Car forums, and theft.

[RomanV]

If I was a car thief, I wouldnt be randomly looking for cars...

So many people who have hotted up cars, frequent various forums, and post what is essentially a shopping list of goodies to steal.
What is also amusing, is people who blank out their number plates in the pictures, despite the fact that their username is obviously the same as their personalised plate.

Now I dont know if your average car thief actually has an internet connection though.

A few people here (and elsewhere) are very sparse with their personal details, whereas others are willing to provide each and every detail.

As I spend more and more time and money on my car, (although its still a heap, that no one would want to steal anyway! )
I start to think more and more, about how much it would suck if someone stole my car for a joyride, and burnt it out.

Or more specifically, if someone saw my car online, and wanted to steal it for some parts or something.
Has anyone else given this much thought?

Perhaps it might be a niche market for specialised thieves, some time in the future.

[[b|indsp0tt]]

Last year there were about 20-30 cars stolen from members on the NZHonda forums,including mine.Pretty sure thieves lurk on the Profiles section and just troll for cars they want or are ordered and hit them up.That shit is orchestrated.I'll never post up specific details of my car on the net again.

[neo]

I start to think more and more, about how much it would suck if someone stole my car for a joyride, and burnt it out.

Just as long as they are pros and the car DOESNT come back, its all good, its the bloddy idiots that smash windows, ruin the interior for a $400 headunit that annoy the crap outa me.

Hell, most of my insurance companies hate me anyway.

[Silent Knight]

I would have thought thieves are too dumb to work such things out. Normally it's an impulse thing....they see a car and check it out and go grab it. No planning ahead and making sure it has the parts that they want to steal etc.

But thanks for giving them the wonderful idea RomanV!!!

[RomanV]

*me eyes up Silent Knights car*

Well as has been said, it appears to be happening already.

Perhaps it is something that people here should be more aware of!

But then again, I wouldnt be surprised if all of those hondas would have been stolen regardless...

It is a double edged sword, about how almost any honda engine will fit in any other car...

It is great for enthusiasts etc, but it also means that the cars are much more valuable to thieves, as they can very easily offload the parts, and there are plenty of people willing to buy.

Lucky that noone likes toyotas.

[EVL20V]

yea toyotas arnt worth stealing

they go 4 the vtecs au!

[Dell'Orto]

I would have thought thieves are too dumb to work such things out. Normally it's an impulse thing....they see a car and check it out and go grab it. No planning ahead and making sure it has the parts that they want to steal etc.

But thanks for giving them the wonderful idea RomanV!!!

I dont know if you're saying that tongue in cheek or not, but you do realise organised car theft is alive and well in NZ right? Gangs (and the occasional dubious wrecker) do get orders for specific parts and they have little helpers go get them. I dont doubt that some car thieves use forums to troll for targets. Think of it as online shopping

[CaM]

yuh

career criminals aren't dumb, there's a reason they don't get caught I guess...

sucks that you have to be so discreet with details etc, but I guess it's not hard to do at least.

positive thing about nz i gues is we don't have identity theft in a big way, yet...

[snwtoy]

I've been thinking along those lines for a loooong time.

Hence if I'm going to mention a modification it'll be something like:

"Stereo"

Rather than

alpine dvd player model 122234
5 pioneer touch screens
10 rockford fosgate amps
2 1/2 sony explode subs
30 tweeters by yo mamma

etc

[EVL GSXR]

I've been thinking along those lines for a loooong time.

Hence if I'm going to mention a modification it'll be something like:

"Stereo"

Rather than

alpine dvd player model 122234
5 pioneer touch screens
10 rockford fosgate amps
2 1/2 sony explode subs
30 tweeters by yo mamma

etc

Hell that's alot of amp's you putting in joke's

Yeah as said above the good guy's aren't as stupid as what you may think.. I am just thankful that way down South it isn't as bad as what you guy's have up North

[Cahuna]

And it applies equally to places like Trade Me - put your car up for sale, put down details of what it had and voila, instant target. But then again it is also quite easy for someone to go down to their local Westfield Shoppingtown and look at all the modified cars, or to go into central Auckland (or wherever) on a Friday night and see what is cruising.

