Vehicle Cargo/Steal Missions

There are 15 possible different Steal Vehicle mission scenarios that a player can encounter when sourcing a vehicle to export as part of the Vehicle Cargo missions in the Import Export Update.

14 of these scenarios can occur when the player is playing on their own in their organisation, while a single scenario is specially created for when there is more than 1 player within the organisation.

Stationary Vehicles
Stationary vehicle missions involve stealing a parked vehicle from a driveway, but complications may arise.

Parked With Or Without Guards=

The vehicle will be parked at the location specified. As the player approaches, they may get a warning text message from the assistant that there are armed guards around the vehicle. Once the player nears the vehicle, these guards will turn hostile.

After the player takes a guarded car, pursuing attackers may spawn in pairs, usually in Schafter V12 (Armored)s or Kurumas.


 * 1) Go to [location].
 * 2) Steal the [car].
 * 3) Deliver the [car] to the Warehouse.

Car Bomb=

Sometimes an otherwise simple unguarded vehicle target will alert the player upon entry that there is a bomb in the vehicle. The player has 20 seconds to accelerate to a target speed (90 Km/h) and must maintain that speed for a cumulative 2 minutes to allow SecuroServ to remotely defuse the bomb before returning the vehicle to their warehouse. If the player drops below the target speed, the 20 second bomb timer will resume. After 1 minute, the assistant will text message encouragement to keep it up. No NPC attackers will be present in these cases.



Tips

 * As with most vehicle source mission types, using a Cargobob to pick up the vehicle is recommended. As using the Cargobob is not considered threatening unless recklessly flown, the player can often fly away with the car without causing attraction, which further leads to the lack of back-up vehicles chasing the player.
 * If the player wishes to pursue the mission on land, using a heavily armored vehicle, preferably a personal vehicle, such as the Insurgent, Kuruma (Armored) or Duke O'Death to kill all ground units can be effective to reduce the amount of ammo used and consequently a safer exit.
 * Using a short-range, heavy damage weapon, such as a Pump-Action Shotgun, is most effective if close to the scene.

Amateur Thief
The Assistant will advise that the vehicle is parked but upon arrival the player will discover that the vehicle is mobile and will be informed that an amateur thief has beaten them to it. There will be a Police Maverick and several police vehicles pursuing the car. Engaging the NPC driver or police with gunfire or stealing the car will immediately give the player a 3 star wanted level and they must lose this before reaching the warehouse. They can choose to attempt to lose the wanted level, or they can call Lester to lose the cops. If the player retains the wanted level when nearing the warehouse, the stars will be reduced to 1 star.

Once the wanted level is evaded or removed, this mission doesn't result in any further pursuing attackers.


 * 1) Steal the [vehicle].
 * 2) Lose the Cops.
 * 3) Deliver the [vehicle] to the Warehouse.

Tips

 * Police will only begin pursuing the NPC controlled vehicle when the player approaches, meaning the police Maverick can be seen idle in mid air above where the target vehicle is. If the player stays far enough away so as to not trigger the text message and target movement, the player can snipe the driver of the target vehicle while stationary to prevent it getting away. Note that sniping the vehicle from far enough distance will not cause the scenario to begin, nor will it spook the driver. When doing this method, it is better to avoid using a heavy sniper rifle as it will probably also damage the car.
 * A three star wanted level will be added if:
 * The player shoots at the driver or at the car.
 * The player shoots at the police.
 * The player rams the car or a police vehicle.
 * The first time the player gets into the car after stealing it. This will also start the global signal countdown. Entering the car after evading the police does not result in getting another wanted level.
 * Using Lester's option "Cops turn a blind eye" does not prevent the player from getting a wanted level.
 * If the pursuit it already active, the player may risk using a personal vehicle to block the car. Note that once the stolen vehicle is in pursuit, the NPC driving it can cause as much damage to the vehicle as they please.

Detective Work
The location of the car is unknown but the last known location will be sent to the player by text. The picture will show an obvious landmark, the player must travel to that location and steal the car. On the way back to the warehouse, the vehicle will normally be reported stolen and the player will gain a 1-3 star wanted level which must be evaded before the vehicle can be delivered.

