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Man, 87, accidentally drives off in wrong Chrysler New Yorker
Jesse Ross explains: "I got into the vehicle accidentally. The key worked. It was just like mine, leather interior and power windows." But he noticed some items he had on the seat were missing. "I told my daughter about it and she ran out and said, 'Dad, that's not your car.''' Has this happened to any OSRR readers? (Press & Sun-Bulletin)
August 5, 2005 | Permalink
Comments
Yeah, actually about 17 years ago I came out of a grocery store, and walked down the parking aisle to my silver with red interior 1979 Honda Prelude. Unlocked the door, got in and before I drove off noticed something wasn't quite right... it wasn't my car! I jumped out, locked it and slunk away to my own car... carefully looking at the license plate this time.
Posted by: Eric | Aug 5, 2005 7:59:05 AM
Something similarly odd happened to me on a camping trip when I locked my key in my Corolla. While thinking about what to do, one guy noticed there were 3 other Toyotas in our group and we should try those keys first. The rest of us smirked while the 3 humored him and tried their keys. Number 3 opened it up and started the ignition.
PS - Next time Number 3 and I met at a party, he went out and moved my car around the block.
Posted by: scott | Aug 5, 2005 8:04:25 AM
I had a valet bring me back a green Saturn instead of my purple one. He'd located it in the lot by triggering the remote unlock (so the lights flashed) and the key worked in the ignition. I had to send him back for mine after giving him a description and license plate number.
Posted by: Raven | Aug 5, 2005 8:10:12 AM
Yes, the same thing happened to me. I left work as usual, wandered oover to the lot and general location where I normally park, unlocked the door to what I thought was my Escort wagon, got in, saw the familiar interior, had the key in the ignition, and as I prepared to back out, noticed there was a baby seat in the back. I realized it was DEFINITELY not my car. (Mine was about two spaces away.)
Posted by: Karen | Aug 5, 2005 8:11:32 AM
Escort Wagon again. Stopped in at the pharmacy and went out in the general direction, same ugly bright green with gray interior. After I started it, I noticed a paper back book in the back seat. It donned on me that it could not be my car because I'm Illiterate and cannot read.
Posted by: Sharky | Aug 5, 2005 8:20:43 AM
another Toyota Corolla driver who could use my key to drive my friend's car...
hilarity ensued...
for what it is worth: I adore this guy's picture.
Posted by: Penny | Aug 5, 2005 8:27:53 AM
I had that happen when I was in New Zealand for a stint. I had a Mazda 121 which was identical to some Ford model. I walked out late from a party to get something from my car, opened the door, rummaging through the front seat and after about 10 seconds realizing that it wasn't my stuff I was rummaging through. The keys were almost identical, and sure enough we could start each other's cars.
Posted by: Todd | Aug 5, 2005 8:30:12 AM
This happened to me just last week...I felt like an idiot. :-)
I drive a '91 Volvo station wagon. I came out of Curves and went to get in my car. The key fit in the lock, but wouldn't open. I wasn't concerned because I've been having trouble with the locks. I must have stood there for 5 minutes trying all the locks on the car, cursing and almost in tears because I couldn't get in my car. Then I FREAKED because my work bag wasn't in my car! It was about this point I realized that not only wasn't this my car, but my car was parked across the street.
Not one of my finer moments.
Posted by: pnwgal | Aug 5, 2005 8:32:39 AM
When I was about 10, I left my ski goggles in my grandfather's car by accident. He gave me the keys and I ran back to the parking lot and got into what I thought was his car. I don't remember the make or model - this is about 20 years ago - but I rummaged around frantically looking for my googles. My little brother pointed out the window at an identical car - we got out, locked the doors and tried it on the other car. Sure enough, it was my grandfathers.
Posted by: Messiah | Aug 5, 2005 8:35:11 AM
I went to the car in a parking lot, opened the door (wondering how I left it unlocked), and came upon great frustration with my key not working to start the car. As I realized that I was in the wrong car (same year, model, & color), I looked up to find the real owner looking down at me through the window.
After I proved that I had the exact same car, it ended up being a moment we both laughed about.
Posted by: | Aug 5, 2005 8:36:59 AM
When I was a kid, my grandfather picked me up at school in my mother's car. We drove the whole way home before he realized that he was using the key to his own car in the ignition -- and it was not even the same make/model of car.
This was probably about 1985.
Posted by: RicaB | Aug 5, 2005 8:37:56 AM
It happened to my friend and her mother just a couple years ago with a Ford Focus wagon. They only realized they were in the wrong car when they saw cigarettes in the ash tray. They don't smoke.
