And if you are the owner, why are you blowing up your own car? You'd almost always make a better statement by selling your Torah/car and giving the money to charity.

Do you think that would have the same degree of emotional satisfaction as a symbol of their break with the religion?

Personally, I don't get that flinch thinking about a person desecrating their own Torah, but I'd caution anyone planning to do so to make sure that the symbolic action is actually worth tens of thousands of dollars to them, because it's a very expensive way to purchase fuzzies.