Vehicle theft and getaways

Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Auto presents vehicle targets with different chances. Success can add a vehicle to your holdings, while failure can cost time or create other consequences. Start with targets your character can approach sensibly and treat the displayed chance as part of the decision.

Secure a stolen car quickly

A successful theft does not make the car safe. You must arrange shipping before the police find and confiscate it. Shipping cost and arrival time depend on the route and transport available, so keep enough cash and garage space for the move before attempting a valuable target.

Decide what a vehicle is for

Not every stolen car should be treated the same way. A vehicle may be useful to keep, move, sell or reserve for an activity that needs one. Before disposing of it, check its condition and whether replacing it later would interrupt a planned getaway, drive-by or turf operation.

• Keep track of which city and garage hold the vehicles you intend to use.
• Check vehicle condition before relying on it for a planned action.
• Avoid tying all your available cash up in a car without a clear role.
• Coordinate vehicle requirements with other players before a group job begins.
• Once shipping is complete, choose whether to keep, sell, trade or scrap the vehicle for lead.

Planning a getaway

Getaway is a street chase of 4 to 20 turns. At each junction you pick a way out (left, straight ahead or right), and each road is cover, the open road or a risky gap in traffic: safer roads give better odds and a smaller take, riskier ones the reverse. Every chase you finish adds getaway experience, while a failed one costs you the take and can end in jail or in hospital. There is no timer between runs: every getaway raises your Street Heat, and your odds fall as it climbs, so cooling off between runs is what keeps the odds honest. Read each result before choosing the next move instead of clicking through the chase blindly.

Vehicles in player conflict

Vehicles also support higher-risk multiplayer actions, including attacks on property. Those actions can consume preparation and provoke retaliation. Do not use a hard-to-replace vehicle until you understand the entire job and the consequences for your turf or crew. Your own cars are targets too: if you are in a crew, a rival's crew garage raid can drive off with any car you have not safeguarded, and a car fitted with explosives at the chop shop goes off on the raider instead, destroying the car.