance company screwed him over, so it's OK for me to screw over my insurance company" line of reasoning is self-defeating. If you flip that around, the insurance company can say "well this other client screwed us over by not reporting his recovered stolen merchandise, so it's OK for us to screw you over on this unrelated matter." Unless *your specific insurance company* screwed *you* over in the past, you have no justification for trying to screw them over (and vice versa). This is actually the same flawed reasoning used to justify racial discrimination. "That black guy on TV was a criminal, so it's OK for me to treat every black guy like he's a criminal."
I spent 10 years working on insurance claims. After the insurance company pays for something, they own the damaged or lost item. The owner would not be required to reimburse the insurance company as it is understood that the money has been spent to replace the item. The way it works is that insurance companies can take and sell the paid for item but they only bother if the item has a sale value worth the effort,. They will then get it auctioned, such as a car. If it is damaged or low value, they won’t bother that’s how it works.
so "yes but I'm not supposed to tell you that"
I have no idea how I ended up listening to some lawyer guy yap about stuff that I never thought I would find interesting. Thank you Mr. Lehto. I enjoy your podcast. (about 3 years now lol)
Few and far between as they are, there's still Good People.
Thanks Steve, and have a great weekend.
Stories like this are like the stories of the I.J., heartwarming and feel good.
Thank you good guy and Steve.
Always good to hear people doing the right thing especially when it costs them to do so. Makes you think I hope I can live up to that example.
I followed this on Facebook. I the utmost respect for him returning the vehicle to the owner.
"Police told the buyer not to expect his money back." Is that because all the money they found when they went to arrest the guy was claimed as Civil Assest Forfeiture? 🤔🤔🤔
WELL, we are talking about Odessa TX here. The only time I had a run in with the police over there, how do I put this... Ah, the movie 'Spaceballs' when Dark Star find out he is surrounded by 'A-holes'.
What a great thing to do. It is nice to hear there are ethical, compassionate people out there.
You’re exactly right about the insurance thing Steve. That’s one of the few ways that people don’t realize insurance companies don’t inherently wish the worst for everyone in this world.
Nice to hear some decent people still exist in our society, awesome story !! 👍
That man, gives hope to humanity
Facebook.. that says it all. The number of junk cars and cars that say "no title" speaks volumes for how trustworthy the platform is. I'm glad the buyer was able to sort out the situation and return it to the rightful owner (and probably avoid a ton of impound fees in the process).
Solidarity is priceless.
DANG, that's REAL close to me. I'm in the Midland/Odessa area and go over to Odessa on occasion. Glad to hear that people in my area are good people and honest.
This restores a small amount of my faith in humanity.
I watched all of this as it happened on the Sy/Ty Facebook group. The buyer never asked for money, just wanted to give the truck back. Very good guy.
Blessings to this buyer. And equally so, to the enthusiast community!
Yes indeed a real life hero. Im sure glad they still exist
I own a Syclone, and for someone to give one up without compensation is amazing. Mine is sitting in my garage in need of engine work, but I still have it insured .
The original owner must have been in tears when it was returned.
I love the raw footage it is amazing where you can take a vehicle I couldn’t even imagine how you could do it.
The guy should be nominated for sainthood.
Just donated to the GoFundMe ❤ good acts deserve to be rewarded
Not all heroes wear capes.
That's Awesome of the guy who bought the vehicle and gave it back. I didn't know that the Cyclone had a 4.3 Vortec with a Turbo Charged engine. That is very helpful as I am looking to restore a Chevy Blazer and 'strengthen' the engine by adding a Turbo to the 4.3 Vortec engine.
It's been awhile since I've come across a feel good story, had to think about it, seems the world is a dark and depressing place lately, this was a great deed and a feel good story.
Indeed it was a Good Deed i am Part of the SY/TY Facebook group where this was done he is a Good Dude!
Wow, GMC Syclone, never heard of one, good story. A true HERO.
HERO. THANKS FOR STORY STEVE.
This is the moral compass that the world should be guided by. 💪
Great story Steve. Appreciate the clarification of insurance/title/ownership also.
Thank you for getting to the bottom of that mystery and explaining it for the rest of us! I have been wondering about that debate for a while.
There are good people still left in our world ❤
My RV was stolen by “tweekers”. It was trashed and most likely contaminated with meth residue. Seven months later it was recovered. The insurance company didn’t want it back. They offered to give it to me if I paid the salvage yard storage and towing fees. My reply was no thank you.
