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You're not giving con men enough credit. Generally speaking, they are far more clever than the average bear.

Seriously.

As far as turning over the car, this guy is obv. no genius (look at his background and past shenanigans). Like most criminals, he does, however, think he is smarter than everyone else.

So he has no problem turning over the car. Everyone will see the burned brakes, hear the 911 call, and hear him tell his convincing story of near death on the highway. It's airtight, man!

Again, con men are generally much smarter than the average population.

Quote:

Originally Posted by m21sniper (Post 5240643)

You're not giving con men enough credit. Generally speaking, they are far more clever than the average bear.

Seriously.

I'd agree, generally speaking, successful large scale con men are very clever.

This guy is a two-bit, low rent con man, little insurance frauds, etc. Already had ended up destitute and in bankruptcy. This was his first attempt in the big leagues, and he failed miserably. He was no Bernie Madoff.

Taz does make a good case though. The man had literally nothing to gain, except at most getting out of his Prius note under the NY lemon laws.

What about the one that happened in LA the day after/before?

Whether he actually had something to gain is not the issue. What only matters is whether he *thought* he had something to gain.

But again, generally speaking, con men- even crappy ones- put more thought into that stuff than joe average.

I just don't see motive, beyond a possible lemon law case.

Quote:

Originally Posted by m21sniper (Post 5240663)

Again, con men are generally much smarter than the average population.

Not true. Most con men are fairly dumb. As in most professions, it's only the top 5% or so that are smart and good at what they do. Just turn up in remand court some Monday morning if you want to see a parade of dumb con-men....

Yes, but most of those con men are preying on the bottom 20% of stupid asses in the general pop. and have pulled many, many cons for each time they've been caught.

Criminals are stupid, yes. But the gen. population is even dumber. :-/

The guy is def. pulling some con though. Just a matter of who he's conning for...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taz's Master (Post 5240629)

Dottore, you've made me confront my inner crackpot. I cannot figure out what the driver had to gain by making up that story, and surrenduring the evidence that proves him a liar. There are no damages to sue for. Why do it so publicly?

I see nothing that can benefit the driver from that story. Maybe the driver being insane is more likely than Toyota planting the story, but I cannot see any motivation for the driver's story other than the desire to become a public disgrace.
...

He thought that they would pay him off to keep quiet...and likely had every intent to sue until people started raising the BS flag. Then he could not...or risk prosecution for fraud.

That doesnt even make sense Fint. He called 911. No way to keep it quiet...

You need to rethink your theory a bit i think.

Quote:

Originally Posted by m21sniper (Post 5240725)

That doesnt even make sense Fint. He called 911. No way to keep it quiet...

You need to rethink your theory a bit i think.

On the contrary. He had to call 911 to make it seem legit. He probably expected it to briefly make the news...and then he could settle out of court to keep it out of the newspapers and TV for weeks and weeks of a trial. At a minimum, he was never really in any danger and could become a local celebrity. He did not count on guys like you hyping it to the point that Toyota had no recourse but to stand up for itself.

And yet, the story became a national sensation.

During the middle of historic healthcare and financial crises.

Why?

Quote:

Originally Posted by m21sniper (Post 5240768)

And yet, the story became a national sensation.

During the middle of historic healthcare and financial crises.

Why?

Because it benefits Obama and Government Motors. It is the golden opportunity for main stream media to help their idol in his time of need. It diverts attention from atrocities such as socialized healthcare, the terrible economy, earmarks, and the fact that taxpayers are subsidizing US automakers that cannot make a competitive car because of union labor. It damages competitors that can compete in a global market and rewards Obama's socialist union friends.

I think it benefits Toyota. Like Taz said.

Quote:

Originally Posted by m21sniper (Post 5240783)

I think it benefits Toyota. Like Taz said.

It does now that the fellow screwed up his scam.

Yep...or perhaps there's no screw up at all.

Local dealer, sees sales crashing, pays Vito $10k to stage an incident....

I can definitely see that happening.

Another one bites the dust:

Driver Error in Toyota Prius Investigation
March 22, 2010 - 2:47 PM

According to Police Captain Anthony Marraccini, driver error caused the crash of a Prius on March 9th 2010 in Harrison N.Y. and not faulty brakes.

In an investigation of the incident, Harrison Police Captain Marraccini said the brakes had not been applied, a finding that contradicted claims from a 56 year old woman who told police that the car had accelerated as she drove down her employer’s driveway and hit a stone wall. The woman told police that she had hit the brakes but the car did not respond.

Below is a transcript of what Captain Marraccini told Fox News on Monday:

"The vehicle accelerator was compressed and there was no brake application. We looked at data extracted from the car’s computer system. We looked at the vehicle diagnostic trouble code and we have video taped every key stroke that Toyota made while they extracted the data so we know the data is reliable and trustworthy.

"The event data recorder showed two collisions in this case. The first was a minor collision when the car impacted the curb. There as a speed indication of 35 miles per hour and an indication of deceleration. The second event recorded the main collision. We have indications that the car was traveling 27 miles an hour at the point of impact. The diagnostic data shows that the accelerator pedal was depressed at the time of impact and was in the idle position after impact. The pedal was returned to its normal position after impact.

"Sensors on the gas pedal showed that the throttle position was depressed fully by the driver. The data indicates the accelerator was depressed. There was no pressure applied to the brakes at the time. The shift sensor was in drive and the accelerator sensor indicated that accelerator was fully depressed. There is no indication that the brake lamps were on.

"The data provided to us through this process is conclusive to us and I think that its factual data. Toyota provided us with the data and there is no possibility of distortion of the data.

"The driver is very passionate about her statements. When a driver believes they are on a brake pedal they believe it. The operator stated that halfway down the driveway the car had accelerated but she insisted her foot was stepping on the brake pedal.

"I believe that based on the factual information that we have it was driver error. With all of the hype about Toyota people are trying to point fingers. The operator believes she depressed the brake but that isn’t the case here."

Police did not file charges because the woman did not intentionally deceive authorities.

Let's see the telemetry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by m21sniper (Post 5254131)

Let's see the telemetry.

Toyota is bad.
Con men are good.
Liars are good.
Ladies who say they hit the brakes but didn't are good.
Toyota is bad.

That about sum up your argument?