The Wild Tale of the Man Who Bought Back His Own Stolen Car

Hold onto your shoulder pads, because this story is pure 80s-style unbelievable.

Ewan Valentine, a 36-year-old bloke from the U.K., had his cherished black Honda Civic snatched right out of his driveway a few months back. Heartbroken but determined, Ewan did all the right things — filed the reports, battled the insurance paperwork, and accepted that his beloved ride was gone forever.

Or so he thought.

Still yearning for that Civic magic, Ewan scoured the used car lots and found a near-twin about an hour away. At $26,000, it wasn’t cheap, but for that perfect replacement? Worth it. Or at least it seemed that way…until he started noticing the tiny, eerie details.

The car hadn’t been fully cleaned. Inside were some random bits — a piece from a tent, old candy bar wrappers, and even lingering pine needles from a Christmas long past. Weirdly, they didn’t feel random to Ewan…they felt familiar. Spooky familiar.

Then came the jaw-dropping moment. While fiddling with the navigation system, Ewan stumbled on saved addresses — his home address and his parents’ house. It hit him like a neon lightning bolt: This wasn’t just a similar car. This WAS his stolen car!

In a near panic, he had the car checked out. Sure enough, dealership pros confirmed it. Though the VIN, mileage, and plates had been messed with, the clincher was the car key — still a match for Ewan’s original key!

The cops were just as flabbergasted. It looks like the thieves cloned the car’s identity, sold it off to a dealership that had no idea it was hot, and poor Ewan ended up paying for his own wheels…again.

While he’s still battling to get his money and deposit back, and no arrests have been made yet, Ewan’s wild ride serves up a major lesson in car crime and second chances. And even though the ending isn’t tied up with a big, glittery bow just yet, one thing’s for sure — in the world of stolen cars, this story totally rules.