Ever worrried about getting your car stolen?
 

I've been reading on a local JDM forum and stories of people being followed after being at a car meet and just parking at a mall in general and coming out with the car gone just scares the hell outta me.

Especially if your car is flashy and attract alot of attention (Bodykit/Rims)

How do you guys deal with it?

you know... i had a mini heart attack when i was out on the job today ....i was in the truck riding to our place... and what passes us? a Gun metallic base 370z.... my heart jumped in my throat, thinking someone stole it and passed me in it as if loling in my face. ....

come home and there she still was..... but DANG talk about a scare.

:shrug: it's insured, so I don't worry if it's stolen and never found. What I worry about is that someone steals it, then it turns up with $3k worth of damage. As long as it's stolen and no one finds it until the insurance pays for it ... I'm good.

:iagree: I don't want to make it harder for them to try and steel it by putting an alarm on it. Then I'll have a trashed car that needs to be repaired... If they want it take it, and make sure nobody finds it.

Second on the insurance remark. Plus knowing I have extra policy for 10K on it. I don't sweat it.

NO... I have full coverage.

dude like evyeorne else says, its insured.

I don't worry about it either. Worst case for me happened a couple of years ago when someone broke into my 350z and about $3000 in damages trying to get my radio out. It ended up being in the shop for over a month and they had to replace the entire dash. That sucked pretty hard. I got an alarm installed the same day I picked it up from the shop.

My cars are all insured.


I always worried with heavily modded cars that had a lot of sweat put into them, but not for a car that can be replaced with a credit card and a night in the garage.

Very few people steal stock late model cars anyways. Not worth it.

I'm talkin about modded cars.

$4000 Volks and other thousands of dollars worth of JDM parts.

me too.... if it happens i just hope the aholes ripe the crap out of it and it's totaled. but still it would feel bad it's my baby

Like I said. It's best to get extra policy like I did. I added 10K for extras. Yes you pay more. But you worry less.

If your car gets stolen, just look forward to getting a new ride, if you have insurance of course. :tup:

So am I. Just get your car appraised for the full value and sleep easy.

think its illegal to NOT have insurance and drive a vehicle lol:ughdance:....... IF you owe something on it...

id be upset if stolen because of all the work you'd put into it .....and have it all taken away.... money isnt refunded, car maybe BUT total investment? probably not.

Get an alarm and keep it in the garage...not a garage in the ghetto.


Honestly, thieves want parts they can move. 370 parts are probably tougher than many.

Theft is high amongst Honda guys because the market is huge.

Volks aren't something anyone is taking your car over. They'd pop the rims, maybe, but GTA is a major risk for something that's worth maybe $800 on the black market.

like all have said screw it if it gets stolen that is what insurance is for. The big thing is to get coverage for your extras cause you will not see it back. I lost a little over 10K on a bike from this lesson learned the hard way.

Maybe your car did get "stole" by your girl(s), but returned properly before you got home.:happydance:

Well, that's what LoJack comes in handy. I get early warning call right after someone removes my car without the motion sensor with him. And I just need a simple 911 call to ask police to activate the tracking device. Case closed.:tup:

I welcome it

So little that I just took off my wheel locks. I was the only one being inconvenienced by them.

Its a bigger deal for older imports and classics. I was at a import classic car meet a couple months ago and rolled in my 370z. I was just there to check out the cars, but I do have a 77 280z and 84 300zx that I could have brought to display. So after spending some time there and thinking next time I should bring one of my older Z's I got to talking with some of the people. I got warned by several people to be careful when driving home afterwards because you might get followed home. By the 5th warning I decided I would just spectate and that's it. I mean I live in a gated community and have a 4 car garage so nothing is let outside but why take a chance. I'm not so worried about my 370z as it's a bit easier to steal and there are other flashier 370z's here in town that frequent far more events than I do.

Side note, I heard this is also a problem at the local drag strip. Best to keep a low profile and not show off too much. Don't be the guy with a huge crowd around his car showing off all the mods you have done.

It's not say I don't go to shows, participate in shows, or go to events. Just have to watch your ***.

Sometimes I wish someone would! :p

funny thing is, i am more concern about people scratching my car than stealing it

This

And this

About 3 weeks after I bought my Eclipse some idiot thought he could get on the roof of the car and stomp out the sunroof and, I assume, steal the car. It didn't work. The top of the car was dented with over $4,000 worth of damage to it. At that time it had the factory alarm in it.
The worse part of that was having the car in the body shop for 3 weeks and having to drive a rented PT Cruiser. That was the best car the local Enterprise rent-a-car had. :shakes head:

Honestly, I worry more about someone vandalizing my car more so than it actually being stolen.

