Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site petsd.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!cbdkc1!desoto!packard!edsel!bentley!hoxna!houxm!mtuxo!mtunh!mtung!mtunf!ariel!vax135!petsd!mikec From: mikec@petsd.UUCP (Mike Condict) Newsgroups: net.auto,net.consumers Subject: Re: Protecting Car Stereos Message-ID: <556@petsd.UUCP> Date: Sun, 7-Jul-85 00:26:34 EDT Article-I.D.: petsd.556 Posted: Sun Jul 7 00:26:34 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 2-Jul-85 05:22:46 EDT References: <621@terak.UUCP> Organization: Perkin-Elmer DSG, Tinton Falls, N.J. Lines: 34 Xref: watmath net.auto:7213 net.consumers:2475 My God, I am aghast at these stories of the same car repeatedly burglarized in illicit pursuit of stereos! I parked my '79 Honda two nights in a row in the deep East Village (Alphabet City, drug capital of New York) with the doors unlocked and nobody even stole the cigarette lighter. What am I doing wrong? But seriously, unless you live in one of these places, do you really believe that your car was broken into 4 or 5 times by coincidence, when that's gotta be way above the average crime rate for your area? Don't you realize that the same guy is coming back -- he probably thinks of it as a sport, or an "arms race". He doesn't want to show any window of vulnerability by failing to defeat your next atempt at theft-proofness. I can't advocate any particular counter-insurgency strategy for others, but let me say that in cases like these my thoughts would turn to a few of my favorite movie fantasies. First of all, you know the guy is coming back, so you have the advantage, right? You have all the time and privacy you need to prepare, while he's got to hit and run. The wimpiest thing that I would do is simply install an alarm that sends by radio to a remote unit, which is beside my bed. I would make sure that there is no evidence in the car of an alarm going off. Then I'd program my phone dialer to call the police at the touch of a button and when the alarm goes off, presto. Of course you could also store various implements of destruction beside your bed as well, but that would probably be illegal, so you wouldn't even think of doing that right? (Most effective implement in unskilled or expert hands at medium to close range is the weapon preferred by U.S. soldiers in Viet Nam: an ordinary 12-gauge shotgun, preferably pump action. Don't saw off the barrel unless you want to conceal it or you need it for really close work -- you lose too much stopping power and accuracy at medium ranges. It is legal to buy a shotgun without a permit in all 50 states, I believe.) MC "You want five dollars? I've got five dollars for each of you."