A Dallas, Texas, resident who thought he'd never see his car again has been reunited with his old automobile after the car popped up on eBay - 42 years after it had been stolen.
The Associated Press reports Bob Russell, 66, had his car stolen from him at an apartment complex more than four decades ago. The 1967 Austin Healy 3000 was a somewhat rare car in America, and Russell had just recently acquired it for $3,000 when it was stolen.
Ever since that day, Russell has kept an eye out for the rare car, spotting similar Healys a few times on the road. When eBay began allowing users to sell cars, Russell checked in from time to time to see if his beloved vehicle was still around.
"Ever since eBay showed up, I'd check it periodically," Russell told the news source. "I checked it on Friday, May 11, and there it was. The fact that the car still exists is improbable. It could have been junked or wrecked."
It took a bit of a fight for Russell to get the car back. He notified the dealer that the car was stolen, and the VIN number matched the car he once owned. He even had the original title and sworn affidavits from friends saying he never sold the car. However, he didn't have the police report. After contacting the authorities, he was eventually able to track the report down, which had nearly been lost because the VIN number had been entered incorrectly in a computer database.
With the police report in hand, Russell was able to get the car from the dealer without paying a cent. Now, he'll just have to invest in vehicle maintenance to keep it in working order.