IMO the only way to really avoid advertising to prospective undesirables what your car has is to avoid owning it in the first place.

[Ako]

Then of course, there's the aspect of -

Never enter your car in a show.
Never drag race it legally - the one doing 12's is more likely to be picked on than the slow ones, regardless of how secretive the owner is about how it got that fast.
Never get a magazine article done.

Hell, I've heard of people even going out street racing, and whatever seemed fast... Gets a "visit" at 3am that night or the next, after the owner got home.


List goes on and on. All you can do is be insured, use common sense - and have a lot of big, angry samoan mates

[Akane]

I have been thinking of this "online shopping by car thiefs" for quite a few years, some of you might notice my profile said NOTHING about my car modifications. As years went by, I come to think my car's a bit worthless now. So I started putting my modifications on the profiles.

Not to say "Please come steal me hahaha" or anything.....

I guess there's a good side of me not into car stereo and big bodykits. Car theifs mostly target car stereos, and big bodykitted cars stand out like a sore thumb. I don't even get provoked in races at all, people think "Oh, another MR2 with a loud exhaust, probably factory everthing under the bonnet, I'd vtak his ass easily, not worth my time". While my friends almost factory S15 gets provoked every corner because of his big rims and a drift-look-alike-bodykit.

Just to show how people perceive cars on first sight.

[Wildcard]

Car theifs mostly target car stereos, and big bodykitted cars stand out like a sore thumb.

I don't have any problems as my car is NA, just look at the bonnet vents.

[Silent Knight]

I don't have any problems as my car is NA, just look at the bonnet vents.

Your car is just as NA as your signature says it is...

[Chelles]

I would have thought thieves are too dumb to work such things out. Normally it's an impulse thing....they see a car and check it out and go grab it. No planning ahead and making sure it has the parts that they want to steal etc.

But thanks for giving them the wonderful idea RomanV!!!

I dont know if you're saying that tongue in cheek or not, but you do realise organised car theft is alive and well in NZ right? Gangs (and the occasional dubious wrecker) do get orders for specific parts and they have little helpers go get them. I dont doubt that some car thieves use forums to troll for targets. Think of it as online shopping

Yes I do hope it was tounge in cheek, but I'm not sure it was.
I have a cousin in jail who made a living out of 'working' to orders. He did this for nearly ten years before he got caught.
Your precious car could be on the next shopping list and often there isn't much you can do about it

[Silent Knight]

I would have thought thieves are too dumb to work such things out. Normally it's an impulse thing....they see a car and check it out and go grab it. No planning ahead and making sure it has the parts that they want to steal etc.

But thanks for giving them the wonderful idea RomanV!!!

I dont know if you're saying that tongue in cheek or not, but you do realise organised car theft is alive and well in NZ right? Gangs (and the occasional dubious wrecker) do get orders for specific parts and they have little helpers go get them. I dont doubt that some car thieves use forums to troll for targets. Think of it as online shopping

Perhaps I should have used a different emoticon...I meant that as a joke. I come from SA man...I know all about organised and disorganised crime!

[Malcolm]

I have used a technique for preventing my good cars from being stolen for years, and it hasn't failed once.

The trick is, you never drive the car for more than a month or so before completely removing the engine and taking it off the road/making it undrivable for atleast 6 months.

[Fraud]

Well guys,

My car was attempted to be broken into this afternoon. Now, we all know how easy ford lasers and mazda familias are to get into. So, thankfully the alarm frightened this dude away, but it did get me thinking. My car isn't safe ANYWHERE anymore. It was parked right outside my office window at work. I even saw the dude run off after trying to get in. I mean how sh1t is that.
And then I was like, well I can't even leave it at home, as i'm up a long driveway and noone would hear the alarm going off from anywhere. What the hell am I meant to do with it now? As Chelles said, if your cars on their shopping list, theres nothing you can do about it.

[vvega]

there is always something you can do the question is how far do you go.....

v