Stolen Cars

Lexus1976

What cars are mostly likely to be stolen as i'm living in a bad area and would like to buy a BMW

Anan1

In short, older ones. I've been told by several people that the Peugeot 406 is virtually unstealable. Good drive, too.

Stephen

Well, unstealable until they use the break-into-your-house-and-take-the-keys method...

mike65

If you want an unstealable car then buy any car you fancy and unplug the coil when you lock up at night.

Mike.

mloc123

Cars are stolen for 3 main reasons imo...

1, easy to steal cars for joy riding... micras, starlets etc..

2, high performance cars to be stripped and sold

3, high end cars, stole to order and shipped out of the country.

Lexus1976

I know that BMW's were the car target by theifs a few years ago..is this still the case.
My friend had a BMW and it was stolen twice in the one year.... are they still an easy target?

Eoin

Lexus1976 wrote:

I know that BMW's were the car target by theifs a few years ago..is this still the case.
My friend had a BMW and it was stolen twice in the one year.... are they still an easy target?

I'd say that most modern cars with an immobiliser are hard to steal - without the key. Whether they deem the car worthwhile or not to break in and take the keys is another matter. I wouldn't think that a standard BMW saloon would be any more of a target than any other family car out there.

I would be more worried about general vandalism; smashing the wing mirrors, keying the paint etc.

RedorDead

Taken from http://www.channel4.com/4car/index.html


The most secure cars in each category were named as follows:

City car/supermini: Citroen C3 Exclusive
Small family car: Citroen C4 Exclusive
Family car: Peugeot 407 Executive
Compact executive car: Lexus IS
Compact MPV: Mazda 5
Large MPV: Renault Espace
Convertible/roadster: Volvo C70
Performance car: Peugeot 407 Coupe
Compact 4x4: Nissan X-Trail
Large 4x4: Volkswagen Touareg
Executive car: Audi A6 saloon
Luxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Manufacturer: Audi

Tipsy Mac

RedorDead wrote:

Taken from http://www.channel4.com/4car/index.html


The most secure cars in each category were named as follows:

City car/supermini: Citroen C3 Exclusive
Small family car: Citroen C4 Exclusive
Family car: Peugeot 407 Executive
Compact executive car: Lexus IS
Compact MPV: Mazda 5
Large MPV: Renault Espace
Convertible/roadster: Volvo C70
Performance car: Peugeot 407 Coupe
Compact 4x4: Nissan X-Trail
Large 4x4: Volkswagen Touareg
Executive car: Audi A6 saloon
Luxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Manufacturer: Audi

I really don't understand this survey, none of the cars were driven away or attempted to, also to me a 7 Series BMW or a 1982 Micra can be broken into both as easily, simply tap the window with a lump hammer and your in, nobody will bother pressing back a door when it's that easy.

If you have a modern car with an immobiliser 99% of the time it will be stolen because the thief obtained the keys from you or your home and not by any other means the average Irish car thief only wants something to rob the contents of or joyride and for the joyride will go for a pre immobiliser car.

Lexus1976

List for The most unsecure cars in each category ?

Henry Ford III

RedorDead wrote:

Taken from http://www.channel4.com/4car/index.html


The most secure cars in each category were named as follows:

City car/supermini: Citroen C3 Exclusive
Small family car: Citroen C4 Exclusive
Family car: Peugeot 407 Executive
Compact executive car: Lexus IS
Compact MPV: Mazda 5
Large MPV: Renault Espace
Convertible/roadster: Volvo C70
Performance car: Peugeot 407 Coupe
Compact 4x4: Nissan X-Trail
Large 4x4: Volkswagen Touareg
Executive car: Audi A6 saloon
Luxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Manufacturer: Audi

407 Coupe is in no way a performance car.

68 lost souls

I was watching the used car roadshow today and on it they had an alarm/immobilser that needed a key code input, only cost 500 sterling or something like that including instalation. If you didnt put in the code the car doesnt start and if your car jacket the second they turn off the engine once they can move the car again. You wouldnt really have to worry if you got that installed.

mloc123

Eh thats the same as every imobiliser. Imobilisers aren't all that hard to by-pass either. Most people think that it makes a car unstealable but in reality any car thief/scum bag can bypass one in minutes.

Anan1

mike65 wrote:

If you want an unstealable car then buy any car you fancy and unplug the coil when you lock up at night.

Mike.

Unfortunately, they'll have made **** of the door lock, dash & ignition barrel by the time they realize that the car won't start.

babybundy

new mercs and bemers are easy to get in to ,set off the air bags and the doors pop open

mike65

Unfortunately, they'll have made **** of the door lock, dash & ignition barrel by the time they realize that the car won't start.