Tips

 * Using a Cargobob for this mission is recommended.
 * If necessary, particularly with 3-star wanted levels, having Lester's "Remove Wanted Level" option at the ready when flying back may be useful to evade the wanted level quicker.

Mobile Vehicles
Mobile vehicle missions are simply about stealing a vehicle which is being driven by its owner. There is a 15 minute time limit from the time the player leaves their office in which the player must steal the target vehicle. The NPC target will not simply stop as a result of the player blocking the road. The NPC will stop for traffic lights though, and can be car-jacked at that point. Their path may not encounter any red lights within the time limit allowed, so the player must then shoot the driver. A wanted level may be earned after taking possession of the vehicle. After stealing it, there is no time limit for the delivery to the warehouse.

If the 15 minute timer expires, the mission will fail but the target vehicle will continue to be driven. It can still be car-jacked but the player can do nothing with it after that.


 * 1) Steal the [car].
 * 2) Lose the Cops.
 * 3) Deliver the [car] to the Warehouse.

Tips

 * Mobile targets drive around like regular traffic, meaning the player must avoid spooking them if they wish to take the car. Stopping them in their traffics can be difficult, so either using a Cargobob to lift the car when it is stationary, or stealing the car on-foot when it is stationary, is best for this mission type.
 * Note that, due to a glitch, if the source vehicle has the driver in it while the player airlifts the car with a Cargobob, the car can sometimes fall off the hook of the Cargobob. To avoid this, it is sometimes best to land the helicopter in front of the car (when stationary), pull out the driver, and then pick up the car.

Key
The assistant will inform the player that they are robbing an arms dealer/warlord and the player is required to gain an electronic key to unlock the target vehicle. The vehicle will be located in a garage or porch of a mansion and the property will be guarded with armed security. Only one of the guards will have the key which unlocks the vehicle. The player can either attack or can use stealth tactics and silenced weapons, reducing the amount of resistance. Once the key is found, the player will automatically unlock the car and can drive away. If the player managed to avoid alerting security, no pursuers will spawn. If security was alerted while obtaining the key, then pursuing attackers typically spawn in up to 3 waves of matte-black SuperVolito Carbons and Schafter V12 (Armored)s.
 * 1) Go to [location].
 * 2) Get the security key.
 * 3) Steal the [car].
 * 4) Deliver the [vehicle] to the Warehouse.

Tips

 * This mission can be approached in one of two common ways; stealth, or loud.
 * If the player chooses loud, they may risk the chance of enemies pursuing the player. This includes the SuperVolito, which will regularly shoot the player when taking the car back to the warehouse. This method is best to gain the key the quickest, but also creates a larger shoot-out on ground, so heavy armor and weapons are recommended.
 * If the player chooses stealth, it is best using a suppressed weapon, particularly the Combat Pistol. Shooting each target one by one, avoiding detection by using the stealth crouch mode. This will later benefit the drive back, as pursuing enemies will not spawn. If non-guards see the player in the house, they will also sound the alarm.
 * Note that in some scenarios, this approach may be impossible to achieve solo, as there are some guards chatting to each other who would need to be eliminated at the same time.

Car Meet
Some target vehicles may spawn at car meets with around 6 other cars. This means attacking via air is not suitable as the risk of blowing up the target vehicle is higher. At the meet, other highly modified cars and lowriders are parked, such as the Virgo Classic Custom, Buccaneer Custom, Futo and Moonbeam. Most of the cars will have their hoods open and/or use hydraulics while the owners inspect the cars and take pictures. The majority of the people in the car meet are armed with a range of weapons, usually sub machine guns or automatic pistols. Once the player gets near the meet, they will open fire. When taking the car back to the warehouse, more modified cars will pursue, vehicles such as the Pisswasser Dominator, Futo, Kuruma and Sultan RS. These attackers are armed with Machine Pistols and Mini SMGs.

The car meets can be in numerous locations, typically the Palmer-Taylor Power Station or on Eclipse Boulevard.
 * 1) Go to [location].
 * 2) Steal the [car].
 * 3) Deliver the [car] to the Warehouse.

