old man drove wrong vehicle home

[Barry Donovan]

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/01/28/news/dexter-man-takes-wrong-vehicle-home/

DEXTER, Maine ? It was the same model and same color ? and the key fit.

When a Dexter man, 78, finished shopping Friday morning, he placed his grocery bags inside what he thought was his vehicle and drove it home.

It wasn?t until the man arrived back home that he realized it wasn?t his vehicle be-cause his didn?t have a broken door handle. Otherwise, the vehicle was nearly identical to that of his road-salt covered green 1996 Ford Explorer.

Dexter Police Chief Jim Emerson said Friday the man called the police department to report the mistake and inquired what he should do. Emerson said he told him to return the vehicle to the store where his vehicle was still parked.

An attempt was made to find the owner of the other vehicle, which was registered to a Le-vant resident, to explain the mistake. Emerson said he went into the grocery store and a beauty shop but was unable to find the owner.

Typically, a key won?t fit another vehicle, but this one fit perfectly, according to Emerson.

?I?d never had that happen before,? Emerson said of the incident.

[Jobergg]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

Strange that the key fit ???

[ls7gto]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

we have had that a bunch of times with keys at the dealership, but now with pats chips it wont start .

[457Brodix]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home


I can relate to that story, I probably shouldn't even tell this on myself but I had a Grey 2000 Grand Cherokee Limited and there were probably 300 of them around town, it was around Xmas time one year and I walked out of the Mall towards my vehicle and clicked the remote and the lights flashed and the horn beeped so I got in the car and my first thoughts were who in Hell "trashed my Jeep" then when my key wouldn't turn the ignition switch I quickly got out and locked the vehicle and walked down four parking places and got in my Jeep and drove away.

[88 Dippy]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

you be surprised with new vehicles only so many variation of keys excised


with my Grand prix club i am a memeber of if any one locks there keys in the door there is always at least one other key at can open the door.

now do to pass key it will not start the car

[antmnte]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

My mother in law got into the passenger side of a car parked alongside hers with my father in law in their car in the driver seat. Pretty funny ,we still snap on her about it .

[Bobbya312]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

My dad did that 35 years ago. There was a guy at the steel mill that he worked at who did minor shade tree work on his off days,always had a ton of work so he had to have a loaner car. My dad was having brakes put on his dailey driver and got the loaner,a yellow 61 chevy 4 door. He was working 11-7 shift and came in 1 morning complaining that somebody stole his umbrella and cigars off the front seat of the loaner.I head out to work and notice he's brought home a 2 door yellow 61 chevy.I go back in and harass him about this.We sneak back to the plant and swap for the correct car(with his cigars and umbrella on the ft seat).Seems like the early GM stuff didn't need a key unless you turned the switch over to lock with the key.Don't know if anybody at the plant jacked with him about it,but my brothers and I sure did.

[Monk]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

Same thing happen to me about 6 years ago.

We were driving Dodge mini vans.......we were in
Indy for our semi annual market.
Buddy of mine wanted to put his computer in my van....gave
him my keys and he went outside the convention center to
put the computer in my van.

Later we found out the keys worked in a Dodge van
that happen to be the same color as mine.

The owner found the computer and look through it to
find his contact information.

[Junk Whisperer]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

It happens MORE often than you'd think...especially at a Car Dealership. ~J/W.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

My dad did that 35 years ago. There was a guy at the steel mill that he worked at who did minor shade tree work on his off days,always had a ton of work so he had to have a loaner car. My dad was having brakes put on his dailey driver and got the loaner,a yellow 61 chevy 4 door. He was working 11-7 shift and came in 1 morning complaining that somebody stole his umbrella and cigars off the front seat of the loaner.I head out to work and notice he's brought home a 2 door yellow 61 chevy.I go back in and harass him about this.We sneak back to the plant and swap for the correct car(with his cigars and umbrella on the ft seat).Seems like the early GM stuff didn't need a key unless you turned the switch over to lock with the key.Don't know if anybody at the plant jacked with him about it,but my brothers and I sure did.

my dad had a vega that didn't come with the key (or motor, or wheels, but did come with title) anyway he got the car running, but didn't get a new key made (car wasn't quite done). Fortunately, the PO had left the ignition switch in the position just before lock.... you know where this is going... worst day possible he was going to work on the car for a moment then go... turned the thing to "lock" the car was parked in the garage door and he didn't know (this wasn't long after they put locking columns in cars) how to remove the cylinder.... hours later (and a scarred psyche of his son) he finally knocked the column apart enough to remove the cylinder.... of course, then it still wouldnt move or start - that's when the chain came out and it got ugly.

[JRoberts]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

When I was a kid a friend of my folks had a gold VW bug. One day she got in a gold VW put in the key and drove off. Later, when looking for something she had left in the car and couldn't find it she discovered she had the wrong car. Since we lived on a rather small Army base in east Africa it wasn't hard to find the other gold VW that was indeed hers (there were only two of them on the base). The guy that owned the other VW had also driven the wrong gold VW home!

[Eliteman76]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

I know first hand, on the older ford stuff, there are about I want to say 28 standard keey combinations, depending on how the tumblers are set up.

[DanStokes]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

I don't have an issue with this. I don't remember the old truck saying "B-E-N-T-L-E-Y" on the front, but that's OK. If the key fits, drive it.

Dan

[Barry Donovan]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

I haven't done the wrong car right key thing yet..except for a ford escort.(I had two and that they swapped keys)
tumblers can wear, and playing around can sometimes make a universal fit. Not perfect, the keys, but a deterrent of course.

[ksj1]

Re: old man drove wrong vehicle home

In high school I had my 69 Dart and a buddy had a 70 Duster.My key would work in his car but his would not work in mine.We both parked in the back parking lot.On occasion I would skip class and move his car to the front of the school. ;D