Shitty Ask Lemmy

Not much compared to hazmat violations, but still a lot. Basically you need to have a associate who rarely is around you, who then employs a sort of middle management type of guy who has a crew that lifts cars, then you need some barrier type of outfit that moves the stolen cars into a grey/black market, preferably overseas. The idea is no one ever realize you're bankrolling these activities, then you have to be weary of RICO charges. Now, ideally you don't do any real business in your country, but instead move the stolen property to other countries. Or target the wealthiest people in other countries so you can essentially launder their money into markets they may have sanctions in.

If the victim is willing to sell the car and you just insist on being a dick who steals it, then sends a lawyer to buy it and bribe them not to press charges, maybe about two or three times the cost of the car to spare should do.

If they won't sell it, congrats, cost goes up exponentially, involving hitmen, covering your tracks, paying their estate off and/or bribing officials. Easilly a Hundred grand or so, plus the value of the car.

If you insist on a form of theft that never makes the victim "whole" in some manner, and still want to be able to drive the thing around, you're chopshopping the VIN, stealing plates, smuggling it out of the country(likely involving a boat large enough to transport it, and/or a semi), and at least one illegal border crossing.

TL;DR: Stealing a car with the intention of "getting away with it" via money would almost always cost exponentially more than buying the car.