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| My red 88 GT was stolen today (Page 9/15) |
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skywurz
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DEC 07, 06:09 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by hyperv6:
The best thing you can do is make it difficult for someone to steal.
The most effective item has always been a hidden kill switch. The best I have seen are magnetic ones where you place a magnetic switch in the dash and put the magnet over it.
Generally if they can’t start the car fast or easy they will not take the tin3 to look for the switch.
As for the fuse idea it is ok in a pinch. Same for the coil wire you just pull the coil wire and take it with you. That way you don’t have to crawl under the dash. Sure they could use a plug wire but few will take time to look and most will not drive on a dead cylinder. |
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And if you don't have an electric trunk pop good luck getting in the trunk. 
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Fiero Vice
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DEC 07, 09:18 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by hyperv6:
The best thing you can do is make it difficult for someone to steal.
The most effective item has always been a hidden kill switch. The best I have seen are magnetic ones where you place a magnetic switch in the dash and put the magnet over it.
Generally if they can’t start the car fast or easy they will not take the tin3 to look for the switch.
As for the fuse idea it is ok in a pinch. Same for the coil wire you just pull the coil wire and take it with you. That way you don’t have to crawl under the dash. Sure they could use a plug wire but few will take time to look and most will not drive on a dead cylinder. |
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Well, I think GPS Tracker will be your best investment to fight against thieves. I think several trackers would be better, not just one because they will not rest until they find it. Once they find it, they might stop look farther for the second & third ones. We want a tracker that comes with history because if they take your vehicle to a facility where the signal is blocked. You are out of luck. You want one that comes with history of where it's been, leading up to the facility.
I remember reading an article few years ago where thieves stole few classic cars from a car show/racing, in the broad daylight. They just towed it away, in matter of minutes. Just like that. That's all it takes no matter how difficult you've made it for the thieves.[This message has been edited by Fiero Vice (edited 12-07-2021).]
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solotwo
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DEC 07, 09:30 PM
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As for insurance, we have Fremont Auto and home. They are headquartered in Fremont Michigan. I live in Michigan. So I do not know if they offer insurance in other states. But that said, our insurance agent is an independent and has taken care of my wife for for all of her insurance needs, the when we were married I switched over to him. She has been with him for around 30 years. So back to my story, some time ago he did not like what Nationwide was doing for coverage or the lack there of. So he advised us to look at Fremont. He had some of his clients switch over. Jason has always taken care of Mary and saw that she had great coverage, even before she got her insurance license for the State of Michigan. She doesn't sell and doesn't want to. Her previous job was at an insurance company that sold liability ins to lawyers. My wife works in accounting. Not sales. LOL. When Jason switched over he informed me that I had to get the 88 Coupe appraised. So I contacted Ike Sarver who just happens to live in the area. Ike has appraised classic and sports cars all over the country. When he told me how much I thought wow that seems a little high. But years later when a new BMW hit me, didn't do a lot of damage to the Fiero but sure made a mess on that brand new BMW. LOL, I found out when trying to replace it, that indeed it was going to cost close to appraisal value to get another Fiero. So when I bought the second Fiero we went through the same process. We are very pleased with Fremont. My wife lease's her vehicles. She did before we met and does now. She has had people at work bump her cars over the years and we call Jason who contacts Fremont and they tell us to go to a body shop that is top rated and make an appointment and they, Fremont takes care of the paper work. As I mentioned we have had a great experience with Fremont. We have all our cars and house thought them. And I think we even have a life policy with them. If Fremont is available in your area I would check them out. THEY DO cover Fieors with the correct insurance.
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hyperv6
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DEC 08, 10:04 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by Fiero Vice:
Well, I think GPS Tracker will be your best investment to fight against thieves. I think several trackers would be better, not just one because they will not rest until they find it. Once they find it, they might stop look farther for the second & third ones. We want a tracker that comes with history because if they take your vehicle to a facility where the signal is blocked. You are out of luck. You want one that comes with history of where it's been, leading up to the facility.
I remember reading an article few years ago where thieves stole few classic cars from a car show/racing, in the broad daylight. They just towed it away, in matter of minutes. Just like that. That's all it takes no matter how difficult you've made it for the thieves.
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Depends on the tracking used. Some are better than others.
As for towing and theft in general if someone wants a car bad enough they will get it. But most auto theft is opportunity or ease. If they can quickly pop a column and insert a screw driver the more likely they will take the car.
There really is no big market on Fiero's so I am surprised this one here is still missing. I kind of hoped it was one that got taken for a joy ride and dumped.
Trackers are always best but many here would not pay for them.
