How dangerous is it driving an expensive car in Lawrence? (Boston: 2014, buy)

[yongjoon123]

Hi, I have to move my job to Lawrence MA and after speaking to some of my friends, they told me I am stupid for doing it. I am a young Asian male with a Maserati as my only vehicle. I have been reading news articles about people in nice cars in Lawrence get shot/robbed like the two women in the silver BMW. I am afraid of the potential racism that I will face and on top of that, a lot of people have told me I am a 'pretty' boy and I do not look intimidating despite my tall height. I currently live in Boston and feel very safe walking around by myself and driving around in my car, how different will Lawrence be?

Thank you

[rethcir]

I worked in Lawrence for about a year. You're in for a culture shock definitely.

Lawrence is improving a lot under the current mayor, but it's still the kind of place where you are likely to see a lot more car crime, theft of wheels and parts, vandalism, and break ins.

Hopefully your prospective employer has a parking garage or lot, with some form of security. I assume a Maserrati has an alarm installed from the factory. You may wish to install LoJack as well. And locking wheel lug nuts.

Just because you work in Lawrence doesn't mean you have to live in Lawrence. There are some very nice towns nearby such as Andover, North Andover, etc.

When I'm up there I try to be conscious of the image I'm projecting when I go out on the street. Flaunting wealth might make people feel jealous, subconsciously or not. There is a lot of poverty there and you may find it hard to make meaningful connections with people if you create a feeling of inadequacy for them. You may also make yourself a target for theft. I certainly wouldn't flaunt around a nice Rolex or Omega or whatever.

Is your job going to have you interacting with the average joe in the street in Lawrence? If it's just you going to an office for 40 hours a week. You will be pretty insulated from the daily reality of Lawrence.

In all honesty, I find that in the shops, cafe's, restaurants, and bars I've been to in Lawrence, people are very genuine and down to earth. Sure they may be a little more brusque than your hipper Boston establishments, but everyone's in the same rat race and ultimately we're all just trying to get by day to day.

[yongjoon123]

Thank you for the detailed reply! Yes my car has advanced security system installed and a dash cam. I will be in a parking lot for most of the day. I will try to take the steps to my myself as least of a target as possible.

[Ninotchka P]

Exercise some common sense and buy a second car for work.

[sal1181]

I live right next door to Lawrence and I have seen many luxury cars in the city. Never seen a Maserati there before though .

[GeoffD]

If it's in one of the buildings off River Road/Andover Street, it's no different than working on the Andover side of the line off I-93/River Road. If it's in downtown Lawrence around where Route 28 crosses the river, I wouldn't park an expensive car there every day. In December when it's dark at 4:00, that's just asking for problems. There are also the problems with narrow city streets with cars parked on both sides and all the pot holes.

So it depends where in Lawrence.

[MikePRU]

Buy a beater

[alidmc]

Originally Posted by yongjoon123

Hi, I have to move my job to Lawrence MA and after speaking to some of my friends, they told me I am stupid for doing it. I am a young Asian male with a Maserati as my only vehicle. I have been reading news articles about people in nice cars in Lawrence get shot/robbed like the two women in the silver BMW. I am afraid of the potential racism that I will face and on top of that, a lot of people have told me I am a 'pretty' boy and I do not look intimidating despite my tall height. I currently live in Boston and feel very safe walking around by myself and driving around in my car, how different will Lawrence be?

Thank you

There is a lot of gang and drug activity in Lawrence. I think you would be fine if you had to drive through there every once in awhile, but everyday is playing with fire. It's not just car theft you should be worried about. I would be more concerned about getting robbed/carjacked, especially if you are driving the same route everyday.

Buy a cheaper car. Just avoid older model Toyotas and Hondas, as they are commonly stolen for parts. Below is a link to a list from 2014. You can probably find a more recent list.

https://www.esurance.com/info/car/to...ly-stolen-cars

I would also suggest living in Andover/North Andover or other surrounding towns.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by UKChap

Back in the 80's, (I grew up one town over from Lawrence), the car theft rate, per capita, was 2nd only to Newark NJ, in the entire US. It got to the point that the police set up a special task force to concentrate on auto theft. There were over 3,000 cars a year stolen. Things may have changed, as it was quite a while ago. I remember the riots near Treat Hardware store. One interesting statistic was that an unusual number of stolen cars from Lawrence ended up in Boston, and an unusual number of stolen cars in Boston ended up in Lawrence. When finally solved, two guys who worked in Boston but lived in Lawrence would steal two cars every day, to get to and from work. In a DM I can tell you a few streets you don't want to drive on.

It's very difficult to steal any new car. The ignition key or keyless ignition key fob has an RFID chip in it. A dealer will have the equipment to reprogram the car for a new RFID chip via the ODB-II port. A junkie in Lawrence won't be able to do it unless they happen to own a flatbed truck.

[mmyk72]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

It's very difficult to steal any new car. The ignition key or keyless ignition key fob has an RFID chip in it. A dealer will have the equipment to reprogram the car for a new RFID chip via the ODB-II port. A junkie in Lawrence won't be able to do it unless they happen to own a flatbed truck.

Those junkies can still smash the window just as easily though.