  Texorama Member Username: Texorama Post Number: 167 Registered: 12-2006 |
Another chapter in Neal Rubin's wry annals of crime in Detroit: http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.d ll/article?AID=/20080218/OPINI ON03/802180304 The best part: < < Fulton spent three hours Friday at the police station. There was a problem with her insurance claim; according to police, the person or persons who stole her car reported it stolen from them. > > | ||
Eastsidechris Member Username: Eastsidechris Post Number: 152 Registered: 12-2003 |
She's had her Chrysler minivan stolen 13 times? Um...how do I put this gently... the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting to get a different result. Time to get a different type of car, lady. I also teach in Detroit and one of the first things I was told by other teachers is not to drive a Chrysler! | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 566 Registered: 11-2003 |
I love this: "Wouldn't the problem largely solve itself if they were prosecuted?" This is exactly what I'm talking about. More evidence of an underfunded, undermanned police department for the problem at hand. Just like the scrappers, if the thieves felt like anything would happen to them, there'd be a lot less of it. Right now, there is no disincentive to commit crime, dump, or anything else in the city because there will be no to little consequences. There are more laws on the books, but with no people to enforce, it's going to keep happening. THIS is the most important issue facing the city because it affects all the citizens, neighborhoods, and areas. This would be the best way to enhance the turn around of the city. Eastside: yes, it is insanity. Although you are right on one level, that doesn't mean there isn't a problem. (Message edited by digitalvision on February 18, 2008) | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 2249 Registered: 11-2004 |
Wow I thought it was bad that someone has tried to steal or broken into my car only 7 times in the past year. I don't even have time to sell it once I get it back from the shop before it's all busted up again! Insurance deductibles keep eating up the down payment for the new car anyway so I guess that doesn't really matter. Oh and yes, it's a Chrysler. | ||
Deteamster Member Username: Deteamster Post Number: 75 Registered: 07-2007 |
"Time to get a different type of car, lady." So I guess we Detroiters are not allowed to own Chryslers. How stupid of us to think we could buy the car of our liking. I mean, this is Detroit. Good thing I'm a GM man. Get bent. This is the most ridiculous case of blaming the victim I have ever seen. We need more cops. Lots more. And a better police chief. And mayor. So we can own Chryslers without fear of message board suburbanites. | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 2250 Registered: 11-2004 |
Amen. | ||
Higgs1634 Member Username: Higgs1634 Post Number: 320 Registered: 10-2005 |
But I thought high property and auto insurance for Detroit is just redlining? | ||
Benjo Member Username: Benjo Post Number: 38 Registered: 02-2007 |
I feel bad for this woman, but she really needs to protect her vehicles better. If you add anti-theft protection to your vehicles, such as alarms, kill switches, brake locks, etc. your premium is reduced. Being a teacher, she should be smart enough to figure out who to ask to help her prevent this from happening again. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6134 Registered: 11-2003 |
The Club. How can thieves get around that monster? jjaba. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1923 Registered: 07-2004 |
I hate to say it, but if you drive Dodge or Chrysler vehicles in Detroit, be prepared to wake up and find them gone in the morning.  | ||
Fareastsider Member Username: Fareastsider Post Number: 828 Registered: 08-2006 |
How pathetic huh? I have seen countless stripped rams in streets empty garages etc. But hey its the owners fault it seems! People have a right to live where they should not worry about their car being stolen for sure because of the make and model. | ||
Fmstack Member Username: Fmstack Post Number: 39 Registered: 06-2007 |
What's so special about Chryslers that make them so often stolen? | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1924 Registered: 07-2004 |
I know, Fareast. Ideally, you should be able to leave a Dodge Spirit full of Nordstrom shopping bags at the corner of Sycamore and Harrison for a week without worry. It's just that I know better now. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1925 Registered: 07-2004 |
FM: Easy to punch the ignition, I think. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2703 Registered: 04-2006 |
