Cold Wire A Car

Would it be possible to make the stuff about how to kill a car permanently without leaving and signs of tampering a feature? I've got a part in my book where a car needs to be quickly permanently disabled but other than making the engine inop, it can't hurt any person in or near the car and the result is that the car just won't start. So no fireball explosions and you can keep your C4 in your basement. Pour something into the gas tank? Puncture the oil pan? That last one is no good because it would take too long; can't have the driver walk up to the vehicle and notice a river of dinosaur juice draining into the azaleas. So my character would have to flop on his back, punch a hole in the pan and stand there waiting for the oil to drain. Won't work. Flattening the tires won't work because that doesn't permanently and massively damage the ability to drive the car. Messing with the brakes would be dangerous to a driver and any passengers, as well as any innocent third party.