I just don't imagine people trying to steal a 370Z as much

We've had a club member have his G35x stolen by some Russians and then it turned up at an auction within 1 week with new VIN etc...but he recognized some decals he had and actually got the car back (crazy story)

I think it would be hard to to resell my car in that same manner without it being recognized (which is a good thing)

And at end of the day, I have replacement value but I'd be pissed, I'm attached to this car.

Just make sure you have insurance and little know to most ppl is the fact that an insurance company must pay up the full retail value plus sales tax on the retail price.

So lets say you buy a car that retails for $10,000 and you get it for $6,000 with the discount and rebates and 8% tax, OTD you paid $6,480 .

Then a week after the car gets stolen and is scrapped, now the insurance company has to pay up, they will have to pay you $10,000 retail price plus sales tax, end result is a check for $10,800

So you will always be paid retail replecemt cost for your car, plus sales tax and they will try to subtract for excessive mileage if they can.

This statement, in general, is false. There are some insurance companies that offer it as a premium option, but SOP is a check for FMV.

True, its the older integras and Civics that are more prone to this.

I suppose an Amuse 370z would get alot of attention and they wouldn't be able to get much for the parts after stripping the car.

Vandalism is a problem indeed, people just don't care about the properties of others, my brother's Genesis have several door dings although he parks far from any one else.

You are completely incorrect, I've been thru it personally on multiple claims, the insurance company will always pay you retail replacement cost plus the sales tax, and even if rebates have been used.

If your insurance company paided you less than the retail replacement cost plus the sales tax on a totaled vehicle, than your company ripped you off.

The insurance converage for total loss of your car covers, the retail cost , plus taxes.

Just check with your insurance company and ask to talk to a claims adjuster, normal insurance sales ppl will not know this.

Which insurance provider?


While sales tax is required in some states (32 to be exact, see below)
http://insure.com/car-insurance/tota...ttlements.html


...there is NO requirement to pay new/replacement cost. I'd love to see where it is written in law/policy if you have it.

Over here, I think most insurance companies only offer full replacement value on a Brand New (or near brand new car)

Something thats a few years old 2nd hand that you bought for 10K, you'll get what the bluebook is at max

Nope thats what insurance is for. I even have some of the mods insured.

:icon17:

You get the full retail price of the vehicle if its totaled with in the first 6-10 months, then after that you will get full retail NADA blue book value for your car if its totaled, for what ever year it is.

So lets says you have a 2009 Z thats Nada says its valued at $24k retail, as long as the car does not have excessive mileage on it , you would be given a check for $24k plus the sales tax in your state.

All companies are set up this way, unless you live in some weird state like kentucy or arkansas.

Fair market value is usually based on more than just nada, but you are getting closer.


6-10 months is a wide window. Got a source for that?

When my CX7 the had the speed3 motor in it got totaled, I only owed $16k on it. They paid the loan off plus cut me a check for just over $5k. They said it was worth like $21.8 or something. Funny thing is it was titled as a Grand touring, but it was only a touring. I knew when I was getting it what it was and what it was titled at so that was my angle at the dealership when I was bargining with them. They insisted it was GT but then I whipped out the trusty smart phone and showed the salesman what a GT comes with and he went and got me a lower price on it. I only paid $19.5k when I got and drove it for a year. But when it came to the Insurance company I didnt argue or point out that it was just a touring not a GT.

Oh and I own a specific acura that is one of the most stolen. That community plus me like to hide numerous kill switches in the car. Good luck starting it with a skeleton key. As the cars that actually need a key to open the door and start the car get older the tumbler gets worn down as does the key. My friend has the same car as me and he can open my car as I can his and same can be said for an employee of mine that has a honda civic. We both can open her car with our keys.... AS technology advances and tricks of the theft trade become more widely known on the newer cars, ie: catching the signal to open the door and start the car through the air and then having a programmer that simulates the wireless key like ours, the newer cars will need hidden kill switches too. It has not become an epidemic from what I have seen on here so I havent done it yet on the Z. I have had friends that thought that taking the ECU out and removing a aftermarket steering wheel to go shopping is enough. Think again, in the honda world an experienced thief carries numerous different ECU's and an aftermarket steering whell to circumvent that issue. Only thing you can do is the kill switches and hopw they dont have a tow truck or roll back.

Heres a good one. On the forum for my other car, a guy woke up to his car being rolled down his drive way on those little tire dollies that go under each tire that tow companies use so as to be better postioned for the tow truck to pull it. He got lucky....

If your really worried about getting your car stolen , you can simply install a kill switch to your cars fuel pump or ignition coil power and install the switch some where in the interior where its hard to find.

No thief is going to waste time trying to find your hidden kill switch.

Then you only need to worry about a thief with a tow truck.