Is this lady really a teacher? Please pray for the kids folks. I guess I can excuse one... maybe5 stolen cars. But didn't it ever dawn on her somewhere between stolen car number 1 and stolen car number 15 to have a kill switch installed? I have a really hard time feeling sorry for her. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2704 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote: That and they never implemented the smart key technology to disable the engines without the proper key. | ||
Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 1446 Registered: 11-2003 |
You can drive whatever you want but if you know a certain brand is hot and easy for stealing, why keep getting it? | ||
Eric_c Member Username: Eric_c Post Number: 1177 Registered: 11-2003 |
All Chryslers since 2006 have come standard with the programmed key. | ||
Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 1447 Registered: 11-2003 |
That key hasn't slowed anything down... I will find the link and post it showing that the 300C, Caravan, Magnum and a few others were very easy to steal. | ||
Eric_c Member Username: Eric_c Post Number: 1178 Registered: 11-2003 |
How? I'd love to know. | ||
Dds Member Username: Dds Post Number: 551 Registered: 10-2006 |
Welcome to Detroit. Please leave your older model Chrysler on the doorstep before entering for your own protection. Thanks and have a nice day! | ||
Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 1448 Registered: 11-2003 |
"How? I'd love to know." ^^ lol... | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 2251 Registered: 11-2004 |
quote: And apparently Jeep Cherokees in 2000. The issue isn't that they can't steal it. Oh how I pray I wake up and it's gone! Noooo it's that key thing ... they break in, rip apart the steering column and then find out the engine won't stay running. I just get to have the door repaired and the ignition fixed and two very expensive new keys made each time. Bleh. Twice since we last talked btw Eric_c. My car payment is like zero so it all kind of comes out in the wash. It's just the inconvenience, and the fact that I don't trust getting a new car will solve the problem. I'll just have higher car payments to go with the repair bills. | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 264 Registered: 05-2007 |
You know, Mickey Schorr usually has pretty good deals on car alarms with auto kill switches that shut off your engine in event of a break in. Some of the newer alarms even page your key fob when the alarm goes off. There's also this cool thing called LoJac that's been around for quite some time. It lets police track your stolen car. Crazy as it may sound, maybe instead of investing in insurance deductibles, you should invest a couple hundred bucks in a security system. Just a thought... | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 2252 Registered: 11-2004 |
And again, they never get the car. They just get to vandalize. | ||
Evelyn Member Username: Evelyn Post Number: 117 Registered: 02-2005 |
Now that’s what I call brand loyalty! It’s a sad commentary that the cars made in Detroit are also the most likely to get stolen in Detroit. I’m surprised to learn that Chrysler has such shoddy anti-theft devices, though. | ||
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine Post Number: 1964 Registered: 05-2005 |
semi-obscure 90's foreign cars, preferably with a manual trans, are the best. they're like thief kryptonite | ||
Eric_c Member Username: Eric_c Post Number: 1179 Registered: 11-2003 |
Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 1447 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Monday, February 18, 2008 - 1:33 pm: ------------------------------ ------------------------------ -------------------- That key hasn't slowed anything down... I will find the link and post it showing that the 300C, Caravan, Magnum and a few others were very easy to steal. Eric_c Member Username: Eric_c Post Number: 1178 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Monday, February 18, 2008 - 1:36 pm: ------------------------------ ------------------------------ -------------------- How? I'd love to know. Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 1448 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Monday, February 18, 2008 - 1:54 pm: ------------------------------ ------------------------------ -------------------- "How? I'd love to know." ^^ lol... ------------------------------ -------------------- I'm still waiting for you to post the article so I can understand how they're being stolen. If the car has a Sentry Key the only way it can be taken is with a tow truck or a flatbed - which they may actually be doing - I don't know. Dialh - sorry to hear about your bad luck, but at least your car isn't 'gone'. Sentry Key is the best I can offer, short of the typical advice to use The Club; even that only slows 'em down. | ||