Better than no car at all.

Mike.

Anan1

mike65 wrote:

Better than no car at all.

Mike.

I dunno, I've been there a few times with a Mk2 16V Golf I used to own. You'd be surprised at how expensive it is to repair the damage afterwards. I'd say it's probably better to make it clear that they won't get the car before they've started. In my book, this means either a really good, clearly visible steering wheel cover/lock and an alarm or buying a car that they just know they won't get.

NiSmO

This post has been deleted.

mloc123

babybundy wrote:

new mercs and bemers are easy to get in to ,set off the air bags and the doors pop open

do you realise how hard it is to "just set off the air bags"? Its not a case of kicking the bumpers. Air bags work on sensors that detect sudden change in speed eg. 60mph-0mph, not impact sensors.

Spitfire666

Actualy, it is more or less just a case of kicking the bumpers, the doors will pop open if its hit in the right places too. any old ****box along the lines of old fiesta/micra/civic/astra is whats stolen for joyriding. Newer cars are rarely stolen to be stripped and sold, thats only realy for more exotic cars rather then new cars, more a case of stolen to do a job in.

mloc123

Spitfire666 wrote:

Actualy, it is more or less just a case of kicking the bumpers, the doors will pop open if its hit in the right places too.

absolute bullsh1t

mloc123

20 sesonds and google =

"The airbag sensor is a MEMS accelerometer, which is a small integrated circuit chip with integrated micromechanical elements. The microscopic mechanical element moves in response to rapid deceleration, and this motion causes a change in capacitance, which is detected by the electronics on the chip, which then sends a signal to fire the airbag. The most common MEMS accelerometer in use is the ADXL-50 by Analog Devices, but there are other MEMS manufacturers as well."

From wiki

Lexus1976

What car would have the best security system/harder to break into the
Jag, Bmw or the Audi?

Seth Brundle

Lexus1976 wrote:

What car would have the best security system/harder to break into the
Jag, Bmw or the Audi?

I believe that they all would be easy to break into. Just smash the window and you are in.
However, starting pretty much any modern car is much more difficult with modern immobilisers. Without the key neither Jag, BMW nor the Merc will drive anywhere.
I believe that with my E39, there is something like 3 separate computers monitoring the immobilisation system

TempestSabre

Lexus1976 wrote:

What car would have the best security system/harder to break into the
Jag, Bmw or the Audi?

Abrams

layke

Just pay an extra €1000 and get a clifford alarm on it. That way if it is stolen the theives should get about 20 feet with the car before it requests a code. If the code is not entered in a few seconds the engine cuts out until the owner unlocks it.

overdriver

They came after my missus' beloved 94 Micra three times in a few weeks til I put a dirty great rusty chain around the steering wheel.

ianobrien

Another trick that I use is that I take the fuse from the fuel pump. With the fuse out, the car will start but die after 10 seconds.

If you have an old car, one that uses a coil, all you do is install wiring that bypasses the coil. I have used manufacturer wiring & connectors, and to bypass the coil, I make one connection in the wiring that I installed. I put the extra wiring in with the car wiring loom, and it's bloody hard to figure it out!

SouperComputer

overdriver wrote:

They came after my missus' beloved 94 Micra three times in a few weeks til I put a dirty great rusty chain around the steering wheel.

Yup, nothin' puts a dopey scanger off an older, easy to steal car better than a heafty, visible chain. Its not worth the effort and they move onto an easier target, of which there are generally quite a few.

5500

layke wrote:

Just pay an extra €1000 and get a clifford alarm on it. That way if it is stolen the theives should get about 20 feet with the car before it requests a code. If the code is not entered in a few seconds the engine cuts out until the owner unlocks it.

Ive got clifford with blakjax and its not what its made out to be.Any skanger who's specifically out stealing cars will know how to bypass it,its simple.

It'l slow them down for sure but wont stop your car going if they really want it.In terms of more risk of a car being stolen now a days id say its more so high end models and performance cars which are being bought and stripped of shipped off.

Little nackbags looking to joyride are going to be looking for 1989 micra's starlets and early civics as you could rob them with a spoon!

mloc123

At the end of the day if somebody wants to steal your car they will. Doesn't matter if you have an alarm, imobiliser etc... these can all be by-passed. My car has an alaram, imobiliser, deadlocks and security glass but I know that if somebody really wanted to steal it they'd be gone in 10minutes.

Like everyone said, get some visual deterents and hope they move on to something easier.

unkel

Lexus1976 wrote:

What car would have the best security system/harder to break into the
Jag, Bmw or the Audi?