Great story to watch at 4 am with my morning coffee. Ty
Nice to have a story that doesn't make me leave some snide little comment.
This made me cry as an owner of a 90s GMC.
Steve, this was a Real Good Man. I bet he would tell you that he has a Higher Authority to answer too about everything he does. Even more, I hope he has the proper representation when he has to go to this Higher Authority. I also hope that they Raise enough money to re pay him for his GREAT, FANTASTIC, HUMANE and HONEST Deed.
I remember those trucks man they were bad to the bone back in the day they stood their ground for the longest time
Ive seen alot of scammers on marketplace. It would be the same truck or boat posted by multiple people for like $1500.
So i report them as scammers.
Good to hear a story where the main characters are heroes
Great story, we need more honest people.
The mini truck community is pretty solid people.
Love this story! Thank you!
Holy shit Steve, a person with the same morals as myself. God bless him. It's sad that the world is full of worthless pieces of crap who waste precious air every day of there lives
That man is going to heaven! Great story.
The 4.3 V6 was the toughest engine Chevrolet ever had. My 1st truck bought new was a 1992 chevy s10 Tahoe package. I sold it in 2007 with 325,000 everything still worked. Great heat/ac. Biggest mistake I ever made was letting her go.😢
It's faster than my Camaro -_-
@@notsocrates9529 yes sir. Got my 1st 3 speeding tickets in it too! I kid lol it was only 2. But I did race everyone @ school & owned almost everyone except the kid with an lx5.0
I bought two new full size half ton work trucks in 93 for my business that had the 4.3 V6 and 5 speed manual transmissions. When I sold them they both had over 300,000 miles on them and looked like crap bot mechanically both was still great. I agree with you 100% on the 4.3!!
@@jackburgess9482 the guy i sold to took it to Virginia (from upstate South Carolina) on the way back the engine blew @ 374,000. He'd ran over something & put a hole thru the oil filter lising all the oil. He thought it would be ok to drive the remaining 400+ miles without oil 😔
@@jackburgess9482 I wish Chevy would have put out a 4.3L V6 instead of the 3.6 of the newer models. I couldn't afford an SS but damn it I wanna go fast too lol
Either way, 5 seconds 0 - 60 is good enough to get past the majority of cars merging and on the highways. Not so much if it is a mustang GT or Hellcat, or this dudes badass little s10.
I humbly bow, and to anybody reading this, get an older SS if you want a Camaro. I love having a new car but I get so envious when I hear a rumbling V8 engine. My next car is going to be an SS sleeper sedan because I am getting old.
Lol Steve talking like a real car guy, gotta love it 😜
Dude is a badass man bravo 👏 stand up guy right there
He returned it because he’s legally obligated to. Same thing happened to me 8 years ago. Bought a car and the next day when I went to the license branch I found out the title was a fake title. Had police run the vin# and sure enough I purchased a stolen vehicle. $10k cash down the tubes! Guy got his car back the next day. Come to find out that was the second time that car was reported stolen from the same guy in a two month period. Something tells me he was in on it
I salute this fellow !!
Ben hiding behind Steve’s head; sixth mic from the left, fifth mic from the right
Insurance companies do not want any liability from a recovered vehicle. They usually wash their hands of it, even after making a payout.
Wow! What a great story!
I went through the same situation with a vehicle with an Illinois title.
They stole it, and I always knew in our community of Peoria, who stole it. Long story. I personally went and retrieved it from the thieves 22 years later. On a hunch, I had a feeling they still had some of our vehicles in their rural barn.
I got it back, but the title had been turned into State Farm on a theft claim in 1975 and they no longer had any records, paper or computer.
The Peoria police department had changed over and purged all of their paper records and had a new computer system. The Vin tag had been taken from the frame. Yeah I know about other ways to identify it doesn’t work on this one. Long story short. So I have a 1972 to 1974 Honda CT 90 but out of stubbornness I have restored it and want to give it back to my 65-year-old brother but the only way that I can legally do it is to transfer everything of value (except the nice paint) to a titled basket case frame. So yeah, I understand the story. The funnest part Was running a reverse con on the felon, who stole it with his brothers as his dad a ringleader and used to take them all burglarizing when they were young. So it was enjoyable to tell him “years later that somebody that he f’d in 1975 just asked f’d him back. I had unofficial assistance from Peoria County police and they told me that the family were known dirtbags in our community and the dad at the time (1997) was still stealing heavy equipment for a living in another state of which I informed the son I knew just to F with him some more.