Flyingj Member Username: Flyingj Post Number: 90 Registered: 08-2006 |
"one of the first things I was told by other teachers is not to drive a Chrysler!" Deteamster, the Freep would NEVER print this in a company town but a gal who runs an autoyard was lectured by the Houston Police Auto Theft Squad to "never leave your Dodge or Chrysler cars lying around because they're the easiest to steal" so she sells them off as soon as she gets them | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 2253 Registered: 11-2004 |
Ironically I was getting a club from a friend before this last one - just hadn't met up to get it yet. It's ok, I enjoy walking to work! In February. | ||
Lostlegumes Member Username: Lostlegumes Post Number: 18 Registered: 09-2007 |
If you're going to use the Club (or something like it), I'd suggest reversing it when you put it on the steering wheel. I've seen too many shows where the thief just jams some object into it and the lock comes right out. Reverse it so the lock is facing your dashboard display--makes it harder to rip the lock out. | ||
E_hemingway Member Username: E_hemingway Post Number: 1554 Registered: 11-2004 |
Stick shifts are a good deterrent. Less than 10 percent of cars have a manual shift and I would guess about 10 percent of the driving population knows how to drive one. That percentage is probably even lower for young adults, the section of the population most likely to steal cars. It's not a full-proof solution but I bet a lot of car thieves pass by vehicles with stick shifts. Here's a good read on the demise of the stick shift: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05 /28/national/28STIC.html?ex=12 03483600&en=67f3a01769a93d06&e i=5070 | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 5157 Registered: 10-2003 |
A lot of sticks today have the feel of a broomstick in a bucket of ping-pong balls anyway. Long gone are the days of the notchy stick, chunk-chunk, vroom! | ||
Melody Member Username: Melody Post Number: 138 Registered: 11-2007 |
Flyingj, this article is in the News not the Freep. Forgive me if you are talking about some other article. "The Club. How can thieves get around that monster?" The right tools will do it, but it is a deterrent. My Dodge Neon has only be broken into once since I got the club and it was because I forgot to take the face off my stereo and they took it. Stick shifts ARE a deterrent! Both this car and my other Neon are stick shifts. They've been broken into a bunch of times, but never stolen. Once a guy even got the car started, but couldn't get it going because it was a stick. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 5158 Registered: 10-2003 |
Forget about the club. I only trust the Nikola Tesla Theft-Deterrent System®©™.  | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1926 Registered: 07-2004 |
Yeah, the car I drive is undesirable and therefore almost unstealable: 1986 VW Rabbit, manual shift. | ||
Evelyn Member Username: Evelyn Post Number: 119 Registered: 02-2005 |
I like stick shifts, think they're more fun to drive anyway. I've heard they get better gas mileage, too. | ||
Downriviera Member Username: Downriviera Post Number: 18 Registered: 02-2008 |
Detroitnerd I'm with ya, got a 1992 VW GTI stick, no problems. | ||
Supergay Member Username: Supergay Post Number: 129 Registered: 05-2006 |
quote: Sounds like we're dating the same people. | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 3508 Registered: 06-2004 |
I know at one time last year there was an investigation into situations like this - it was happening a lot and in the suburbs, too, not just the city, but I never heard any results (still ongoing perhaps?). It was believed to be an insurance fraud ring. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1928 Registered: 07-2004 |
Down: Mine says GTI on it, but somebody pointed out how it was added on later. (Gotta love enthusiasts!) But, yeah, nobody wants to steal my Mach II pocket rocket.  | ||
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine Post Number: 1965 Registered: 05-2005 |
quote: nice! i had a black 92 that i just sold last summer, had it for four years, had a red 92 for 9 years before that one | ||
Downriviera Member Username: Downriviera Post Number: 19 Registered: 02-2008 |
My red 1992 VW GTI 16V, 150,000 miles, has some problems, but potential for theft is not one of them. Everywhere I go people try to buy it off me, and I thought thats because its somewhat rare...hmmmm, maybe they want it because its theft proof. | ||
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine Post Number: 1966 Registered: 05-2005 |
