The rental cars that the 9/11 hijackers used

March 28, 2002 4:53 PM

The rental cars that the 9/11 hijackers used are available for auction. The rental company wanted to get rid of it because customers had negative feelings about the cars. At the time this article was posted, there haven't been any bids for the cars. I can't seem to find the cars on the website, though. Would you buy one of these cars?
posted by Kevin Sanders (15 comments total)

Yeah, if it had an airbag and was a good value for the money. It's a car, eh.
posted by beth at 5:05 PM on March 28, 2002

How did people know that those particular cars were used by the terrorists? Was "Omar 'N Allah, 4 Eva" carved in the dash? "Osama was here, 9/11/01"
posted by Doug at 5:12 PM on March 28, 2002

How did people know that those particular cars were used by the terrorists? Was "Omar 'N Allah, 4 Eva" carved in the dash? "Osama was here, 9/11/01"

That was my first thought too. I wind up renting cars at least a couple of times, and you simply have absolutely no clue even who the most recent driver was. All I can think of is that the rental car company (not named in the article) might have been some very tiny independent with a few cars in a small town, where word might have gotten around that the cars were rented there (such a thing would make headlines in a small city), and a lot of the locals may have known that those were the cars used.

More curious is the idiot who bought them ... apparently believing that the fact that they were driven a few miles by the highjackers would somehow increase their value above the blue book. Sheesh.
posted by MidasMulligan at 5:29 PM on March 28, 2002

They knew the terrorists used them from the piles of terrorist manuals left in the back seat. Duh.
posted by crunchland at 5:31 PM on March 28, 2002

Here's a plan, buy the cars, and hold a demolition derby, plug the event like mad, and offer to donate 10% of the profit to charity. You'd be rich.
posted by riffola at 5:40 PM on March 28, 2002

or : five bucks a pop to have a bash at them with a sledgehammer. Same idea, lower overhead. You smart, riffola.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:34 PM on March 28, 2002

crunch,

I think they meant how would future customers renting the cars know they had been used by the terrorists?
posted by ArkIlloid at 6:37 PM on March 28, 2002

(hands sledge hammer to Kaf)
posted by clavdivs at 6:42 PM on March 28, 2002

I knew the intended sarcastic tone of that message would get lost the moment I pressed the post button.
posted by crunchland at 6:43 PM on March 28, 2002

Thanks stavros :)

I hereby state that if stavros' or my idea is used, both of us should get 5% of any income generated by this event each, with zero liability.
posted by riffola at 7:11 PM on March 28, 2002

Won't you visit me please when I open my door in cars, doo doo, duh duh doo do, duh duh duh duh duhh duh duh duh duh do do duh duh duh duh duhduh duh - duh da dum (etc.)
posted by Settle at 7:23 PM on March 28, 2002

"customers", I believe, was Kevin's interpolation. The original article said The rental company ... was happy to get rid of them. The owner said a lot of people had negative feelings about the cars. Presumably this means the employees, who would know.
posted by dhartung at 9:17 PM on March 28, 2002

The history channel had a show about terrorists, and it turns out both the Oklahoma City bombing and the WTC original bombing were done using Ryder trucks... Do terrorist attacks that use your company's equipment influence people's opinions about your company?
posted by drezdn at 10:24 PM on March 28, 2002

A perfect example of superstition in action. They're just cars. If they'd been vacuumed, detailed and put back on the lot with the 250 other identical rental cars, no-one would ever have known.

If I had the money and needed the car, I'd buy one, sure. If superstition gets me a cheaper car than I otherwise would, that's my good luck, so to speak.

On the other hand there are cars I definitely wouldn't buy. For example, one that a friend of mine who works at a car insurance company told me about, which was sold (that's the amazing bit) by her company at a damaged vehicles auction. It had become the property of the insurer after the police were done with it and the claim was paid out to the estate of the owner. Turns out the owner was a drug dealer who was murdered by some other drug-related persons, who stuffed his body in the boot of his car and headed for the hills to bury him. Unfortunately they got rear-ended on the way. Cops had the car for a while, too.

Ash.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 6:24 PM on March 29, 2002

Just had a look at the website. There are some gorgeous cars there, too. Anyone looking for a car? Check this out. Hell, if I was in the USA I'd post off bids of $500 on all of the cars, just on principle.

Ash.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 6:29 PM on March 29, 2002