A man in the UK was left stunned after realising the £20,000 car he bought to replace his stolen one was, in fact, the exact same car that had been stolen from him weeks earlier.
Stolen, Then Sold Back
Ewan Valentine, 36, from Solihull, England, woke up on February 28 to find his prized black 2016 Honda Civic Type-R missing from his driveway. The car, which he called a “mid-life crisis” vehicle, was gone without a trace. Valentine reported the theft to the police and his insurance company, and quickly began the hunt for a replacement.
Soon, he found what seemed to be a nearly identical model listed for sale about 70 miles away. It had the same colour, same year, and even the same “slightly obnoxious” custom exhaust system.
Things Didn’t Add Up
Although the car had different license plates and a different VIN number, Valentine noticed small things after purchasing it that didn’t quite sit right. He found a tent peg and some Christmas tree pines in the boot, a Tesco sandwich bag containing the locking wheel nut, and familiar snack wrappers in the central console — things that had been in his original car.
What really set alarm bells ringing was when he checked the vehicle’s GPS history. To his shock, it had previously been to his home, his parents’ home, and even his partner’s parents’ house.
“I nearly crashed, to be honest, because I was in shock… My hands were shaking; my heart was pounding,” he told the BBC.
Fake VIN, Real Car
Valentine took the car to a Honda dealership in Solihull, where a technician quickly confirmed his suspicions. When the mechanic used Valentine’s old physical key, it unlocked the door instantly — proving the car was indeed the stolen one.
“You could see signs where they’d tampered with things and removed VIN numbers and replaced other ones,” Valentine said. The thieves had done such a convincing job cloning the car, even the professionals were impressed.
No Blame on Dealer
Despite the ordeal, Valentine doesn’t believe the garage that sold him the vehicle was involved in the theft. Both the police and Honda technicians described the situation as one of the “best clone jobs” they had ever seen.
The car is now in police custody for forensic investigation and will eventually be handed over to Valentine’s insurance company. Depending on the condition and costs, they will either return the car to him once it’s made road legal or issue a payout.
“I felt triumphant for a moment… until I realised this wasn’t a heroic story. I didn’t track down my car — I accidentally bought it back,” Valentine admitted.
