Toyota Prius on LA Craigslist Has a Catalytic Converter Cage Like a Federal Prison
The next Ocean’s 11 remake is about stealing this thing’s cat.
Thefts of catalytic converters are a big deal, especially in California. In San Francisco, criminals are swiping the cats off of cop cars a few hundred feet away from the district attorney's office. This has led some drivers to take matters into their own hands, especially owners of hybrid vehicles, which typically have more valuable emissions control systems. One 2012 Toyota Prius owner who listed their car for sale on Los Angeles Craigslist will not be getting his exhaust cut, that much I can guarantee. His cat is locked up with rebar like King Kong just got into stealing them.
Besides the impressive cat cage, the Prius is completely unmodified. It looks well maintained, it has 105,000 miles, and the asking price is in the realm of sanity. The owner, who claims they have owned it since new, says that they're selling it only because they are leaving the country.
The cat cage is the highlight here, though. According to the listing, the owner "got [the] rebar professionally placed underneath the car so that the catalytic converter will not get stolen." Stolen by who, the Jolly Green Giant? The cage consists of no less than a dozen pieces of steel welded to the car's underbody in several locations. The owner knows what they have, too. The listing almost reads like a challenge to thieves. "You will never need to worry about the catalytic converter being stolen," it says after first addressing the massive cage. "Catalytic converter-theft-proof," it claims further down.
So if you live around LA and you're looking for a solid Prius, well, here you go. This thing looks like it's in great shape, and even the best cat thieves in the world—I'm told it will soon be an Olympic sport—would have trouble cracking into this thing. They would have to make another Italian Job movie if anyone ever managed to get past it. $11,000? A small price to pay for extreme peace of mind.
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