You know you neglect the upkeep on your car when it gets stolen and recovered in better condition than when it was pinched.
This happened to reader Sweetdik's brother and his '88 Firebird (not pictured above). He shared the whole story when we asked for stories of what it's like to have your car stolen.
In 1989, my brother had his 1988 Pontiac Firebird, black, 305 V8, automatic stolen. They found it a week later and 1,000 miles away in Florida with the thief behind the wheel. The kid had a receipt in the car for an oil change at a quick lube from the day after he stole it.
My brother and I flew to Florida and drove the car back on the insurance company's dime. The car was in decent shape and cleaner inside than my brother kept it. I liked the way the car drove, so a month later I bought a white 1989 Firebird Formula 350.
We hope the brother got the message and kept the Poncho in better shape, but we're somewhat skeptical.
Photo Credit: Pontiac via PaintRef.com