...and right outside my front door, while I was asleep upstairs. They smashed the window and grabbed my CB radio, radar detector, GPS, mobile scanner, iPod, & a portable DVD player. They even took the insurance card from the glovebox! I know it's foolish to leave valuables in the car but I got complacent since the car is parked right outside the front door in a cluster of close-together townhouses. This is the second auto burglary I've had happen, the first happening in my mechanic's parking lot; lost my stereo that time.

I guess it's a cautionary tale - don't leave anything valuable in the car.

3/28/2008 9:45:02 AM

Quote :

"GPS, mobile scanner, iPod, & a portable DVD player"

you had all that shit in your car in plain sight?

3/28/2008 9:46:23 AM

what part of town do you live in?

3/28/2008 9:47:12 AM

they busted your window? This is why I keep my doors unlocked and just trash in my car. It's probably been broken into several times and the robbers I'd imagine are saying "Fuck this loser"

3/28/2008 9:48:38 AM

he went that way

3/28/2008 9:48:43 AM

That sucks.

3/28/2008 9:51:36 AM

Quote :

"I got complacent"

Man, I won't even leave my DS Lite on the car seat. I hide my fuckin' car adapters 'cause I know people would break in for whatever they go to.

3/28/2008 9:56:12 AM

GPS was in the glovebox, dvd player was under the driver's seat. They must have been looking into windows with a flashlight. The CB antenna probably drew their attention in the first place. I was a little surprised that they'd steal a $40 handheld CB but I guess some meth money is better than none at all. The fucker(s) even stole a $10 DC power strip I got at Target!

I live in Greensboro in a decent townhouse neighborhood but there are some sketchy apartments down the street. Then again my wife suspects there might be hoodlums right in our neighborhood that case places. I'm thinking of getting an alarm system for the car but most thieves are too quick for it to be of any use. From now on I'm not leaving anything valuable in the car that can be grabbed or snipped out.

3/28/2008 9:59:14 AM

damn they cleaned up on you

3/28/2008 10:49:18 AM

my car's been burglarized/vandalized twice as well.

it's nice to think that if you don't leave valuables within view in your car, that you'll be safe.

but the very very very sad fact of the matter is that a lot of times people will break into your car just to see what's in there. I'd imagine their thought process goes something like this "Well, I don't see anything of value while looking through the window, but I bet there's something in there anyway. So I'll just break in and see"

3/28/2008 10:53:22 AM

ever read the campus news paper?
they've been tell you that shit fro the last 4 months





tardmonkey

3/28/2008 10:53:33 AM

get an IR camera.


record car at night


$profit

3/28/2008 10:54:35 AM

as least they didn't shit in your center console

3/28/2008 10:56:08 AM

^^ even that would most likely leave you with a video tape of a dark parking lot with very little detail of who actually broke in

3/28/2008 10:56:21 AM

what year make and model was the car?

if somebody REALLY wants to break into your car, the only thing you can do to prevent it is be at your car 24/7 which is obviously not feasible

but i've noticed over the last few years the people i know who have had their whips broken into are mostly new suburbans, navigators, etc...my work truck with shitty paint job hasnt been touched even though i have plenty of valuable shit in there

3/28/2008 10:57:23 AM

message_topic.aspx?topic=520298

ah shit, even your shitty strobes got stolen.

3/28/2008 10:57:35 AM

This is why I keep my doors unlocked and just trash in my car.

3/28/2008 10:59:17 AM

the only thing that i leave in my car is my satellite radio receiver because if it gets stolen, oh well i just cancel the service on it

3/28/2008 11:01:49 AM

well, Aficionado, what you're not thinking about is this....

the people that usually break in aren't professionals.

when they break in, they're probably not going to pick the lock. they're going to smash your window in instead
when they break in, they're not going to gracefully remove your receiver. they're going to tear up your console because they don't know what they're doing


the last time they broke into my truck, they did about $1000 worth of damage just to the console trying to get the CD receiver (which they still couldn't get out).