mine were both 8v's the latter one with lots of engine work, including a 2l short block from a mk3, and suspension goodies. maybe they thought mine were 16v models, but i encountered the same problem all the time. and just in case you weren't aware, there is a support group for that :D , www.michiganvw.org | ||
Hpgrmln Member Username: Hpgrmln Post Number: 362 Registered: 06-2007 |
So Oldsmobiles are no longer the number 1 pick of the thieves, eh? Im wondering how safe it would be to park the old Gremlin in the rough parts of town? I mean, most of the 17 year old car thieves probably dont even know what the heck it is. And I figure adults would leave change on the hood and a sympathy note saying "Get some new wheels." | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 4581 Registered: 12-2005 |
Bait cars seem to work pretty well. Doesn't Detroit use them? | ||
Frumoasa Member Username: Frumoasa Post Number: 127 Registered: 03-2007 |
I have driven an older model Chrysler in the city, as well as an Oldsmobile and they didn't get stolen. I can't say that it was foolproof, but I had car alarms, always park where I can see my car, wherever I am, and I have a supersensitive alarm that goes off over loud music, thunder, wind, you name it. IF you're hanging out in my neighborhood, you've heard my car, and you know what? That's ok with me and my neighbors. We don't like getting our cars stolen and I have motion sensor lights galore at home so when I don't park in the garage, any time someone walks in the alley or sidewalk, they get flooded by light. Good for people that are walking home in the evening for safety and very bad for the lowlifes that come down to my area at night. Honestly, I have a neighbor with a 1996 Caravan with a busted out window and his car didn't get stolem, it just died. SO maybe there's more to the story. Maybe she liked the attention or she is a glutton for pain from the insurance company because a few thousand in security could lock any car down and make it much more difficult to steal. Just by paying the deductibles alone she could have done that. | ||
Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 1451 Registered: 11-2003 |
Eric_C.... I'm still looking for the link But in the meantime OnStar has announced the stolen car slow down program on certain '09 models. In a nutshell if your car is stolen call the cops and the cops track the car and when it is in sight onstar can bring it to a hault when it's safe to slow down http://www.onstar.com/us_engli sh/jsp/plans/svs.jsp | ||
Ghetto_butterfly Member Username: Ghetto_butterfly Post Number: 795 Registered: 09-2004 |
It's really ironic how the former DaimlerChrysler company would built the most unstealable car - Mercedes and on the other hand let Chrysler continue to build the most stolen cars. My last ex-boyfriend had a '99 Chrysler that was stolen right out of my parking lot one night, shortly after he got it as a drive-to-work car. Needless to say we stopped dating soon afterward because he refused to come to the big bad city out of fear for his cars. I drive a '99 VW Jetta manual, never had any problems whatsoever, not mechanical nor being the target of being stolen or broken into (would this be a good moment to knock on wood?). I know it has an "immobilizer" feature as well as car alarm that are standard. | ||
Lefty2 Member Username: Lefty2 Post Number: 1193 Registered: 07-2007 |
Dude, That's Messed Up! To paraphrase PT Barnum, There is always someone dumber out there than you. Story of a Dummy someone told me about. He left his car at a liquor store parking lot with the keys in the ignition and intended to donate it to Waddles and to pick it up at the Liq. store. He went into the liquor store and told the people there Waddles was going to pick it up ( and keys are in it). Next time he went the the car was gone. Total IDIOT. | ||
Detroitteacher Member Username: Detroitteacher Post Number: 1216 Registered: 06-2006 |
I drive a POS Ford gas guzzler to work (and everywhere else). The check engine light is on continuously, it leaves an oil drip everywhere, the kids know it's mine and it hasn't ever been touched. Oh...and I have hubcaps, not rims, no CD player (just a tape deck), and it's an ugly green. No need to put the alarm on, nor do I worry about it...no one wants it (sometimes not even me). | ||
Otter Member Username: Otter Post Number: 20 Registered: 12-2007 |
Driving a slightly tired-looking 90s Japanese car with a manual transmission seems to be a good way to have a car that thieves have no interest in. This did not prevent it from getting a broken into at the Amtrak station, though - sigh. Shoulda just left it unlocked, or, better yet left the house early enough to get to the Dearborn station instead. |