Posted by: Amber | Aug 5, 2005 8:38:20 AM
Friend of mine once got locked out of my '90 Pplymouth Acclaim, and some guy driving a dodge spirit (or what ever the equilivent dodge was) and let him in with his key...
Matt
Posted by: mdares | Aug 5, 2005 8:40:27 AM
It's never happened to me, but I always check my trunk first to make sure the dead hooker is still in there.
Posted by: SwarthyTroll | Aug 5, 2005 8:47:52 AM
'81 honda civic hatchback, safeway parking lot, a couple of years ago. Same colour, same pin stripes, same rust spots, same colour interior, it was freaky. I loaded up my groceries, sat down, plugged in the key and noticed it was automatic. I had that 2-3 second moment where you question yourself: do I have an automatic? I'd never buy an automatic, but then again I thought I'd never buy a civic hatchback either, so.... A couple furtive glances around the interior, now noticing little things that were different, and it sunk in. My car was one spot down, two over.
Posted by: | Aug 5, 2005 8:55:08 AM
About 1984, I had a Dodge Dart that was in its last days. I borrowed my housemate's Plymouth Aspen for work. I kept noticing that I was having problems starting the Plymouth, then I realized that I was opening the car door and starting it with my Dodge key.
Sheesh.
Posted by: Mike | Aug 5, 2005 9:07:28 AM
Happens to me all the time.
Walk up to a car I like.
Jimmy the door.
Screwdriver in the ignition.
15 minutes later, I'm explaining to the offier. "I got into the vehicle accidentally. The key worked. It was just like mine, leather interior and power windows."
Posted by: mistrmind | Aug 5, 2005 9:20:37 AM
In high school some friends and I would go to the mall at night and swap the license plates of identical cars parked close to one another.
Posted by: | Aug 5, 2005 9:42:09 AM
Hasn't happened to me so far. On the other hand, that's mostly because I've owned cars that were either so old or so rare that there was almost never another one like it in the parking lot, whether it was a 30 year old Dodge Dart or a metallic orange Isuzu Amigo. I bought a Focus recently, though, and it's a lot more generic. I'll have to see.
Posted by: Georgian Matt | Aug 5, 2005 9:45:16 AM
That is great!!! Should of taped the hilarity that came after.
Posted by: hilarity ensued | Aug 5, 2005 9:45:48 AM
My friend and I both drove Honda CRXs, a '90 and '90 and '91, mine red, hers black. Hitting clubs around town, caravaning it, valeting at the Hard Rock, then Mandalay Bay, House of Blues, then I was following her to the Rio. My friend pulls into a gas station and jumps out of her car screaming "These aren't my keys, these aren't my keys!" How could she be driving her car without her keys? After much discussion and plans to trace our steps back to each club we'd been to, I realized the keys I was holding weren't mine either. At some point, a valet must have switched our keys and we were driving around town using each other's keys for our own cars, completely unaware. Luckily, we were caravaning from place to place.
Posted by: Kimberley | Aug 5, 2005 9:46:55 AM
Hehe, you forget the first rule of teenage vandalism, never EVER EVER tape it. Once the cops get that you are finished because the judges get even harsher if they have video evidence of how much you enjoyed your mischief.
Posted by: | Aug 5, 2005 9:48:06 AM
I've walked up to the wrong car thinking it was mine a few times but the key didn't work. I just usually slink away hoping the owner doesn't seem and feel as if Junior Alzheimer's has set in.
Posted by: T.R. | Aug 5, 2005 9:51:34 AM
We had a Toyota pickup and installed a camper shell on it. Then we moved from California to Oklahoma. I locked my keys in the Toyota, and a co-worker said he had the same brand of camper shell on his truck. We tried the key and it opened right up. I retrieved my keys through the back window of the truck cab. For years, whenever I saw that brand of camper shell, I was tempted to try out my key on it.
Posted by: Niteowl | Aug 5, 2005 9:54:15 AM
Back when I was in high school, I went to Barnes & Noble one day and when I locked my dad's car that I was driving -- an Alfa Romeo 164 -- it unlocked the Toyota Camry in the next spot! Our car had the factory alarm, so it wasn't like we had the same aftermarket alarm. Anyway, I wasn't sure what to do at first because I wanted to lock my car but didn't want to leave this other one open. Finally, I just locked my car with the key.
Also, I used to have the problem of valets bringing the wrong car occasionally where I live now. When I first moved into the building, I had to valet while on the waiting list for a permanent spot. I had a dark blue Jetta at the time, and there was another one just like mine plus one that was a dark bluish green. There were a few times they brought down the wrong one and a couple times I started to pull out before I realized it wasn't mine.
Posted by: Benjy | Aug 5, 2005 9:55:20 AM