Are you reading what others have posted at all? Any car can easily be broken into by throwing a brick through the window :rolleyes:

The overwhelming majority of cars stolen these days fall into:

1. Old banger that has no immobiliser. Easy to drive away by hotwiring - used for joyriding
2. Nearly new car stoled to order - driven away using the car keys (stolen first)

There used to be another category where powerful sedans were being stolen to be used in armed robbery etc, but that died off when these cars were being fitted with immobilisers about a decade ago, so this category fits into the second group above now

Ratings of which car is harder to break into are utterly pointless imho

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Lexus1976 wrote:

What cars are mostly likely to be stolen as i'm living in a bad area and would like to buy a BMW

If you're living in a bad area, a car such as a BMW might become the target of vandals and other scobe derivatives.

You'd not want to have it parked on the street, or some little inbred might leave you a little present in the form of a go faster stripe along the side of the car which he just fashioned with a nail.

prospect

Henry Ford III wrote:

407 Coupe is in no way a performance car.

:rolleyes:

Although it fits the GT bracket better, you cannot say a car that has 200bhp, can do 0-60mph in 8.x seconds and has a top speed of over 140mph (limited) is "in no way a performance car".... :rolleyes:

BTW, that is the diesel...

SGKM

I read somewhere a while ago that the MKV Golf GTi was the most stolen car in Dublin. I dont know how accurate that is so I could be wrong.

And a 407 coupe is not a preformance car,the fastest car in the range,the 211bhp 3.0 V6 manual has a 0-62 time of 8.4 sec. It would be fast enough but in my book that doesnt constitute a preformance car!!

TempestSabre

SGKM wrote:

I read somewhere a while ago that the MKV Golf GTi was the most stolen car in Dublin. I dont know how accurate that is so I could be wrong.

And a 407 coupe is not a preformance car,the fastest car in the range,the 211bhp 3.0 V6 manual has a 0-62 time of 8.4 sec. It would be fast enough but in my book that doesnt constitute a preformance car!!

The OP didn't specify a performance car...;) Besides a performance car would be a theft magnet, which is kinda what the OP doesn't want.

prospect

I'm curious, I know its off topic but I am gonna ask anyway.

At what point does a performance car, become a performance car?

I would have thought a car with over 200bhp would be well above average performance, and therefore qualify it is a performance car!!
Having actually driven a 2.7L 407 coupe, it is certainly as impressive in the real world as alot of other high powered cars I have driven.

But having said that, I would prefer it as a tourer due to its combination of size, space, performance and absoloute refinement and comfort.

mloc123

Well quinn direct consider anything over 110Bhp ish to be a 'performance car' lol

Vegeta

prospect wrote:

I'm curious, I know its off topic but I am gonna ask anyway.

At what point does a performance car, become a performance car?

I would have thought a car with over 200bhp would be well above average performance, and therefore qualify it is a performance car!!
Having actually driven a 2.7L 407 coupe, it is certainly as impressive in the real world as alot of other high powered cars I have driven.

But having said that, I would prefer it as a tourer due to its combination of size, space, performance and absoloute refinement and comfort.

The important thing here is to define "performance car" and I think a performance car is a car which is designed for performance. Simple i know but follow me for a second

The 407 isn't a performance car just because you throw a bigger engine in it, is the suspension the same as the smaller engine models? Does it have standard brakes etc.

I think a performance car is one which has been designed or redesinged to accelerate, brake and handle better than you average saloon, hatchback.

SO I wouldn't call a car with a big engine a performance car, it would have to have a big engine, improved braking system. Improved handling due to suspension mods and weight distribution.

well that's my 2 cents anyway.

Feel free to argue/make a new thred for this topic

dubstub

Do you think it's worth putting a hidden kill switch into the car? Hide it somewhere that will take a thief a good bit of time to find but that is convenient for you to switch off when leaving your car?
I don't like the idea of screwing with the ignition circuitry and I suspect that any thief proficient enough to get around immobilisers and deadlocks will find the snipped ignition wires soon enough... anybody any experience with these?

dubstub

dubstub wrote:

Do you think it's worth putting a hidden kill switch into the car? Hide it somewhere that will take a thief a good bit of time to find but that is convenient for you to switch off when leaving your car?
I don't like the idea of screwing with the ignition circuitry and I suspect that any thief proficient enough to get around immobilisers and deadlocks will find the snipped ignition wires soon enough... anybody any experience with these?

Apparently some of the older cars like civic and integras are very easy to steal.

Its apparentlly becuase car thievery is very low in japan.