Heck I broke into a Nissan once with a screw driver and a yard stick. A girl locked her keys in and I took apart the quarter window and used the Yard Stick to pop the lock. Broke in to Ford vans with a comb. A GMC truck with a brake adjusting tool. Etc. We used to get people locked out often and I found a number of ways to get in. Once in starting was not an issue if you crack the column. Now if it does not start few will look for what is wrong.
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Rsvl-Rider
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DEC 12, 03:16 AM
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So it's been almost 4 weeks since my car was stolen and the long awaited surveillance tape has finally been received by the police. Contrary to what I was told by the first officer I was allowed to view the video by an officer in the auto theft task force. As we feared, it happened just after dark and the camera was not in the optimal position to get much information. It will not lead to an immediate identification but I still have hopes that it will aid in the investigation. I won't say anymore on that for now.
The theft, as it unfolded, struck me as rather strange in that it seemed to take quite a long time. The thief walked into the scene and spent considerable time looking at and in the car, circling it several times. It seemed he might have been taking and texting pictures on his phone. There was another individual that walked into and out of the scene who may have been a lookout. Even after he gained entry he sat in the car longer than one would expect. All this was taking place just steps from a busy street. Finally the headlights came on but he did not pull out immediately. Unfortunately, the motion activated camera stopped at that moment.
I had quite a long conversation with the task force officer and he pledged to keep the case alive. I suggested that since we now have an exact time of the theft it might be worthwhile to revisit the traffic cam footage to determine the direction taken by the thief. The cameras and the footage are not in the control of the police department so I hope he is able to get that done. Since the car has not shown up stripped or abandoned yet he suggested that it may be undergoing a VIN number swap. That now seems the most likely scenario to me. When asked about our chances of recovering the car he stated that 90% of cars which are stolen in the area are (eventually) found. That one statement gave me reason to continue to hope. He also mentioned getting the public relations office involved in getting out some publicity on the theft. I recently posted the flyer with pictures of the car on the Crime Watch page of the department's Facebook page and received quite a number of likes and messages of support so I know folks are seeing it. In the time since my last update we continue to distribute flyers and I continue to search various websites for recognizable parts from the car. Jenny took her newly purchased GT to a Cars and Coffee event this morning to hand out flyers and got a mention on their page.
There are a number of features on the car that make it very recognizable. The bright red color, lowered stance, custom side scoops, Sprint headers, Mr Mikes seats, aftermarket steering wheel and a chrome intake plenum (not the standard "FIERO" embossed red one) are some of them. I will try to post pictures if I can find any.
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exoticse
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DEC 12, 02:35 PM
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I really hope you get your car back. It is good to see some movement in the case even if the steps are small.
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Valkrie9
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DEC 12, 03:47 PM
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-
In 2020, 181K vehicles were stolen, at an estimated total value of approximately $1.6 billion.
This is a 19.6 percent increase from the 2019 total for vehicle thefts statewide.
The average rate of theft in 2020 was one vehicle every 3 minutes.
'
The NICB report also looked at which metropolitan area in the U.S. suffered the most auto thefts, with Bakersfield, California, topping the list with the most cars stolen,
followed by Yuba City, California;
Denver; Odessa, Texas; and San Francisco.
'
Vehicle Theft
You got any promising...uh...leads?
Redistribution of wealth, thank you for your contribution, have a nice day !
It Sucks, gettin' ripped off.
Sadly, she's gone baby.
 [This message has been edited by Valkrie9 (edited 12-18-2021).]
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reinhart
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DEC 16, 02:09 AM
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How did the thief(s) get on the scene. Typically there's a 2nd car that drops him off. That should be your focus. Getting an ID on the plate or at least identifying the make and model and color could narrow it down to just a few cars in the area.
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reinhart
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DEC 16, 02:10 AM
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What method did the thief use to gain entry? Slim Jim, broke a window, etc? Might help some of us protect our cars.
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Rsvl-Rider
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DEC 16, 01:00 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by reinhart:
What method did the thief use to gain entry? Slim Jim, broke a window, etc? Might help some of us protect our cars. |
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Both the thief and the possible lookout walked into the scene. There were no cars that could be connected to the thief. The driver side of the car was away from the camera so there was no way to determine the method. Doubtful that the window was broken. There was no glass around the area. I'm guessing Slim Jim or punching out the lock.
I mentioned to the investigating officer that I was putting alarms on my other cars. He did not think much of the idea. He said that a hidden kill switch and GPS locator together were the best protection.
The theft was recently posted to the Police Department Facebook page, along with pictures. This is not typical but I guess they got tired of me asking questions about what specifically was being done. Quite a number of responses. Most were sympathetic, and a few posted by the ever-present Facebook A..holes. There were also three possible leads which are being looked into.
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