Thieves probably can't drive manuals - steal Vauxhalls in pieces

"Salmanorguk" (salmanorguk)
07/02/2015 at 09:43 • Filed to: Vauxhall, theft, theives, stolen, cannibal, gm, wtf

Yes this is as weird as the headline suggests.

For some reason here in the land of tea, strawberries and Wimbledon thieves are stealing the parts and components of Vauxhalls.

Read the full story here - feel bad for the victims but its kinda hilarious

DISCUSSION (19)

KirkyV > Salmanorguk
07/02/2015 at 09:47

If they can’t drive manuals, they probably can’t drive at all, going by the stats on UK licences.

I can’t for the life of me understand why you’d want to steal any amount of a Vauxhall. Any Vauxhall is too much Vauxhall.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Salmanorguk
07/02/2015 at 09:50

rather amusing.

Salmanorguk > KirkyV
07/02/2015 at 09:51

Yes Vauxhall is a little “chavvy” - but not Peugeot 307SW levels of dire.

Anyway, perhaps as the article suggests they just sell them on to body shops?

Cé hé sin > Salmanorguk
07/02/2015 at 09:52

As a crime, it makes sense. Stealing a whole car and trying to change its identity so you can sell it is too much bother. The whole of a car is much less than the sum of its parts so that’s where the money is. Just steal those bits you can easily sell - indeed they’re probably stealing to order.

duurtlang > KirkyV
07/02/2015 at 09:54

Any Vauxhall is too much Vauxhall.

Agreed, however, if you’re running a business of fixing Vauxhalls/Opels* these can be rather lucrative thefts. The upside is that you don’t have to get rid of the chassis.

You’re obviously right about being able to drive manuals as well. I don’t think I’ve ever met a person with a drivers license unable to drive a manual. Unwilling, yes, but not unable.

*) should be a capital offence.

KirkyV > Salmanorguk
07/02/2015 at 09:57

The thing about Peugeot is, they did consistently make good cars for a good long while. The same cannot be said of Vauxhall; they’ve always been shit, with the occasional exception, that probably wasn’t actually a Vauxhall to start with. (VX220, Monaro, VXR8, Lotus Carlton and so on.)

That said, the Peugeot 206 is my least favourite car ever, largely because it signalled the start of their decline. When one of your very favourite marques puts out nothing but crap for almost a decade, it kinda stings.

I wouldn’t be surpised if they just chucked them on eBay. My comment was entirely to do with my personal disdain for Vauxhalls—they’re certainly popular enough to justify some theft.

Salmanorguk > KirkyV
07/02/2015 at 10:00

Lol my first car was a 206 - mum bought it for me.

But then I bought a Miata/MX5 - so saved myself.

KirkyV > duurtlang
07/02/2015 at 10:01

Oh, certainly. I just like to take any opportunity to hammer home my disdain for Vauxhall/Opel, and continuing bemusement at their remarkable popularity.

I believe the figures state that something like 98% of licences awarded in the UK last year were full, manual-and-automatic affairs. People with automatic-only licences are a rare breed indeed.

KirkyV > Salmanorguk
07/02/2015 at 10:04

They’re common enough that the same’s true of absolutely masses of people, sadly. Honestly, my greatest issue with the 206 and the rest of Peugeot’s 2000s lineup is that, should I want to replace my excellent 106 with something more recent from the marque, I don’t really have any good options. As a result, I either have to confine myself to older cars, or just get a Ford or something.

tapzz > Salmanorguk
07/02/2015 at 10:13

Invasion of the Vauxhall Body Snatchers

tapzz > duurtlang
07/02/2015 at 10:21

Indeed, that’s why it’s as understandable as it is ironic that these thefts are taking place right around Vauxhall’s old Luton plant: richest pickings, and biggest market...

duurtlang > KirkyV
07/02/2015 at 10:34

Rather understandable. I own 3 nice Peugeots now. 205 GTI+ CTI and the 406 coupe. The 205s will go though, sadly. I wouldn’t know what kind of attainable (as in: cheap) Peugeots newer than the 406 I’d buy. Nothing x07, nothing x00x, not the first 308. The rest is too new for me to consider.

Have you ever driven a 208?

KirkyV > duurtlang
07/02/2015 at 10:51

Indeed, I’m in minor awe of your fleet. Will you be selling the 205s to our Peugeot-deprived cousins abroad, or just locally?

Anyway, as for whether I’ve driven a 208... Nope. In truth, I’ve never been on a dealer test drive of any car. I’ve fancied the idea a couple of times, but as I have no intention of buying anything brand new - the depreciation if you buy outright is ridiculous, and I don’t like the sound of finance/leasing - I couldn’t help but feel guilty about wasting the sales staff’s time.

duurtlang > KirkyV
07/02/2015 at 10:59

I’ve only driven a 208 once, around a block. This was when they were just released. A friend got one as a loaner when his 206 was in the shop. I didn’t drive it long enough to make a sound judgment though.

The GTI will go to our deprived friends on the other side of the Atlantic. The CTI, well, I saw an opportunity at an auction site where these go for relatively big bucks while I saw them on another not very popular site for relatively little money. So I just went for it, and bought a cheap (but good... after I had the new clutch re-installed) CTI. Looking to make a little profit while having fun doing so. It could, theoretically, end up in the US as well though. It depends. The CTI and GTI are of the same age, both first registered in 1988, one month apart.

How much would a CTI like that be worth in the UK? New clutch+battery+inspection, newish tires + brakes + brake lines, older but not leaking roof. No rust. 193k km (120k miles).

KirkyV > duurtlang
07/02/2015 at 11:09

Which engine does it have? The 1.9s seem to fetch more than the 1.6s, in general. Other than that, I’ve seen them as low as just under a £1000/1400 euro, and as high as £5600/7900 euro. Depending on condition, I imagine yours would be somewhere in the middle, though the steering wheel position could make it go either way; some people will like the authenticity of a LHD Peugeot, while others will be put off by the added hassle of actually driving it.

I wouldn’t mind either a 106 or 306 GTi, but both are too pricey to insure, and the 106 GTi’s value seems to go up every time I look around for them.

duurtlang > KirkyV
07/02/2015 at 11:13

It’s a 1.6, but with the CTI that’s a wash anyway as the 1.9 in the CTI was (as far as I know) just as powerful as the 1.6 it replaced. In the GTI the 1.9 lived alongside the 1.6, and was more powerful (and lazier and heavier).

I paid about 1.5 times your minimum, so I think I did alright.

I pay about €15 a month per 205 in insurance. As second cars, my 406c is about €30.

KirkyV > duurtlang
07/02/2015 at 11:26

Yeah, you did alright, ‘specially when you consider that cars tend to be cheaper over here—though I’m not necessarily sure that’s still true of the 205.

The insurance thing one of the perils of being twenty years old and UK-bound, unfortunately.

duurtlang > KirkyV
07/02/2015 at 11:31

My age (32) does help, although I haven’t had a car registered under my own name for that long. Only since 2010 actually, so I pay more for insurance than others my age who’ve owned a car longer than I have.

KirkyV > duurtlang
07/02/2015 at 11:40

That’ll be one advantage for me, once I’m a bit older—I’ve had a car and a licence since I was seventeen, which should drive prices down a bit.