Tips

 * Finding a suitable vantage point at each of the locations and using a sniper to take out targets individually is most effective.
 * At the Eclipse Boulevard location, back gardens and balconies of the stilt homes just above the parking lot are easily reachable by helicopter and provide good protection with walls and bushes nearby.
 * At the Palmer-Taylor Power Station, the building just east of the parking lot has extractor fans which provide a good vantage point to shoot the enemies.
 * Avoid using explosive weapons; exploding one of the parked vehicles may cause a chain-reaction effect, putting the target car at risk of exploding.

Heist Crew
The Assistant sometimes finds a "professional-looking heist crew", where the target vehicle among other vehicles is being towed away on barges by a Tug boat out at sea. When the player leaves the office, they are told to steal a Cargobob from a specific location, Humane Labs and Research, Zancudo Treatment Works or the NOOSE Headquarters facility. At these facilities, the player is given up to a 3 star wanted level, and around 6 guards will shoot - either Military units or NOOSE units depending on the location. The player doesn't necessarily need to steal this specific Cargobob marked on the map - if the player owns a Cargobob and calls one from Pegasus or their hangar, or if they find one on a helipad, this objective will be skipped upon entry, and the player simply has to go to the marked destination where the vehicle is, out at sea. When the Cargobob is obtained, they will need to fly out to the floats and hook onto the target vehicle. 3 armed guards are on each float and will fire at the helicopter when the player gets relatively close to the area. The tug boat isn't moving, meaning the car isn't going to escape or flee. If the Cargobob is destroyed, however, the mission fails and the props and the target vehicle de-spawn. The locations next to islands allow the player to land the Cargobob and snipe the guards, making the hook-up task safer. From the time the player collects the Cargobob, they have 15 minutes to successfully hook onto the target vehicle. An onscreen countdown timer appears with 5 minutes remaining.

Once the car is hooked onto, up to 4 pairs of Buzzard Attack Choppers will spawn and fire their miniguns at the Cargobob and target vehicle, causing a large amount of damage. The experience of the pilots is significantly bad compared to normal NPCs, where they often crash into buildings and trees. The next pair will spawn if both are evaded or destroyed. The player can release the target vehicle whenever they are back over the mainland and drive it back to the warehouse. It is not compulsory to airlift it all the way, however the player has a time limit of 20 minutes from first hooking onto the car to deliver the vehicle. A countdown is again shown on screen when the player has 5 minutes remaining to complete the delivery.


 * 1) Go to [location].
 * 2) Steal the Cargobob.
 * 3) Go to [location].
 * 4) Hook onto the [car].
 * 5) Deliver the [car] to the Warehouse.

Tips

 * If the player owns their own Cargobob, using their own instead of picking up the marked one can save time and effort killing more enemies (police or military, depending on its location). If the player regularly starts Steal Vehicle missions with the Cargobob, this will not be an issue.
 * The NPC Cargobob that is supplied to be stolen and used is better armored than a player-owned one.
 * Since all off-shore locations are relatively near the land, there are plenty of vantage points where the player can safely land the helicopter and snipe each target. Avoid flying too close to the target to avoid causing attention.
 * If the player has a boat or the APC they can use it to approach the Tug and go on board from the front while out of view of the NPCs. Once on the Tug, the NPCs in the barges can easily be eliminated.
 * Once all the targets have been killed, the player can safely fly over to the target car, and pick it up. Patience is required, especially for inexperienced pilots, as some vehicles are harder to pick up than others.

Cargobob Locations= Tug Boat/Barge Locations=

Race Bet
"I'm not worried coz that time is UNBEATABLE. Have fun wasting your life LOSER"

- Unknown number

The only legal mission involves winning a race bet. The target has set a target time on a point-to-point that he claims is "unbeatable". When the vehicle is sourced, the player needs to get to the start line marked on the map in a suitable land vehicle. A carbon-black Elegy RH8 spawns at all start lines. Once the player is at the start line, a 3 second starting line countdown begins and then the destination and target time are revealed. They must beat the race time in order to get the vehicle located at the finish line.

