STOLEN MUSTANG RETURNED TWO YEARS LATER

Two years and 30,000 miles later, a California man got his Mustang back in October 1995.

The 1982, red Ford Mustang coupe was dinged here and there, and ran a bit rougher than it did when it was stolen from a department store parking lot in 1993.

The Mustang turned up in Los Angeles, where it had been taken to get a "smog" check. The car's identification numbers raised some questions, and the California Highway Patrol traced the car to Harold and Marguerite Richardson of Apple Valley, Calif., in San Bernardino County.

"The car was spotless when it was taken," said Richardson, looking at the two-door car, which was missing a hubcap. "I always kept it washed and waxed."

Richardson was glad to see his car back.

Like many auto owners, Richardson had locked his car and taken the keys with him when he left the Mustang in the parking lot on Oct. 13, 1993.

But Richardson learned that day that Mustangs were on car thieves' "hit" list.

"The police told us not to expect it to ever be recovered," said Mrs. Richardson.

Insurance statistic show that only 30 percent of all stolen cars are recovered in drivable shape. Statistics also reveal that one of every 130 licensed vehicles were stolen in 1994.