People rarely steal cars just for fun; they're typically stolen to be used as disposable tools for more serious crimes like robberies or shootings. This makes tracking stolen vehicles a crucial chokepoint for disrupting broader criminal activity.

In private property impounds (PPIs), the industry's least regulated sector, a driver can seize a car and simply call the police to report it. This enters the car into a system to prevent it from being reported stolen, but lacks any process to confirm the tow was legitimate, enabling widespread abuse.

A common predatory tactic is to use the calendar day as the billing unit. If a car is towed at 11 PM and the owner arrives at 1 AM, the company can legally charge for two full days of storage, despite the car being impounded for only a couple of hours across midnight.

Over 15 years, auto loans transformed from the best-performing loan product to the riskiest. This shift is driven by a "double whammy" of soaring vehicle prices—which outpaced even mortgage growth—and rising interest rates, compounded by overlooked costs like insurance and repairs.

A personal audit during an "unsubscribe" campaign revealed a user spending $34,000 annually on Uber. This highlights how companies use low initial pricing to hook consumers, who then fail to notice incremental price hikes, leading to massive, unexamined expenses on subscription-like services.

While a public towing system could curb predatory practices, most municipalities avoid it. The logistical challenges of acquiring land for impound lots, buying trucks, and staffing the operation represent significant financial and administrative burdens that cities prefer to offload to the private sector.

Auto auctioneer Copart has a deep moat built on its global network. It can take a car deemed a total loss in the U.S. due to high-cost repairs (e.g., bumper sensors) and auction it in a market like Eastern Europe. Buyers there may not care about the sensors, maximizing recovery value for insurers and creating a hard-to-replicate system.

To avoid lawsuits, collectors use databases to 'scrub' lists of people who have previously sued them. This creates a perverse equilibrium where consumer protection laws are inverted: the people they were designed to help are targeted, while those who can afford legal action are simply left alone.

Instead of relying on business owners, some towing firms pay local residents kickbacks to watch parking lots. These "spotters" instantly report illegally parked cars, creating a highly efficient, hyper-local surveillance system that maximizes the number of vehicles they can seize.