Similar to the Time Trials Freemode Events, there are no checkpoints and the player does not have to follow the prescribed route to the finish line, although generally there are few viable shortcuts that can be taken.

If the player doesn't make it to the finish line before the time runs out the player will fail the mission. The vehicle will not de-spawn if the player got within sight of the finish, but it will catch fire and be unable to be taken.

At the finish line, numerous people are cheering on the player, while the target vehicle is guarded by the owner. Regardless of the deal, the owner will still attempt to attack the player with a Baseball Bat. The car is now free to be taken. Once on the way back to the warehouse the player will be pursued by up to 4 pairs of enemy cars in imitation Fast and Furious liveries, such as orange and black or red Banshee 900Rs and orange or limegreen Sultan RS's, with NPCs armed with Mini SMGs and Machine Pistols.


 * 1) Go to the starting area.
 * 2) Race to [destination].
 * 3) Take the [car].
 * 4) Deliver the [car] to the Warehouse.

Photo Shoot
The target vehicle may sometimes be involved in a photography shoot. The vehicle will be found at a notable location and will be surrounded by a security team with silver Sadlers, photographers and models. When the vehicle is located, it is advised to use a Cargobob helicopter and land near the shoot's setting, taking out the security guards on ground and then pick up the vehicle with the helicopter. When delivering to the warehouse, up to 3 waves of NPCs in matte-black SuperVolito Carbons and Schafter V12s (Armored) may pursue the player and guards in the rear passenger seats of the helicopters will shoot.


 * 1) Go to [location].
 * 2) Steal the [car].
 * 3) Deliver the [car] to the Warehouse.

Movie Stunt
The target vehicle can sometimes be involved in a movie production. At the site of the vehicle, a stunt ramp, usually with a ring of fire, will be laid out in front of the vehicle ready for filming. The player should take out the guards and steal the car.

Like the photoshoot, the professional guards also have air and ground support. SuperVolito Carbons and Schafter V12s (Armored) with armed units will pursue the player after taking the car unless the player steals the vehicle without alerting security. This is most easily done by approaching from under the ramp and climbing onto the ramp in front of the target vehicle. If the assistant sends a congratulatory text message that the stunt shot was successful, there should be no pursuit. This allows the player to deliver the vehicle with minimal damage.


 * 1) Go to [location].
 * 2) Steal the [car].
 * 3) Complete the stunt (optional).
 * 4) Deliver the [car] to the Warehouse.

Closed Circuit
In this scenario, the target vehicle is running laps around a oval or circle, accompanied by seven vehicles of the same type (albeit unmodified). This mission is one of the most difficult scenarios to complete without damaging the vehicle, as the driver will not stop for obstructions and must be shot, hooked with a Cargobob or cornered and pulled out. If disturbed, pedestrians flee the area and all the NPC vehicles may exit the circuit, further hindering the mission and turning it into a chase.


 * 1) Steal the [car].
 * 2) Deliver the [car] to the Warehouse.

Traffic Stop
The Assistant will advise that the owner of the target vehicle has been stopped by police (on a routine stop or for multiple DUIs) and the player should hurry and get the vehicle before it is impounded, however there is no time limit. The vehicle will be on the roadside with 2 Police Bikes and officers. The player will gain a wanted level whether they choose to eliminate the police or not. The player must then evade or remove their wanted level before delivering the car to the warehouse.

Crime Scene
The Assistant will inform the player that the vehicle has been involved in something "pretty nasty" and to retrieve it from the crime scene. The vehicle will be surrounded by police guards at the scene. Stealing it will normally require elimination of Police to avoid damage to the target car. The player must then evade or remove their wanted level before delivering the car to the warehouse.

Tips

 * The easiest way to complete this mission is to call Lester prior to entering the crime scene, highlighting the "Remove Wanted Level" option, entering the crime scene, and immediately selecting the option as soon as a wanted level is gained, thereby causing the officers present to not engage the player. The player may then take the vehicle at their leisure.

Tail
The Assistant will inform the player that they do not know the location of the target vehicle, but that they know of a vehicle on the way to it. The targets are Little Seoul gangsters. The player needs to tail an NPC driving a Kuruma without being observed to the location of the target car and steal it from the Korean gang protecting it. Thew tailed vehicle will travel at a slightly aggressive pace, overtaking traffic and running red lights.

