You 'auto' know this...fact..
- Thread starter Jace
- Start date
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
Not had a car stolen..touch wood.. but I've had 3 cars broken into. 2 here in the UK and one in Spain. In Spain they smashed the drivers window.. and didn't take anything ... c uz the CD/radio was factory fitted, in the Uk one car had the lock broken and the new CD player was prised out.. and the other one was the same except they didn't break the lock, but they stole the CD player... and my jacket..
Car thefts are up about 500% here in the UK ... terrible. They say there's a car stolen every 160 seconds..
Car thefts are up about 500% here in the UK ... terrible. They say there's a car stolen every 160 seconds..
Remy
Well-known Member
- Location
- California, USA
No I haven't. I keep my car locked. I've never driven anything fancy but if someone is desperate and just wants a car, they won't care. I keep my doors locked when I drive. I used to drive home from work, often after midnight for years. I wouldn't have my windows down even in the summer.
Yes.
When I was 14, my mom's car was stolen out of our driveway.
When I was 20, my car was broken into & a stereo & a case of 8-track tapes were stolen.
5 years ago, my car was broken into & a bag in the trunk was stolen; it had emergency food, flashlight, etc. And 2 pairs of Rx glasses were stolen out of the glovebox.
Last year, someone tried to steal my new Honda, but the alarm scared him off. Door lock was destroyed.
When I was 14, my mom's car was stolen out of our driveway.
When I was 20, my car was broken into & a stereo & a case of 8-track tapes were stolen.
5 years ago, my car was broken into & a bag in the trunk was stolen; it had emergency food, flashlight, etc. And 2 pairs of Rx glasses were stolen out of the glovebox.
Last year, someone tried to steal my new Honda, but the alarm scared him off. Door lock was destroyed.
squatting dog
We don't have as far to go, as we've already been
- Location
- Arkansas, and also Florida
Oh yeah. 
While living in Ca. had my 34 Ford stolen, (from my driveway), My 57 chevy stolen, (from a storage yard), my 58 Impala stolen, (from the parking lot while at the Pomona swap meet) and my 82 S-10, (right from under my bedroom window) The only one I got back was the S-10.
While living in Ca. had my 34 Ford stolen, (from my driveway), My 57 chevy stolen, (from a storage yard), my 58 Impala stolen, (from the parking lot while at the Pomona swap meet) and my 82 S-10, (right from under my bedroom window) The only one I got back was the S-10.
I always lock my car when I park somewhere and never leave anything valuable in it. I can't lock it if the key is in the car. I'm always parked in busy parking lots. I even lock my car when I'm getting gas. When the car is at home, it is in the garage.
Our neighbors several doors down, who live at the entrance of our community, went shopping one day and left their car on the driveway with their packages inside. Thieves stole their packages while they were in their house and drove off!
Our neighbors several doors down, who live at the entrance of our community, went shopping one day and left their car on the driveway with their packages inside. Thieves stole their packages while they were in their house and drove off!
SeniorBen
Senior Member
California might have the most cars stolen, but Colorado has the highest per capita stolen vehicle rate (according to this article, anyway).Just heard on the news...
Over 1 million cars were stolen last year..
with California being #1..
Followed by Texas.
Don't leave your keys in the car.
Unlocked.
Ever happen to you?
DENVER — According to new FBI statistics, Colorado now leads the nation in auto theft per capita. And in terms of cities, Denver is second only to Bakersfield, California.
https://www.denver7.com/news/local-...denver-second-among-cities-as-car-crimes-soar
Jace
Well-known Member
@SeniorBen.. Interesting! 
jujube
SF VIP
I had one stolen. I got it back 36 hours later, fully detailed, washed, waxed, inside clean as a whistle, tires oiled, etc.... Unfortunately, there were $214 worth of library books that had been in the trunk waiting to be taken back to the library the next day. That and my expensive winter jacket, the expensive power pack and a few other things were missing, too, which the insurance wouldn't pay for. Obviously, it was going to a buyer immediately.
The worst part of the whole event was having to convince the police and the insurance company that I didn't give it away, sell it for drugs, arrange to have it stolen, etc. The fact that it was fully paid off and I would have gotten a hell of a lot more money selling it than the insurance company would have paid me for it didn't impress anyone. I was questioned over and over again until I lost my cool with the insurance company and yelled at them. One cop came in and said rather snidely, "Are you sure _________ doesn't have it?" "I said no, I'm positive he doesn't have it." "Why are you positive?" "Because he's been dead for three years!" (My late husband's name was still on the title. We had just bought it before he died and there wasn't any compelling reason to take his name off as I could have sold it with only my signature and it would cost $35 to take his name off.)
