car alarm systems

[Wink Holliday]

Well, my car was broken into again. In my previous car, the thieves had to break a window to get in. Kind of a deterrent, but not 100% foolproof. They took a portable CD player that time, and it cost me $200 for a new window. With my current car, though, the window design allows for anyone lacking a sense of ethics to simply slide a hanger or slimjim in between the glass and the gasket, and open her up. It happens about once a year. "Lucky" for me, the sleazebags around here aren't so bright, and generally take the worthless stuff and leave anything of value behind. Last night, they missed my GPS but took - get this - my reusable shopping bags. (They once left behind a CD wallet, but took an umbrella. I s*** you not.)

While nothing of serious value has yet been stolen, there is always some form of physical damage to the car, from the scratches and dents of uninvited entry to the smashed steering column or forcibly removed sun visor that costs me some amount of money to repair. On top of that, of course, is the icky feeling of being violated; that some stranger (and a jerk, at that) has been in my car.

I'm thinking that a car alarm may be the way to go. Actually, I would like to wire my car in such a way as to provide a taser-like stun to anyone who touches it against my will, but barring that, a blinkie light and a siren will have to do. One friend tells me that an alarm system isn't much of a deterrent, because when was the last time you saw anyone rushing to protect a car that was blaring an alarm? He has a point. But what else can I do? For $230 I can get a basic alarm system with remote locks, installed. If I spend more money, I get more features, but what good does a 2-way buzzing remote do me unless I sleep with it in my pocket? And the keychain screen that shows me precisely where my car was violated? What good is that? I can already tell from the damage, and it still does me no good to know.

Any opinions on the matter?

[Wink Holliday]

Perfect! Can I rig it to be motion sensitive?

It is always broken into overnight, while parked in my condo-association-assigned carport parking space. The local police cruise through the community regularly, but they're not here ALL the time.
The thieves were smart enough to turn off the dome light while they rifled through my stuff.

sfphotojournal said:

Winks,

Forget the tazer, go flamethrower.


Wonder if Poppy can hook you up with one.

But seriously, a car alarm will not deter someone determined to get inside your car, but it may deter an opportunistic thief. And it might reduce your insurance premium.

By the way were are all these incidents occuring - work, home, shopping? Because if there's a pattern well you might want to change.

The best thief deterent is an locked attached garage.