If the player loses the Kuruma, the mission will fail. If the player is detected, the mission does not fail, but the tailed vehicle will travel at high speed and must now be chased to the end point and the gang members at the destination will be immediately hostile. On the way back to the warehouse NPCs should spawn in pairs of Kurumas but as of update 1.37 this appears to be bugged and the player will only encounter 1 empty pair of Kurumas en route, unless the high speed chase had been triggered in phase one, in which case the chase Kurumas will spawn normally.

Tail Start Locations= Tail End Locations=

License Plate Scanner
"So, apparently, the only way to find this needle in this haystack is with an LSPD chopper's license plate scanner. Get hold of the police chopper I marked on your GPS, use its plate scanner to identify the vehicle, take it, and bring it to the warehouse."

- Assistant

"Slightly complicated this one, get hold of the LSPD chopper I marked on your GPS, then use its license plate scanner to find the car, then bring it into the warehouse."

- Assistant

If the player has another player alongside them in their Organisation, there is a chance they may have to team up to locate the target vehicle. In this unique scenario, the player must collect a Police Maverick marked on the GPS, and use its license plate scanner to scan numerous vehicles marked on the map. Once they have found the correct vehicle, they should steal the car, and take it back to the warehouse.

The Police Maverick may spawn at:
 * Vinewood Police Station
 * On top of the multi-story car park Mission Row Police Station
 * Vespucci Police Station
 * NOOSE Headquarters

Tips

 * All but one of the vehicles around the map will be stock; since all possible source vehicles are heavily modified with custom plates, the player using the license plate scanner should avoid scanning cars that are not modified, as it cannot be one of these. They should keep communication with the pilot, alerting them of whether the car is modified or not. This procedure will limit the amount of cars needed to be scanned, and source the vehicle quicker.
 * At the location of the Police Helicopter, the player can actually kill the surrounding police and military officers and avoid a 3-star wanted level. This can be done by landing a helicopter near the site, waiting for the officers - who will be attracted by the landing helicopter - to move away from the Police Maverick, and killing them all quickly. As these enemies are not technically police, the player should only gain a 2-star wanted level.
 * This may not work if the helicopter is parked directly within a police station's grounds. For example, while the enemies surrounding the initial helicopter are not technically police, other ambient police officers can still spawn around the building - if the player shoots one of these, they will gain a 3-star wanted level. This can occur at almost all the locations, with the exception of the Mission Row location.

General tips

 * The NPCs spawn in some of the missions is triggered when the vehicle gets a certain distance from where it was fetched.
 * Depending on the market value of the car, these NPCs spawn in 1-4 waves.
 * These NPCs will give up after around 30 seconds of pursuit if the player retains at least 500 yards of distance from them. If there are more waves remaining, a new wave of NPCs will spawn instead.
 * NPCs will always give up once the player is around 250 yards away from the warehouse.
 * It is generally better to deal with the waves of enemies rather than trying to get to the warehouse while on pursuit, as they will probably end up shooting the car and the player, resulting in more damage to repair at the player's expense.
 * An exception to this would be if the vehicle is being airlifted, as pursuers on the ground will be unable to shoot at the player if they remain around 500 feet from the ground, and pursuers in helicopters will not aim for the target vehicle if no players are in it, meaning that it is generally faster to quickly fly back to the Vehicle Warehouse while allowing the Cargobob - which can withstand a fair amount of bullet damage - to be shot at.
 * The one exception to this is the Heist Crew mission, as the machine guns on the pursuing Buzzard Attack Choppers will almost always disable or destroy the Cargobob before it arrives at the Vehicle Warehouse (unless the Vehicle Warehouse happens to be very close to the location of the vehicle), and will need to be destroyed as quickly as possible.
 * Another exception would be if a rival player is in the vicinity.
 * The Supervolito Carbon does not have mounted guns, so if the gunner in the copilot seat is dealt with, the helicopter will just follow the car.
 * Be wary of reckless drivers scared by long-distance gunfire from tailing enemy NPCs.