Abstract: An electronic device is installed in a vehicle used as collateral for a loan. The installed device records the location of the vehicle at periodic intervals and whenever the vehicle is stationary. The installed device also searches for and identifies a compatible Wi-Fi node that can forward data to the Internet, and transmits location information through this compatible node. The location information is stored in a central database, where it can be used to form a location profile for the vehicle and predict the vehicle's location based on past history for a given time of day or day of week. If the loan enters a past-due status, the location profile is accessed by users such as the lender, loan servicer, vehicle retriever, and associated users. Upon arriving within the vicinity of a predicted location, vehicles are more precisely located with the aid of a Wi-Fi capable mobile device.