Have you ever wondered why cars are absent in The Sims 4? Well, it all traces back to a time in The Sims 3 when we weren't considered trustworthy with them. As a gamer who missed out on playing the series' flagship game, I've been rediscovering The Sims 3 over the past few years. And one fascinating discovery I made while browsing 11-year-old let's play videos is that in The Sims 3, you can swipe entire cars from other Sims and make a profit by selling them.

Understanding Kleptomania in The Sims 3

Kleptomania, a trait that holds a special place in any game, is a must-have in The Sims 3. It gives your sim the ability to "swipe something" when visiting another house or out in town after dark. There's no shame in taking a little from others, even if it's from the bathroom during a party. You can even shove an entire Sloppy Jalopy into your pocket without much difficulty. As long as there are no witnesses after 7 pm, your sim can stand near an unattended vehicle, and the "swipe something" interaction will usually pick it up as the nearest rehomeable object.The stolen items go into the household inventory accessible from Build/Buy mode. You can either park the new ride in your own driveway or choose to sell it. I once netted 870 simoleons from my first jalopy theft, which was quite a haul for my bottom-of-the-ladder professional criminal.However, be warned that you can also get thrown in jail in The Sims 3. I'm not sure if it was due to hijacking rides or being on the criminal career track, but after serving my time, the officers returned my entire inventory, including the toilet roll I stole from someone's home. This only made me more daring.

Turning Car Snagging into a Side Hustle

Now, I'm determined to make car snatching my full-time side hustle. I've been sneaking around the neighborhood late at night, looking for houses with unlocked cars. I even loitered outside the 28 Hour Gym and managed to get two different cars. My second score, the Yoshomoto Evasion, sold for a cool 1,410 simoleons, which is a substantial payday in a single night.But life is full of surprises. On my way home from the gym one night, a thief broke into my house and stole my entire toilet. I rushed back, hoping to confront the thief and demand some solidarity. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to interact with a robbery in progress, but we did find some unexpected common ground.When I caught him trying to steal another appliance from my kitchen, I got the "attractive company" moodlet, which means my sim and the thief have an attraction for each other. A popup even suggested that he wanted to get to know me better. This is the kind of silly sandbox stuff that makes the game so enjoyable.So, it turns out that crime really pays in The Sims 3, and sometimes you can even get a date out of it. There is also a kleptomaniac trait in The Sims 4, which is fun in its own way. But my brief experience as a thief in The Sims 3 reminds me of how the earlier parts of the series were such delightful sandbox simulations.