warning: this is going to be a little bit "rambly". I work at a liquor store up here in jax, and as i'm closing it down i notice three people with flashlights peering around my car, and a white nissan blocking it in. I hurry up and close down and start to walk out to my car, and all three of them jump into the nissan and take off(there was obviously a getaway driver). I normally park way out in BFE becuase hence being a liquor store many a drunkard drive in there(the parking signs have to be re-bent almost nightly, and the curbs around the store are black from all the tires hitting them). Anyways, as i approach my car and go to unlock it i realize my alarm has been set off. The ironic thing is i'd had my alarm turned off for a couple of weeks because i'd been going places late and i dont like the "beep beep" that it does, but on this nite i decided to re-set it.( i actually walked back out to my car and did it after i got to work, which i think is just plain lucky). If i park up close, its only a matter of time before my car gets hit by a drunkard fool, and my car is already being stalked so parking out far just seems to be an invitation. Even if i park up close, its not like i can watch my car all the time, as i have hundreds of thousands of dollars of merchandise to look after and make sure no one shoplifts. So, as i see it, i if i park way out in BFE like normal i risk my car being stolen, and i park up close its only a matter of time before it's hit. And if it's hit, the first time i'd notice is when i go out to my car after i close(the bar next door always has bands, and theres no way i'd hear my alarm over that). I never thought i'd be worried about my 99% stock integra being stolen, but now i'm paranoid about it. I already have my hood release cable re-routed, and this week i'm installing a fuel cutoff switch, but if someone is going to go to that exten to steal it i'd almost rather them just accomplish it as my insurance will go up either way, and if it was stolen i'd just get a gs-r integra instead of my se. I'm not really looking for an "answer" as i dont think there really is a good one, i'm more or less just venting. Its only a matter of time before my car(and thusly me) is violated. this sux,
Ryan

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83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

Y'ever thought about getting a beat up old Toyota pickup? It'd be useful for various things and you could drive it to work. Of course, you'd have extra insurance to deal with, but where I live anyway, it's not that much extra and it might be worth it if it gave you peace of mind.

Plus, if it's in not horrible shape, if someone does hit it, if you can grab them in time to get their insurance info, you might get a few hundred to play with while you admire the new dent on your beater.

May God forgive me, but I've done that twice in the last few years. Work vans, both times, that got hit by someone, not my fault. The damage was not major either time but I got some extra $$ for my pain and suffering. The way I look at it, I've spent around ten to 15 grand on ins. in the last 20 years and have made one claim on my policy, for $1200 when I lightly rear ended a Honda in stop and go freeway traffic. The ins. industry has profited from my safe driving. I got a little back. I feel just awful about it.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

quite a few people have suggested a beater, but getting a beater to drive instead of a 96 integra with 110k on it seems self-defeating(although my car is in immaculate shape inside and out). Plus, my parents bought me this car(first ca they ever bought me, i bought my first car and the benz i owned all by myself), and i'm really in no situation to be able to afford anthing else. I go to school full time and that takes up most of my money/time, so affording another car much less the insurance for it isn't an option at all. I think the best option i can come up with is to get a pager alarm and park close enough where it will still work. Now i just gotta come up with the money for that, rent and food come first, car second(car is insured, rent and food arent, lol).

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83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

Yeah, I hear you. Unless you get a total piece of junk, you'd have to spend at least $1,000 to $1,500 and even that won't buy you much but it can be a big chunk to come with all right.

I put a kill switch on my old chev van after it got stolen once. Lost about $1500 in tools -- shouldn't have had that much in there. I wired the switch to one of the wires coming from the automatic tranny to the starter. So when I flip the switch, the starter acts like the car is in drive. Oh so sorry, slime bags, my car won't start for you. Of course, it wouldn't be that hard to find the switch, and if the jerks had time, and they didn't find it, God knows what kind of damage they'd do trying to get it to start.

It is a tough one indeed.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Ryan - I don't know if it is a reasonable option, but I'd start looking for a different place of employment.

Integras in descent condition are hot items all up and down 95. Getting the gsr will only make things worse.
The car is stolen and stripped overnight. Apparently they seem to be the easiest cars to strip and steal. This has happened here in NY to two friends of mine in high populated areas. The funny thing is car crime is way way down to manageable numbers here in NY, this doesnt seem to hold for integra and camry owners.
Lock it down the best you can and hope it doesn't get towed.

The reason they are so easy to steal is becuase the stupid engineers at honda put the hood release cable inside the fender wall, making it all to easy to open up the hood and have acess to all of the power wires without ever tripping the alarm. My cable is already re-routed inside the car to alleviate that problem. I saw one of the guys peering into the drivers fender well(where the hood release should be), so i'm definately glad i did that security mod. I dont want to brag but my car definately looks alot sharper than 90% of integras out there, and i think that attracts attention to it, not to mention i had just detailed it two days ago. Maybe if i let it get dirty and beat it up it won't get stolen....lol
Ryan

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83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

Doesn't matter what it looks like. 94-01's are hot. Good thing you did that mod. Anything you can do to make it "abnormal" is a good thing


FYI http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=2891&src=Ins

Get a cheap high resolution video camera a cable and a VCR..........and have it pointed at your car....look and see if you can't hook something like that up....its not hard to do or expensive...cameras can be had for $75 or less...NEW. and they are about the size of a golf ball. And there are the wirelss cams too for a cable free solution thats cheap.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche