Vandalism and a New Car
Friday morning, Hannah and John went out to the car to go to seminary, only to return back inside saying, "I think someone broke into our car!"
When we went out to check, the van - our 2004 Toyota Sienna that we have owned and loved for the last eight years looked like it had been hit by a tornado on the inside. Every compartment that could have been opened had been opened, and its contents were strewn all over the seats and dash. Steven ended up driving them to seminary while I called the police to file a report.
After further inspection, we realized how thoroughly they had vandalized our car. Besides making a huge mess, they had attacked the rear speakers with a small file, and a broken off part of that file was jammed into one of the speaker holes. Probably that same file was used to stab and scratch the DVD player screen. The knob on the gear shift lever was missing entirely. Something had been jammed into the ignition keyhole and then broken off inside so we couldn't even turn on the car to roll down the windows to relieve the overwhelming odor of pot that permeated the car. To top it all off, the vandal(s) appeared to have urinated on the front passenger seat. (As well as on a couple of CDs and stuff that had been in the glove compartment, but were sopping wet on the seat when I found them.) Interestingly, the only thing that was missing - besides the gear shift knob - was the bag that the jumper cables had been in. The jumper cables were on the back seat, and other straps and things that had been with them were up by the front seat, but the bag was gone. Also a screwdriver may have been taken.
The very thought of sitting on the front passenger seat after some junkie had peed on it grossed me out so thoroughly that Steven and I decided it wasn't worth even trying to salvage it. I emptied the car of all our stuff, while holding my breath as much as possible. I still got a horrible headache. That evening, Steven and I started looking at used cars online. We wanted something that would hold seven comfortably, and still get decent gas mileage. I decided I wanted either another Sienna or possibly a Honda Odyssey. We're planning a long trip this summer, so a rear entertainment system was a priority. We found a couple that were within what we were willing to spend.
Saturday morning Steven dropped me off at our stake Women's Conference, and then went to look at cars. Three hours later he came to pick me up in a dark grey/blue 2007 Toyota Sienna that he was test driving. After I had driven it a little ways, I decided I liked it and we ended up going back to the dealership and buying it.
Our new car has a fancy touch screen navigation system, a rear entertainment system, a sun/moon roof, leather seats and something like fourteen cup holders in various spots. The kids seem to like it, although Hannah has mentioned that the navigation screen is distracting when she's driving. I assume we'll get used to it eventually. The car didn't come with an owners manual, so I looked one up online, and I'm trying to figure out the ins and outs of programming things and getting them set up for us. Who knew new cars could be so complicated?
At the moment, our old car is still sitting on the street where it was parked when it was vandalized. Steven is arranging to donate it to someone who will come pick it up and tow it away (so we don't have to get a locksmith to clear the ignition so we can start it.) It was a good car, and I'm sorry to see it go, but I'm also looking forward to more adventures in our new car.
When we went out to check, the van - our 2004 Toyota Sienna that we have owned and loved for the last eight years looked like it had been hit by a tornado on the inside. Every compartment that could have been opened had been opened, and its contents were strewn all over the seats and dash. Steven ended up driving them to seminary while I called the police to file a report.
After further inspection, we realized how thoroughly they had vandalized our car. Besides making a huge mess, they had attacked the rear speakers with a small file, and a broken off part of that file was jammed into one of the speaker holes. Probably that same file was used to stab and scratch the DVD player screen. The knob on the gear shift lever was missing entirely. Something had been jammed into the ignition keyhole and then broken off inside so we couldn't even turn on the car to roll down the windows to relieve the overwhelming odor of pot that permeated the car. To top it all off, the vandal(s) appeared to have urinated on the front passenger seat. (As well as on a couple of CDs and stuff that had been in the glove compartment, but were sopping wet on the seat when I found them.) Interestingly, the only thing that was missing - besides the gear shift knob - was the bag that the jumper cables had been in. The jumper cables were on the back seat, and other straps and things that had been with them were up by the front seat, but the bag was gone. Also a screwdriver may have been taken.
The very thought of sitting on the front passenger seat after some junkie had peed on it grossed me out so thoroughly that Steven and I decided it wasn't worth even trying to salvage it. I emptied the car of all our stuff, while holding my breath as much as possible. I still got a horrible headache. That evening, Steven and I started looking at used cars online. We wanted something that would hold seven comfortably, and still get decent gas mileage. I decided I wanted either another Sienna or possibly a Honda Odyssey. We're planning a long trip this summer, so a rear entertainment system was a priority. We found a couple that were within what we were willing to spend.
Saturday morning Steven dropped me off at our stake Women's Conference, and then went to look at cars. Three hours later he came to pick me up in a dark grey/blue 2007 Toyota Sienna that he was test driving. After I had driven it a little ways, I decided I liked it and we ended up going back to the dealership and buying it.
Our new car has a fancy touch screen navigation system, a rear entertainment system, a sun/moon roof, leather seats and something like fourteen cup holders in various spots. The kids seem to like it, although Hannah has mentioned that the navigation screen is distracting when she's driving. I assume we'll get used to it eventually. The car didn't come with an owners manual, so I looked one up online, and I'm trying to figure out the ins and outs of programming things and getting them set up for us. Who knew new cars could be so complicated?At the moment, our old car is still sitting on the street where it was parked when it was vandalized. Steven is arranging to donate it to someone who will come pick it up and tow it away (so we don't have to get a locksmith to clear the ignition so we can start it.) It was a good car, and I'm sorry to see it go, but I'm also looking forward to more adventures in our new car.
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