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buy a Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor... No one has ever even looked at my car except to be worried. Black with black tints... Looks scary and not even solicitors knock on my door anymore.
Sounds like you were doing some advertising. Did you have brand name stickers on the outside or windows of your car? Did you drive around with the stereo so loud it vibrated the neighbors homes? Did you put flashy stuff inside to show off your stereo and speakers? If you did any of the above I call that advertising.
The only sticker on my car is one that says Ohio State Football. I built the system for sound quality, not sound pressure level, so it doesn't get loud. And I listen to country music primarily, so there is no 'bump' to speak of, and I definitely wouldn't play my music loud in my neighborhood out of respect for the other homeowners. The speakers were in the cargo area, covered by the tarp/blinder thing so nobody could ever tell it was there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by car54
You're going to get rid of the car because somebody stole the radio?
Well, not exactly, though I suppose that's the way I made it sound. It just brought to my attention that maybe it's time for me to get something a little more conservative. There are times I feel like a kid when driving a car. I suppose that's mostly due to the type of people it gets attention from.
But the car is 12 years old now and the time is approaching that it will need to be replaced. I'm mostly entertaining ideas of what to replace it with, because I don't need/want all the flash anymore.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blazer prophet
Someone seems to be targeting you and I don't think it has anything to do with what kind of car you drive. As a loooooooooooooong time claims adjuster, you've had too many thefts to be all a coincidence.
Like I said, they're not all recent. And unless someone is following me from Ohio (2 car break-ins, both different people) to NC (1 car break-in, 1 storage unit break-in while deployed) to Ohio again (1 storage unit break-in) and then to SC (1 car break-in), they are a coincidence.
Quote:
Originally Posted by greggd
You need to secure your vehicle. Do you park in an open lot, outside? etc. If you pull your car into a garage, its going to be safe.
I don't have room in the garage, so it sits in my driveway. I'm all the way in the back corner of our neighborhood and the only one who ever drives by is the mail man (there is an average of 3 cars a week that pass my house) so it's not like lots of people see what I have when I unload the groceries.
Plus my neighborhood is 95% law enforcement & military. You'd think I would be ok.
Quote:
Originally Posted by spyderman33
buy a Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor... No one has ever even looked at my car except to be worried.
Yeah, that's why I miss the LeSabre. The one I had many years ago was so safe that I would often leave the windows down. Our block was hit with break-ins and this time my car was the only one that wasn't touched.
I like the Crown Vics but was talking to a buddy about them one day and he said they got horrible mileage (like 8MPG). What do you average?
Oh just buy a used Ford Taurus....there has never been a more boring, plain looking, run of the mill, non discript looking car....but from what I hear they are dependable and fairly inexpensive.
Personally, I've never owned anything quite that boring. Always had a two door car with some flash to it. Also had them broken into twice which sucks.
The only sticker on my car is one that says Ohio State Football. I built the system for sound quality, not sound pressure level, so it doesn't get loud. And I listen to country music primarily, so there is no 'bump' to speak of, and I definitely wouldn't play my music loud in my neighborhood out of respect for the other homeowners. The speakers were in the cargo area, covered by the tarp/blinder thing so nobody could ever tell it was there.
Well, not exactly, though I suppose that's the way I made it sound. It just brought to my attention that maybe it's time for me to get something a little more conservative. There are times I feel like a kid when driving a car. I suppose that's mostly due to the type of people it gets attention from.
But the car is 12 years old now and the time is approaching that it will need to be replaced. I'm mostly entertaining ideas of what to replace it with, because I don't need/want all the flash anymore.
Like I said, they're not all recent. And unless someone is following me from Ohio (2 car break-ins, both different people) to NC (1 car break-in, 1 storage unit break-in while deployed) to Ohio again (1 storage unit break-in) and then to SC (1 car break-in), they are a coincidence.
