Oakland car thefts? (San Jose, San Francisco, Vallejo: rental car, 2013, apartment)

[gdani]

Is car theft a legitimate worry in Oakland? I've read recent headlines that Oakland's car theft rate has skyrocketed in recent years, but I'm wondering -- does this affect Oakland residents on a daily basis? Are people in Oakland wary of leaving their car in certain areas? I'm curious.

recent headline about Oakland car theft
[url=http://oaklandnorth.net/2013/11/14/oakland-a-growing-hotbed-for-auto-theft/]Oakland a growing hotbed for auto theft | Oakland North[/url]

[jade408]

Originally Posted by gdani

Is car theft a legitimate worry in Oakland? I've read recent headlines that Oakland's car theft rate has skyrocketed in recent years, but I'm wondering -- does this affect Oakland residents on a daily basis? Are people in Oakland wary of leaving their car in certain areas? I'm curious.

recent headline about Oakland car theft
Oakland a growing hotbed for auto theft | Oakland North

Not especially.

But if you have one of the hondas from the 80s to the mid 90s where Honda only had 7 key variations and you can use a ballpoint pen to open the door, you definitely should worry. Those cars are really easy to steal, and their parts are valuable.

Also Toyotas from a similar era are a hot commodity because the Lexus and Toyota parts are interchangeable. It is pretty hard to steal a newer car these days.....so someone needs to be pretty committed.

The Ten Most Stolen Cars In America And The Three You Should Steal

[LunaticVillage]

With all due respect, its not just Oakland, the entire Bay Area is the car theft capital of America. Its just as bad, if not worse, in Vallejo. The rate is high in San Francisco as well. Five Bay Area cities made the top ten worst cities for car theft in America list.

Auto thefts plague Bay Area - San Jose Mercury News

However, the good thing about the Bay Area is that many houses are equipped with built-in garages, especially in San Francisco. When I lived in SF, the car was always parked in the garage of the house. And it could be worse. At least the Bay Area is not the carjacking capital like Newark, New Jersey. It must be scary driving a car in Essex County, NJ.

[bay2bay]

I see much more shattered glass among the curb when walking around San Francisco then I do in Oakland. But, the only parts of Oakland I walk around in are Piedmont Ave. neighborhood, Grand Lake, Lake Merritt, Rockridge. I imagine it is as bad as San Francisco, if not worse, in some of the sketchier Oakland neighborhoods.

[04kL4nD]

It's all over the Bay Area. I used to park my car on the street in West Oakland and nothing happened other than some kids throwing a rock through a window on a hot summer night. Glad to have a garage at my new apartment now, but I honestly never worried about my car getting stolen much. Common sense dictates that you NEVER leave ANY visible objects in the car in urban areas. My father learned this the hard way when he left his government issued laptop in the back seat of a rental car near Crissy Field in SF. We were gone maybe 10 mins and it was gone. Broad daylight, mind you. Luckily, he got it back the next day. Something tells me that if it has been a personal Macbook, he wouldn't have been so lucky.

[West Coast Republican]

Car theft is the least of your worries in Oaklandmod cut.

Car theft is a pretty common crime in the Bay Area though, not just Oakland. Keep your car parked in either a garage or a busy area. Don't park it in a quiet lot or back alley.

[Tallysmom]

Drive a stick.

A lot of cars have been stolen in my neighborhood.... except our manual shifts....

[Ultrarunner]

^^^ I was just going to say that.

Lots of cars stolen in the Bay Area... family members cars have been stolen and none were stolen in Oakland.

That said, SF and Oakland are not car friendly when your car is parked on the street.

Way too many dings, scratches and popped windows.

One of my friends is on her third car in 5 years... she works in SF and it's amazing what her cars look like after 6 months and Oakland is not much better.

Anyone with a car they care about needs at a minimum off street parking... garage is better.