About the takedown bit, I also get random takedowns sometimes. No one is near me, and I didn't make any contact, but suddenly I get this takedown message. I used to think it was just lag, but now I'm thinking you can takedown someone indirectly. So if you do a traffic check and the traffic vehicle hits the other car and cause him to wreck, you will get a takedown message even though you didn't crash into him on purpose! At least that's what I thought...
Matter of fact, I'm incredibly bad at performing takedowns if the other vehicle is driving side-by-side. I can't seem to make him lose control and hit the wall. On the other hand, if someone tries to take me down, all they do is give me a little tap and I can't control my car anymore. Few milliseconds later I kiss the wall and wrecks. Mind-boggling...