I don't have room in the garage, so it sits in my driveway. I'm all the way in the back corner of our neighborhood and the only one who ever drives by is the mail man (there is an average of 3 cars a week that pass my house) so it's not like lots of people see what I have when I unload the groceries.
Plus my neighborhood is 95% law enforcement & military. You'd think I would be ok.
Yeah, that's why I miss the LeSabre. The one I had many years ago was so safe that I would often leave the windows down. Our block was hit with break-ins and this time my car was the only one that wasn't touched.
I like the Crown Vics but was talking to a buddy about them one day and he said they got horrible mileage (like 8MPG). What do you average?
My suggestion would be to make room in your garage for the car. You have obviously put alot of time, effort and money into the car and unfortunately these days it is risky to leave a car like that sitting outside. Since your car is not in plain view it sounds like whoever broke into it knew what they were looking for. Someone may have figured out that you had a nice sound system and followed you home or something. If a car is kept in a locked garage, that adds one more level of difficulty for a thief and they will usually go look for an easier target.
You sound like you need a quality alarm system, since if all your stuff keeps getting stolen, its probably just that you live in a crappy area.
Who installed the stereo equipment? If they knew just what to get, it was probably the people that installed it or sold it to you. Also, do you blast your music in your neighborhood? That's a good way to advertise to people that you have stuff to steal.
Get a good 2-way alarm for your car, with LEDs for showing its armed, and have the alarm custom installed. Default is to wire it under the driver's side dash, to the car battery. Mount the alarm under the back seat with its own alarm battery so it can't be easily disabled.
Definitely put the car in the garage. If you have two storage sheds and a garage full of stuff, you have too much stuff. Instead of spending $150/mo ($1,800 a year) just to store stuff, sell it off and save some money, plus use a garage for its intended purpose.
If you have a garage, put a light with a motion sensor on the garage to illuminate the car. Heck, even go and get a security camera installed.
Also, if you want a more understated car, try a Subaru Legacy GT Ltd - add a Cobb performance chip and you will have the full STI engine in a more "adult" and less flashy car, but it is still a great performer.
It sounds like you are being reasonable, and not showing off your subs at the local street races, lol. But I still have to put in one more vote that someone knew your car had equipment in it. An Outback isn't a high-profile car that I'd suspect a thief to be on the lookout for in the least; nor would I expect them to drive down a lonely street and pick it to have something worth the effort. Do you know if you're the only victim on your block? Anyone else park outside?
I bet someone had to know you had something worth stealing. The guys at the sound shop where you may have bought your stuff from would be my prime suspects. I've dealt with some of those types (my family used to own an audio shop). We had multiple employees steal from the shelves, and we suspected some of them from breaking into customers cars after the sale. Got any less than trustworthy friends? Everyone knew which cars had what in them, no matter how low-profile you try to be, and I wouldn't trust any of them farther than I could see. Could it even be some of the military guys on your street, saw you installing one day? My point is that if it's time to replace the car, do it, but I'd want to solve that mystery before upgrading the stereo again.
Yeah, that's why I miss the LeSabre. The one I had many years ago was so safe that I would often leave the windows down. Our block was hit with break-ins and this time my car was the only one that wasn't touched.
I like the Crown Vics but was talking to a buddy about them one day and he said they got horrible mileage (like 8MPG). What do you average?
We have a fleet of Town Cars... the worst we see is about 17 or 18 mpg. Of course you can make it much worse with a heavy foot. A Crown Vic or a civilian Caprice are my choice of blend in vehicles... I know EXACTLY your dilemma and what you are seeking out.
I don't have room in the garage, so it sits in my driveway. I'm all the way in the back corner of our neighborhood and the only one who ever drives by is the mail man (there is an average of 3 cars a week that pass my house) so it's not like lots of people see what I have when I unload the groceries.
Plus my neighborhood is 95% law enforcement & military. You'd think I would be ok.
I bet if you do anything nice to your car (or even don't), you're gonna get broken into. Probably has more to do with where you're parking it.
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