WOW! A good story. Awesome!
You want to wait till vehicle is recovered because if it is damaged the insurance will sell u back the vehicle title to repair or part out and readjust the insurance claim payout by subtracting $500 from the few thousand dollar check for my totaled jeep I wanted to keep.
Awesome news, thanks!
Not only was this the right thing to do but it saved the new owner troubles in the future.
I have a friend who bought a truck from a private party and found out the hard way that is was stolen, police arrested him and took him to jail in front of his fiancé. It was an expensive and embarrassing experience.
Half expected our overly aggressive justice department to arrest and charge the guy with buying stolen property.
I had a Chevy truck stolen in 1997. Indeed had to sign the title over to the insurance company.
The right thing is always the right thing.
Great story 👏
A friend who worked in an insurance claims office said there were 2 reasons, as you indicated. There's not only all the legal costs (for a car that most times is totalled) but they could also potentially be on the hook if the corporation is the legal owner. He said, if a car isn't returned in the time it takes to make the pay-out, it's almost never worth recovering.
It is impressive that the guy tracked down the original owner before he even knew the truck was stolen. That must have been a wild phone call.
Many years ago in my city, someone reported his car stolen from a local parking garage. Filed police report and got paid by insurance company. A month later, the city parking enforcement supervisor discovers that the car has 30 days' worth of parking tickets from the same place. Police can now show car likely never left based on time of first ticket. Owner refused to claim car because he had been paid by insurance.
What a great story!
I solved a stolen car situation locally for a friend, and the insurance company that paid off on it - took the car and auctioned it off at an auction that wasnt open to the general public. It was maddening!!!! Its a crazy story.
Most insurance auctions are for licensed dealers only.
@@need100k which kept the family from being able to get it back.
@@oldsranch _ didn't say I agree with that, but that's how it's been for a very long time.
wow this guy was more reliable than any domestic vehicle made today
What a great guy!
there are good peeps afterall…I feel good now
thanks Steve
bottom line: there is no return for the insurance company to title the stolen cars for the rare occasions one comes back in salable condition - and then resell the recovered car.
keep in mind that better than half of stolen cars have their value reduced to less than the cost of a title transfer before the owner even knows they are stolen. because despite the movies; the majority of stolen cars are used for a joyride and then totaled for kicks or to destroy potential evidence.
Kudos to the man for returning the tryck.
That’s how you make a friend for life
You are all of you capable of doing what that man did. Every single one of you has the light of God shining within you. It’s your choice whether you bury it, or let it shine. Once it’s shining, you can focus it like a laser.
We are NOT all of capable of letting go of that much money.
Yes indeed ❤️🙂❤️
@@davidh9638 It was $4200 and, even though he didn't start it, the GoFundMe is up $2400 so far
You should post the gofundme
As Seth Meyers says, "This is the kind of story we need right now!"
Great story, thanks. Why is it people who CLAIM to know things the loudest online, know the least about the facts?
Steve you should list the gofund me in the description of the video.
not all heroes wear capes this person and infact it seems this community of owners is really tryin to put faith back in humanity
Damn, is that so ducking cool that someone did this? And it’s a cyclone? Wow, the man is a saint.
Steve, how could he NOT get his money back? If they can prove it was originally stolen, couldn't he still sue the guy for selling him a stolen vehicle? I know he can't EXPECT the money, but is there anything he could do?
Civil suit
@@MF-ty2zn1 But having to pay a lawyer...
He could sue the guy in small claims court, and most likely would win. However, that doesn't guarantee there is any money left to recoup.
@@C1Ksdafafdsa980ufsd Thieves are not known to have much if any money. Even if sued there is an old saying, "Can't get blood from a Turnip" (or Rock, take your pick).
Insurance companies rarely claim stolen vehicles but almost always claim "totaled" cars. Because they can sell the wrecked car 100% of the time. They usually offer to sell it to the owner first.
Never buy a car without a title.
That was my question for sure. Why cldn't the insurance company come and take it if they paid a claim for it. So his insurance didn't pay a claim to him so it is still legit his. I'm glad the man decided to return it. 🙏🏻💜
Good most all around
Good man.