You’ve probably heard a lot about the Toyota recall in the last few days–and it’s probably surprised you. You’ve come to consider Japanese cars easily the equal of American cars and in some cases, even better. So you’ve probably been pretty unnerved to hear about troubles with the Toyota line.
But that’s okay–it’s natural to be shocked when something like this happens. So what I’m going to suggest is you pour a cup of tea (coffee’s all right too, but tea’s probably better for relaxing), sit back, and take a deep breath.
First off, if your Toyota just turned three or younger, you’ll only be affected if your Toyota answers to the name “Avalon”. And even then there’s nothing to worry about if your car is older than five.
If your Toyota does fall into one of those brackets, check the Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, and call your dealership.
There’s a video below from the folks at Edmunds that’ll go into a little more depth, so stay calm and don’t worry. Chances are you’ll be fixed in short order.
One thing about car thieves, they will make all the necessary modifications to stolen cars to avoid being caught. Unfortunately, the robbers who had stolen a 2007 Cadillac Escalade were not so lucky. Originally stolen last February 1, 2008, special agents and the NICB had recovered the said vehicle but this time sporting a new look, a stretched limo look!
Apparently this transformation went under a complicated process. In fact, it was manufactured by a limo company, unsuspecting that the car they are transforming was actually stolen. It eventually landed in the hands of a businessman in Texas which was sold for $125,000. A vehicle identification number actually gave it away.
“Consumers need to exercise sound judgment when buying used vehicles from private parties or online services,” said Joe Wehrle, NICB president and chief executive officer. “In this case an innocent purchaser may be out thousands of dollars as a result of this transaction. So, if in doubt, check it out carefully before you hand over the cash.”
This quote may seem contradicting to the rampant push for online car buying. If this is one of the thing that they will encounter, it will severely affect the business intent of online car sellers for sure.