3/28/2008 11:06:05 AM

well i guess i just dont really give a shit then

3/28/2008 11:08:36 AM

Quote :

"when they break in, they're probably not going to pick the lock. they're going to smash your window in instead"

i think that varies...they'd be more likely to pick a lock if it were a parking lot right outside a restaurant or something...whereas if it was the RBC Center parking lot they might smash

also it doesnt help that some car manufacturers are making their door handles easier to compromise...compare for example a 2003 suburban to a 2007 suburban...the 03 suburban has the lock built into the door, and the handle built into the door, but they're not connected they're beside each other...a 2007 on the other hand has a protruding handle with a built in lock...ie, pop a screwdriver in the lock and you can just break the handle and open the door easily...stupid ass Chevrolet

3/28/2008 11:08:56 AM

i tell you what tho, cars nowadays havnt gotten harder to break in.

maybe the deterrent has been upped (like alarms and immobilizers) but like ^ said its not difficult to break into newer cars. but they'll be screaming

3/28/2008 11:11:18 AM

meh

I'd wager that the location has less to do with it than situation itself (timewise). It's just a lot easier to smash your window in and unlock the door from the inside than it is fumbling around with the lock. People aren't trying to sit there for 3-10 minutes fucking around with a lock when they know they're doing something illegal. They're trying to break in as fast as possible...see what's inside your car...and be out before the alarm (if there is one) draws too much attention.

3/28/2008 11:12:41 AM

Quote :

"3-10 minutes fucking around with a lock"

i think you're underestimating criminals if you think it would take them nearly that long to bust a lock

my point with smash vs. break is also 3rd person perspective...if some bypasser sees you leaning in a car with the door open, they're going to probably have two very different ideas of whats going in depending on whether or not there is broken glass everywhere or not...plus the sound of breaking glass is pretty distinct....the sound of busting a door lock isnt

3/28/2008 11:14:51 AM

2 way paging alarm and a gun by the bed ftw

3/28/2008 11:15:09 AM

i cant even leave spare change in sight in my car where i live.

3/28/2008 11:17:47 AM

^^^ again, meh....

sure the sound of breaking glass is distinct and draws attention. that's why they break in when no one is around...or when everyone is asleep.

but I don't know man. I'm coming from an area where the thieves had this shit down to a science. I saw a few cars with the fuckin' windshield lifted off, placed on the ground, and everything inside looted.


but whatever, I guess it all comes down to the burglar



[Edited on March 28, 2008 at 11:19 AM. Reason : d]

3/28/2008 11:18:21 AM

damn, dude that sucks.

That reminds me, I need to clean out all that loose change laying around in my car.

3/28/2008 11:20:43 AM

the last few cars i've seen that were broken into had the door handle popped...flathead screwdriver can do it in like 10 seconds (at least on domestic SUVs made in the last few years)...but whatever

3/28/2008 11:20:49 AM

have you been seeing it around CLT much?

3/28/2008 11:23:35 AM

Quote :

"I know it's foolish to leave valuables in the car"

3/28/2008 11:24:32 AM

oh yeah Tree, the glass falls inside dawg

/photo_folder.aspx?user=2357&folder=looted&filter=

3/28/2008 11:27:15 AM

yeah shits been rampant in charlotte...at work a few months back we actually had someone:

1. cut a hole through our fence
2. break the window of a suburban
3. steal the spare tire
4. take the jack
5. jack up a different suburban
6. steal one of the wheel/tires

i heard in 2007 there were over 400+ guns stolen from vehicles that were broken into, and that was just in the downtown area

3/28/2008 11:29:30 AM

yikes

my bro's car was broken into here not too long ago. it's in the stonecrest area though

the second time that mine was jacked, they also looted about 7 other cars in my apartment complex parking lot

3/28/2008 11:31:15 AM

i live in a pretty nice area and i've never had any issues there, but when i go out i generally try to park in a good place like parallel on a busy street, or in a parking deck with cameras

you never know though

3/28/2008 11:32:38 AM

a friend of mine had his 94 accord broken into a couple weeks ago outside a rocky mount club.


took his stereo/amp.



