There were a number of women who were murdered or went missing in that general area in the late 1970’s-early 80’s but none bare any obvious similarities to this case. It is extremely unusual for a stranger abduction to result in a vehicle disappearance.
The report that she was “being bothered” by two men at the Lodi gas station is certainly worth noting. Still, she was almost home at the time and there was no stretch of road between Lodi and her home in the Stonewood area of Stockton that wouldn’t have had some traffic at that time of night.
According to Google Earth, there are no obvious bodies of water along her route today that she could have driven into ( were there in 1981?)
Anyone who follows True Crime understands the significance of a vehicle in a sexually motivated abduction case. If the victim is abducted from her vehicle, it is generally left at the crime scene. If the victim’s own vehicle is used in the abduction, it presents a problem for the abductor. If the vehicle is left at at the site of subsequent crime ( rape/murder/dump site), it would be very incriminating. Even if it is driven well away from any crime site it still might contain forensic evidence and the perpetrator must have transportation back. Torching the vehicle is the usual answer but dumping the vehicle where it won’t be found, such as a body of water, also works. Abandoned vehicles, when they are found, will generally have their VIN run by Law Enforcement but that might not be done if the vehicle has been there for years.
It is possible that two men staged a fender bender and then one forced her to follow the other to some site. Later the car was dumped where it wasn’t found. I am not aware of any other crime in the region, at the time that fit the pattern.