Guess its my own fault...

[jbarn]

Hide your stuff

Can't tell you how many conversations I've had with the kids about not leaving stuff on the seat where it can be seen.

My wife now removes her GPS from the mount on the windshield, but leaves the mount. Gee, honey, no one will know that a GPS goes on that mount and is probably right there in the glove box..........................

I am so retentive that I wipe the little mark from the windshield that the suction cup for the GPS mount makes......

[chasfm11]

There are three things you should do to avoid vehicle break-ins; Hide your stuff, Lock your vehicle, and Take the keys.

Our daughter (who was a police dispatcher at the time and should have known better), left the detachable face on her Alpine stereo one night. The car was locked and less than 50 feet from from her bedroom window in an apartment complex lot when the burglar drove his feet through her passenger side window, ripped apart her dash and stole the Alpine. He pawned it in Irving for $25 along with 17 other similar stolen units. Her car repairs were $1,800.

If they cannot see it, they won't steal it. By the way, he was never prosecuted for the crime. Even though it was he who pawned every stolen unit from the Bedford crime spree, they could not prove that it was him who stole them. She eventually got the unit back because she could identify the CD that was still in it.

A little off topic, but this is the reason I always get the upgraded factory stereo system when buying a car instead of going aftermarket. The factory stuff is not nearly as tempting to thieves as the aftermarket stuff.

We follow the Dave Ramsey approach and buy several year old vehicles. While they are clean and low mileage, none of them have had decent sound systems.

With the SUVs and crossovers, it is really hard to hide stuff in the back. I worry when we go to the mall even though I'm carefull to cover everything up. Even with a towel or blanket on top, you can tell that there is "something" in there, though not exactly what it is. The opportunists don't seem to practice a lot of discrimination - they just grab. Locking the doors only seems to slow them down a little.

[Jumping Frog]

With the SUVs and crossovers, it is really hard to hide stuff in the back.

Our Suburban has dark tinted windows for both back seats and the far back. Not only does it help with the Houston sun, it also helps keep things out of sight.

We follow the Dave Ramsey approach ....

Big fan. I also knew that new car purchases were a poor financial decision for a long time before I ever heard of DR.

Last brand new vehicle I purchased was 1984. Was stupid and leased (fleeced) a minivan back in the mid-90's. Wised up since then on both purchases and leases. I've purchased

Cars coming off lease (fleece) after 2 years are typically a great used car buy. I've purchased 9 used vehicles and been very satisfied.

[TexasGal]

Thieves are everywhere. We had one rifle through our outbuildings and trailers recently even though the security lights were all on. Took an old chain saw. There really wasn'tamuch else. It still gave me the creeps since I am regularly at the barn at night.

The ammo tipped the thief there are guns in your home. Chances are he tried the keys he stole out of the truck on your door (or plans to).

[Steamboat]

I kept my garage door opener on the visor of my truck until a couiple of years ago. A meathead broke into my truck, opened my garage door and stole several items. I found out when the doorbell rang at 2 am and the friendly officer wanted to know if I knew my garage door was open.