I had my 98 Civic LX stolen back in January, never recovered. I'm buying another Civic, this time a 99 EX from a friend. I live near downtown Raleigh and have to use street parking. How the fuck do I prevent this one from being stolen?

Lojack seems legit but it's like 700 bucks. I'm thinking of getting theft coverage, although I don't how much that'll end up costing. Any suggestions?

3/23/2012 1:34:05 PM

Install an electrical system kill switch and hide it somewhere in your interior. Can't hot wire a car if you have one of those.

3/23/2012 1:52:21 PM

A lot of car thieves use tow trucks now. According to the detectives, you can take a car older than 10 years old to the scrapyard and they don't actually have to verify that you are the registered owner.

3/23/2012 2:29:00 PM

The Club:



http://store.winner-intl.com/steering-wheel--pedal-locks-c4.aspx

[Edited on March 23, 2012 at 2:30 PM. Reason : ^ weak]

3/23/2012 2:29:51 PM

^^damn. Not much you can do about it being towed away. LoJack would really be your only option.

3/23/2012 2:41:49 PM

Lojack is easily defeatable with a VHF jammer assuming the car is being taken to a spot to be stripped for parts and dumped. It seems like most of the Honda thefts around here end up being stripped and the shell dumped on the side of a desolate road somewhere.

A good alarm installed by a real pro (not Best Buy!) and a good insurance policy would probably be top on my list if I were worried about it. Not much more you can do with street parking.

3/23/2012 3:21:45 PM

My Firebird had an ignition kill system. You pulled the chip when you left the car, and even if someone had the key they wouldn't be able to start it.

3/23/2012 3:26:11 PM

a DIY lojack-esque system should be easy enough to rig yourself...just get a crappy GSM (at&t) phone and throw in a pay-as-you-go SIM...i'm sure the intarwebs can help

there's always something like this, which is pretty much the same thing and might easier (though at $130, probably not cheaper than a DIY project): http://www.integratedtrackers.com/GPSTrack/Products.jsp

[Edited on March 23, 2012 at 3:43 PM. Reason : .]

3/23/2012 3:42:37 PM

my '98 GS-R got stolen and stripped in '03

get some locking hood pins: looks like they went through the fender well to pull the hood release cable for access to the engine compartment / battery / alarm siren

get a good alarm: one that alerts you if your car starts moving when you're away from it

park it in the same place and get a webcam set up on it: one that you can monitor online

lock it in a garage

get lo-jack


or just get a good cash value insurance policy and don't keep anything inside it

my car was immaculate, easily worth 12k with low miles with brand new wheels and tires on it

my insurance blew: I only got rental coverage for 3 days after the car was reported stolen and they treated me like I'd stolen it and were very unhelpful


You can spend your time and money worrying about this or just protect yourself and your property as best you can. In the end, if someone wants it bad enough, it's gonna get taken. Just don't make it easy or tempting for them.

3/23/2012 3:43:17 PM

Solution:

Get your own tire boot lock and put some fake parking tickets on the dash.

http://www.amazon.com/GOLIATH-There-escaping-this-one/dp/B0052MAZVA/ref=pd_sim_sbs_misc_3



Or, get a bumper sticker made that says: "There's a new BMW right around the corner..."

[Edited on March 23, 2012 at 4:08 PM. Reason : ]

3/23/2012 4:07:00 PM

Quote :

"a DIY lojack-esque system should be easy enough to rig yourself...just get a crappy GSM (at&t) phone and throw in a pay-as-you-go SIM...i'm sure the intarwebs can help there's always something like this, which is pretty much the same thing and might easier (though at $130, probably not cheaper than a DIY project): http://www.integratedtrackers.com/GPSTrack/Products.jsp"

I had something like this for my motorcycle when I rode on the street. basically you get a boost mobile phone with integrated gps and you pay something like $0.25/day for unlimited EDGE data access. this will help you track your car but won't help prevent theft, as pretty much nothing will with a tow truck in play.

http://blog.makezine.com/2008/02/29/diy-gps-tracking-with-mol/

[Edited on March 23, 2012 at 4:13 PM. Reason : grammarz]

3/23/2012 4:13:10 PM

To the OP, was your 98 Civic LX stolen by parking on the streets of downtown Raleigh?

Lots of great advice here but there is no real deterrent, so insurance would be your best bet.
Except I really like JBaz's solution.

3/23/2012 4:13:16 PM

I mean, they really have to want your pos car to get around a booted car. If it looks like it was tagged by the city (meaning someone with a tow truck could be on their way at any point), its really a good deterrent and a great way to park in any place you want. lol

3/23/2012 4:24:00 PM

don't buy the civic

i find it funny (and relieving) that 240sx's are so popular and easy to get into, yet you never really hear about them getting stolen

3/23/2012 4:31:18 PM

aren't they like the most stolen used vehicles today?

Shit, get an old Saturn, they may burn some oil, but they are generally cheap, easy to work on and last quiet a bit... among shitty cars. Plus you can leave that bitch anywhere with your doors unlocked, windows down and keys in the center console and not fret about anyone stealing or doing shit to your car; Shit... people might throw loose change in because they feel bad for you. lol

3/23/2012 4:37:14 PM

I considered mentioning to have your own boot, but if the thieves are using a tow truck then it's pointless because that won't matter.

