Civic Sedan

Make
Honda
Segment
Sedan

When your car is stolen, you don't just lose your ride to work. You lose a piece of yourself. That may sound dramatic, but we spend so much time in our cars that they become part of our lives. If you've ever loved and lost a car to thieves, don't lose hope, as the heart-warming stories below prove that you should never say never when it comes to stolen cars. (Not all images are the actual stolen model).

Michelle Squires lost her 1965 Shaggin' Wagon, aka a Volkswagen Bus, to thieves in 1974. It was recovered, fully restored, in 2009 by customs agents in Los Angeles who found it in a crate bound for The Netherlands. Allstate paid Squires stolen vehicle claim way back when, so it owned the bus. The good news: The insurance giant auctioned it off to benefit victims of domestic violence.

Ian "Skip" Wilson's 1957 Chevy Bel Air was stolen from him in 1984. Fast forward 30 years and his classic car is discovered in a crate bound for Australia. Wilson's wait was not totally in vain as his Bel Air was painstakingly restored and rebuilt both inside and out.

Young New York lawyer buys Jaguar E-Type in 1968. Young New York lawyer has E-Type stolen in 1968. End of story, right? Wrong. Ivan Schneider's stolen Jag was found 46 years later in a crate bound for The Netherlands. (What's with those guys and stolen cars?) It's in rough condition but the now 82-year-old ex-lawyer plans to fully restore it.

No offense, but losing a Honda Civic to thieves can't possibly sting as badly as losing your 1979 Corvette. George Talley's Vette was swiped in 1981 and was missing for 31 years. The years weren't too horrible to his American muscle car as the odometer read 47,000 and it still ran when recovered by police. GM even agreed to transport it from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where it was found, to Talley's home in Detroit.

When Bob Russell's 1967 Austin Healey 3000 was stolen from him in 1968, he decided to take matters into his own hands. After 42 years his detective work paid off when he discovered his old ride for sale online. After some legal wrangling Russell eventually recovered his convertible, vowing to restore the car to its former glory.