TempestSabre

Vegeta wrote:

The important thing here is to define "performance car" and I think a performance car is a car which is designed for performance. Simple i know but follow me for a second

The 407 isn't a performance car just because you throw a bigger engine in it, is the suspension the same as the smaller engine models? Does it have standard brakes etc.

I think a performance car is one which has been designed or redesinged to accelerate, brake and handle better than you average saloon, hatchback.

SO I wouldn't call a car with a big engine a performance car, it would have to have a big engine, improved braking system. Improved handling due to suspension mods and weight distribution.

well that's my 2 cents anyway.

Feel free to argue/make a new thred for this topic

What about the different generations of Golf GTI's. Are they all performance cars? The Mrk 1 is 0-60 in about 9sec whereas the latest one is 0-60 in 7sec. (figures are approx). But they are all modified compared to the standard car. Even the bloaty/floaty ones.

TempestSabre

dubstub wrote:

Do you think it's worth putting a hidden kill switch into the car? Hide it somewhere that will take a thief a good bit of time to find but that is convenient for you to switch off when leaving your car?
I don't like the idea of screwing with the ignition circuitry and I suspect that any thief proficient enough to get around immobilisers and deadlocks will find the snipped ignition wires soon enough... anybody any experience with these?

I think you do enough to keep the amateurs away. The professionals will simply car jack you, or have a word in your ear while your in the house and ask you politely for the keys, and how to unlock it. They may even come back a couple of times if they are really determined.

Sizzler

TempestSabre wrote:

I think you do enough to keep the amateurs away. The professionals will simply car jack you, or have a word in your ear while your in the house and ask you politely for the keys, and how to unlock it. They may even come back a couple of times if they are really determined.

I remember seeing a post on here (?) a year or 2 ago from some lad in Ongar D15 who had video footage of some skangers trying to nick his MX-5, they came back 2 or 3 times :eek: Dont think they got it tho !
Have also seen posts about guys getting a knock at the door and being told to hand over the keys ! AMB !

Vegeta

TempestSabre wrote:

What about the different generations of Golf GTI's. Are they all performance cars? The Mrk 1 is 0-60 in about 9sec whereas the latest one is 0-60 in 7sec. (figures are approx). But they are all modified compared to the standard car. Even the bloaty/floaty ones.

well they may be fast in a straight line but do the golf GTI family have uprated brakes/handling (serious question I don't know without looking it up).

If so then yes i would call them a performance car.

I could go away and get the figures for a dodge ram or a ford f series pcik up which have huge engines and are very quick but I would not call them a performace car as they are lacking in a lot of other areas.

I suppose it takes a lot more than acceleration and top speed to make a car a performance car in my opinion

SGKM

TempestSabre wrote:

What about the different generations of Golf GTI's. Are they all performance cars? The Mrk 1 is 0-60 in about 9sec whereas the latest one is 0-60 in 7sec. (figures are approx). But they are all modified compared to the standard car. Even the bloaty/floaty ones.

I know its off the topic but,the Golf GTi MK 1 was launched in 1976 and had a 1.6 engine and weighed about 800kg. That is a preformance car from 30 years ago!! Yes the V6 Peugeot 407 would be faster,but not by that much. I've driven a MK1 GTi and it is a superb drivers car:Very accurate steering, Good brakes (for the 70s), Precise gearchange, Great handling and turn in. And for a car that is 30 years old its fast and fun to drive!!! A great Drivers car makes a car a preformance car,its not just about power and speed!

dubstub

TempestSabre wrote:

I think you do enough to keep the amateurs away. The professionals will simply car jack you, or have a word in your ear while your in the house and ask you politely for the keys, and how to unlock it. They may even come back a couple of times if they are really determined.

Fair point. Don't think I'd enjoy being woken up with a knife to the throat. A call to the Gardai and insurance company in the morning is kinda preferable to that.

Kimbot

ronoc wrote:

Apparently some of the older cars like civic and integras are very easy to steal.

Its apparentlly becuase car thievery is very low in japan.

Stealing old honda's are easy and can be done with the most simple of tools!!

At the end of the day, no matter what car you have, what alarm you have, what kill switches you have.....
If they really want your car they will take it!!!

EDIT: Before you ask... No I don't steal cars, never did and never will!! Its just general knowledge!!

Thomas_S_Hunterson

jonny24ie wrote:

Stealing old honda's are easy and can be done with the most simple of tools!!

a man who speaks from experience;)

Thomas_S_Hunterson

jonny24ie wrote:

EDIT: Before you ask... No I don't steal cars, never did and never will!! Its just general knowledge!!

oh of course of course:cool:

Kimbot

sean_keevey wrote:

oh of course of course:cool:

Ah no I know alot of Honda owners plus my uncle and cousin are mechanics and they own hondas!!