They were able to get a fingerprint off a CD that had been left in the player and a year later, the 15-year-old kid stole another car and got caught. I went to his first hearing just to see what he looked like so I could shoot him if I saw him in the neighborhood again (just kidding, just kidding) and his mother was wearing what looked suspiciously like my jacket.
The worst part of the whole event was having to convince the police and the insurance company that I didn't give it away, sell it for drugs, arrange to have it stolen, etc. The fact that it was fully paid off and I would have gotten a hell of a lot more money selling it than the insurance company would have paid me for it didn't impress anyone. I was questioned over and over again until I lost my cool with the insurance company and yelled at them. One cop came in and said rather snidely, "Are you sure _________ doesn't have it?" "I said no, I'm positive he doesn't have it." "Why are you positive?" "Because he's been dead for three years!" (My late husband's name was still on the title. We had just bought it before he died and there wasn't any compelling reason to take his name off as I could have sold it with only my signature and it would cost $35 to take his name off.)
They were able to get a fingerprint off a CD that had been left in the player and a year later, the 15-year-old kid stole another car and got caught. I went to his first hearing just to see what he looked like so I could shoot him if I saw him in the neighborhood again (just kidding, just kidding) and his mother was wearing what looked suspiciously like my jacket.
I had one car when I was young that was stolen twice. The first time I was living in Baltimore and it was stolen from the apartment parking lot. It was locked but the police told me my type of car (it was a Chevy Spectrum if I remember correctly) could be stolen with just a screwdriver.
They found it pretty quickly but a lot of pieces of it (tires, battery, etc) had been removed. My car insurance paid to fix it.
Then the same car was stolen again, after I'd moved down near Washington DC. That time the police caught the thieves, which were a pair of 16 yr old boys. My car insurance paid for my belongings (horse stuff) that had been in the car, but they only paid the blue book value of the car instead of the cost of repairs. Luckily I had a job by then so I bought a new car, and I had a kill switch installed (ignition wiring re-routed and a PIN had to be entered on a keypad inside the car to allow the key to start the car).
It was probably for the best, because the Chevy had been on some news program about dangerous cars and total strangers kept approaching me to warn me of my deathtrap and tell me I should get rid of it.
Been There
Well-known Member
- Location
- Florida
No vehicles stolen or broken into. I guess I have just been lucky so far. I have a dash cam now on each vehicle that turns itself on if someone tries to gain entry into one of my vehicles. I also get a call on my cellphone and I can see who it is and take a screen shot.
Jules
SF VIP
That sounds like a good dashcam.
StarSong
Awkward is my Superpower
- Location
- Los Angeles Suburbs
California is the state with the most population, followed by Texas. Probably explains why those two states have the most stolen cars.
I've never had a car stolen but have had some broken into. It's a pain in the butt - they do far more damage than the value of whatever's been stolen. Car insurance takes care of it, but still.
I'm with Sunny - why would anyone leave keys in their car? Or leave their cars unlocked? Ditto their houses. Most thieves are opportunists. Some are determined to hit a particular house or car (in which case, heaven help you), but most are looking for the easiest possible score.
I've never had a car stolen but have had some broken into. It's a pain in the butt - they do far more damage than the value of whatever's been stolen. Car insurance takes care of it, but still.
I'm with Sunny - why would anyone leave keys in their car? Or leave their cars unlocked? Ditto their houses. Most thieves are opportunists. Some are determined to hit a particular house or car (in which case, heaven help you), but most are looking for the easiest possible score.
fuzzybuddy
SF VIP
- Location
- The Sticks, Northeast PA.
I had a '68 Chevy, about 10 years old. And somebody stole it. It was super easy to hot wire. When I'm away from home I keep the doors locked, otherwise in my driveway, it's unlocked. I live in the sticks, the only way to get to my house is by car, and the deer don't drive.
Been There
Well-known Member
- Location
- Florida
You can find them a lot less expensive, but for my one vehicle, I use this one. For the other vehicle, I have a really less expensive camera. I am one of those guys that like to fool with gadgets. It took me almost 2 weeks to understand the workings.
Dash Cam
Paladin1950
Still love 50's & 60's music!
- Location
- Mohawk Valley, NY
I spent 15 years in NYC. I would never leave my keys in my car, even though I live in a small town.
Nathan
SF VIP
- Location
- High Desert- Calif.
Early 70s I had bought a 69 Camaro from a body shop, was a recovered stolen. Sometimes later I was pulled over by Gardena PD as I was leaving work. Turns out there had just been a robbery nearby, and I supposedly resembled the suspect. The officer ran the Camaro's registration, the DMV still has it listed as stolen.... fortunately [for me] the officer did some further checking and so I got to go home that night.