3/23/2012 4:39:09 PM

I also ready somewhere civics and camrys were the most stolen. Why is that? I doubt it's because they are easy to get to, they shouldn't be any different than other cars.

3/23/2012 4:40:14 PM

because they're the most popular cars on the road

3/23/2012 4:49:56 PM

Don't buy a car so easy to chop and part out.

3/23/2012 4:50:06 PM

So many parts on Hondas and Toyotas are interchangeable across their entire range of vehicles. So that fact, combined with high sales numbers, means good theft targets.

Fuck man, S2000 owners have a really big problem with having their seats stolen. Apparently they bolt right into a Civic. Some companies sell seat locks which I have considered. However I would imagine that if a thief came across seat locks when trying to sell my seats that he would just rip the seats to bits as punishment.

3/23/2012 4:55:48 PM

Quote :

"if the thieves are using a tow truck then it's pointless because that won't matter."

True, but you are creating a physical obstacle that requires a little bit of extra work; only provides as a piece of deterrent more than anything. Sure they can jack it up, put some dolly's under it and roll it on a flat bed; a little more time involved and exposes them a bit more.

I mean if you want to get mental with it, jack the car up and set the car on some cinderblocks... Take the wheel with you.

3/23/2012 4:59:53 PM

btw your new EX has a hotter motor (if you can call 130hp SOHC VTEC "hot") and may be a more likely target than that LX. I dunno wtf they were thinking on that first one.

I always associate civic thefts with the rice rocket crowd, not so much the chop shop crowd.

3/23/2012 5:36:58 PM

^^^*steal, not sell

3/23/2012 6:06:18 PM

Ugh. I guess I'll just get a shittier car that's less reliable and worse on gas.

This is why we can't have nice things, humanity.

3/23/2012 6:09:59 PM

Just get insurance & quit worrying about it.

3/23/2012 6:33:41 PM

I've seen people claim insurance companies straight up total early s2k's with high miles when those seats are taken. Apparently honda wants 4-5k for new ones

3/23/2012 6:35:30 PM

Quote :

"Ugh. I guess I'll just get a shittier car that's less reliable and worse on gas. This is why we can't have nice things, humanity."

I pretty much proved this when I was 16.


Whenever someone has a rich and nice car, someone makes it their duty to key it or vandalize it in some way. Cops make it their duty to pull you over.

3/23/2012 6:42:35 PM

Quote :

"Shit, get an old Saturn, they may burn some oil, but they are generally cheap, easy to work on and last quiet a bit... among shitty cars. Plus you can leave that bitch anywhere with your doors unlocked, windows down and keys in the center console and not fret about anyone stealing or doing shit to your car; Shit... people might throw loose change in because they feel bad for you. lol"

this is me and my saturn i'll keep it till it kicks the bucket, though!

but hey now, in 2003, the 1995 SL was the most stolen car: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5057824/ns/business-autos/t/saturn-sl-most-stolen-vehicle-us/

3/23/2012 6:50:15 PM

Quote :

" just get a good cash value insurance policy"

3/23/2012 8:32:42 PM

I wish someone would steal my car. I think the insurance value would be more than i could get selling it, or repairing the list of minor shit.

3/23/2012 11:12:11 PM

My sister's '97 EX after it was stolen and missing for a month or so. They left the engine, hell they even left her CD's in it. They just took the four doors and the wheels. Bastards

I was surprised it wasn't either the ricer crowd looking for a new engine or the crush a car >10 years old crowd for scrap metal. I don't see how they make much of anything off four doors and wheels.

3/24/2012 12:35:56 AM

your sister must have bought it from a drug lord who stashed pat dabney's cocaine product in the wheels and door liner...

3/24/2012 7:05:01 AM

^^ Well for starters, you don't steal the car first and then decide how to maximize your profits. Also a vehicles doors are full of goodies, power window motors, regulators, glass, door latches and power lock actuators are all high demand parts.

Quote :

"2009 1. 1994 Honda Accord 2. 1995 Honda Civic 3. 1991 Toyota Camry 4. 1997 Ford F-150 Pickup 5. 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup 6. 2000 Dodge Caravan 7. 1994 Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size) 8. 1994 Acura Integra 9. 2002 Ford Explorer 10. 2009 Toyota Corolla"

Quote :

"2010 1. 1994 Honda Accord 2. 1995 Honda Civic 3. 1991 Toyota Camry 4. 1999 Chevy Silverado 5. 1997 Ford F-150 6. 2004 Dodge Ram 7. 2000 Dodge Caravan 8. 1994 Acura Integra 9. 2002 Ford Explorer 10. 1999 Ford Taurus"

Quote :

"2011 1. 1996 Honda Accord 2. 2000 Honda Civic 3. 1993 Toyota Camry 4. 1998 Ford F-150 5. 2002 Ford Explorer 6. 1999 Dodge Caravan 7. 1999 Chevy Silverado 8. 1999 Ford Taurus 9. 2006 Nissan Altima 10. 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee"

The 94-97 Accords, late 90's Civics, and early 90's Camrys will keep topping the list until there aren't any left.

3/24/2012 5:30:13 PM