Some cars are just more prone to break-ins. It's notoriously easy to break into that kind of honda.



http://www.crimedoctor.com/autotheft2.htm

Quote :

"Top ten most stolen cars in the USA*: * 1. 1989 Toyota Camry * 2. 1990 Toyota Camry * 3. 1991 Toyota Camry * 4. 1988 Toyota Camry * 5. 1997 Ford F-150 4X2 Pick Up * 6. 1994 Honda Accord EX * 7. 1995 Honda Accord EX * 8. 1996 Honda Accord LX * 9. 1990 Honda Accord EX * 10. 1994 Honda Accord LX * 11. 1994 Chevrolet C1500 Pick Up * 12. 1992 Honda Accord LX * 13. 1991 Acura Legend * 14. 1995 Ford Mustang * 15. 1987 Toyota Camry * 16. 1990 Honda Accord LX * 17. 1995 Honda Accord LX * 18. 1989 Chevrolet Caprice * 19. 1988 Honda Accord LX * 20. 1991 Honda Accord EX * 21. 1992 Honda Accord EX * 22. 1995 Dodge Neon * 23. 1991 Honda Accord LX * 24. 1989 Honda Accord LX * 25. 1996 Honda Accord EX * Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) 1999"

3/28/2008 11:41:35 AM

I leave the spare key to my land rover laying on the console usually (not for this reason, but because sometimes thats the only one that will turn the ignition). If they are gonna break in they better take the whole damn car, none of this stealing the radio and leaving the rest of the POS in my driveway.

3/28/2008 11:44:11 AM

wouldn't insurance have a field day with you if they found out you leave the keys in your shit on the dash?

3/28/2008 11:45:19 AM

^^ lol that reminds me of that Bait Car show.

3/28/2008 11:46:09 AM

I wish someone would steal my car...I'm so sick of it...then my grandparents would be willing to buy me a new car, or give me one of their's since they have 4...I want the mercedes!

3/28/2008 11:47:06 AM

Honestly it kind of is a bait car, about the time the cops get the APB it will most likely be breaking down on a busy street with the criminals inside.

Even funnier would be if the roadblock they always do at kent and kaplan was going and they hit it, the cops tried to give them a ticket for the expired inspection, and they just ran. I would love my laziness to pwn a car thief.

3/28/2008 11:47:11 AM

hahaha

3/28/2008 11:48:09 AM

ha. we should make a show. Call it Break Down or something. who has a video camera?

[Edited on March 28, 2008 at 11:55 AM. Reason : ]

3/28/2008 11:54:52 AM

3/28/2008 12:02:30 PM

Quote :

"CB radio, radar detector, GPS, mobile scanner, iPod, & a portable DVD player"

= $1700?

3/28/2008 12:06:36 PM

Quote :

"I leave the spare key to my land rover laying on the console usually (not for this reason, but because sometimes thats the only one that will turn the ignition). If they are gonna break in they better take the whole damn car, none of this stealing the radio and leaving the rest of the POS in my driveway."

I TRIED, BUT IT WOULDN'T CRANK.

3/28/2008 12:36:24 PM

Yeah it still wont crank.

If I can't get it started by Sunday I am gonna siphon that $80.00 worth of gas back out of it and pour that shit in my Jeep.

3/28/2008 12:44:26 PM

you better hope those gas thieves don't get to it first.

3/28/2008 12:46:49 PM

^^^^$1700 is what I would have paid for all of it brand-new.
My car is a crown victoria, I'm sure they thought it was a cop car and figured there'd be electronics and possibly guns. I also realized they stole a reflective safety vest! I keep it in case of a nighttime breakdown, but what the hell do they need with it? Wear it to their next meth party?

My neighbor said he heard teenagers outside about 1:30AM talking and laughing little shits, I already didn't like teenagers to begin with, now I really hate 'em. They probably live in the neighborhood too. I still don't know why it didn't wake me up, I'm usually a light sleeper. Would have been fun if a 6'2" hairy fat dude in his undies greeted them with a loaded 12 gauge.

My parents live in a well-to-do neighborhood in Raleigh and they've had several burglaries, only they had left the cars unlocked. Nothing valuable was in the cars though. Proves your car isn't safe anywhere except maybe a well-locked garage.

3/28/2008 1:41:20 PM

Quote :

"a reflective safety vest!"

that sounds like some shit my grandma would do.

3/28/2008 1:42:09 PM