a 71-year-old he bought his '67 Dart from the original owner because it reminded him of "the old days." Then his car was stolen six months ago, but the cops got an anon "crimestoppers" tip

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office says its detectives followed up on an anonymous tip from Valley Crime Stoppers about 50-year-old Robert Lopez and it turns out, he was familiar to some detectives. "He has a quite a history with auto theft and other criminal activity,"

The car was indeed found with Lopez

https://kmph.com/news/local/67-dodge-dart-returned-to-owner-after-being-stolen

It's rare, but now and then, they are recovered and the owner gets their stolen car back! 

By the way, notice that the cops did nothing but put the news out that the car was stolen, and checked the location. They do not actually search for stolen cars. Once your car is stolen, you may as well look for it yourself, and do your own investigation.