911's and car thieves

[car911]

Compared to other cars, how easy are 911's to steal?

My experience (touch wood) has been pretty good to date. Friends with popular (among thieves) cars (Toyotas, etc) seem to have many more problems.

Does it make sense that a 15 year old car is much less attractive to a professional thieve?

How difficult is a 911 to hotwire - would a would-be 'joy-rider' generally find it easier to grab another car parked beside me?

[anthony]

I imagine that if thieves really want your car they drag it on to a flat bed and drive away.

[billwagnon]

I find that a gun rack on the back makes 'em stop and think...

[RANDY P]

Probably has to do with the fact that 911's compared to anything else is pretty rare, and consequently less likely to be of any use for parts. The local "gangsta" car thief will most likely drive a Toyo or Honda vs. a P car.

And for the sake of our resale value, let's hope it stays that way, the day I see a 911 sporting reverse wires and crooked, chrome naked lady mudflaps is the day I sell my Pcar.

And yes, the column and wiring would lend themselves easy to theft.

[Axeman]

Actually 911s are one of the "easier" cars to steal. If someone know a little bit about these cars, they'll be gone with it within 1 minute...hey wait a minute that reminds me of "Gone in 60 seconds!!".
But seriously, you easily just pop the cylinder in the door handle, open the door, pull the top part of the ignition, put a screwdriver in the switch, turn it....and you're gone!!
Problems with alarms is that they all pretty much do the same thing, cut power to the fuel pump, etc.. and people who steal these cards carry a jumper to start the car. Alarms actually are totally worthless. Lojack is just as bad, the pros know exactly how the installers run the wires to the module (always the same way and the same place!!) and it takes them 30 seconds to pull that wire.
Really the best thing is to have the combination of a few things: somehow cut the power to the coil, and have a custom kill switch and some sort of combination where you have to maybe pull on a wiper switch while turning the key to start the car. It's extreme, but you figure where I live in "Hell A" (Los Angeles) you "weed out" 90% of the "dumb thieves"...so what are the chances of your car actually falling into the hands of the "top 10 %thieves"...pretty slim hopefully. But at the end, if they really want your car, they'll either carjack you at gunpoint or show up with the flatbed and take it. Something I learned from my mechanic, he always says: "If you can't see it, don't park it...or take your other daily beater". Also NEVER valet park your car, most of them have their buddies sitting in the van, they'll make a quick copy of your key, they have the registration with your home address in the car, etc...and your car will be gone.

Speaking of stealing 911s... I just ordered "No Man's Land" with Charlie Sheen on Amazo,n can't wait to get it I haven't watched it in years.

Cheers!

[Adam]

Originally posted by Axeman:
... I just ordered "No Man's Land" with Charlie Sheen on Amazo,n can't wait to get it I haven't watched it in years.

I've got it on VHS, but I'm waiting for it to come out on DVD. I'm assuming that you ordered the VHS version. If not, let me know and I'll order the DVD too! That's a cool flick.

[RoninLB]

I'm with Axe on this one..but I try to do my best..I find out how a shop does the install and do it differently..and I use a layered approach..and then assume the car thief will get the car started and drive away...so this cop who does auto thefts for 30 years in NYC tells me to get a device that kills the car after it is driven off..that the crook wants no part of it then..that in traffic with the horns blasting and lights flashing. and not knowing if you or PD has been notified..so he wants outta there..........Ron

[Rick Lee]

I have a friend in Germany who had a '96 polar silver C4 stolen out of his garage and it was never recovered. It was sort of funny, in that he's runs a heart clinic and usually rides his bicycle to work. His wife called him at the clinic to see when he'd be home for lunch and he said it would take him about 20 min. to ride home. She asked him how that could be since he had taken the Porsche to work, which, of course, he had not. The real disappointment of the story is that he took the insurance money and got a Boxster and an old BMW bike. Even more disappointing is that he says the Boxster is a better car. Some folks get what they deserve.

[Jgordon]

From what I understand, 911s used to be pretty popular with thieves. Hence our unique door locks that no one can figure out. I guess that's the point though. ON a different topic altogether, but stemming from the fact that people can't figure the cars out, is it acceptable to be upset when your girlfriend is wrenching on the door handle, asking you why the door's broken? When I unlocked the door and got out to check the mechanism, she told me I was "anal."

Jared

[John Brandt]

Yes,

They are easy to steal, but the only people who know how to do it are 911 owners and I'm not so worried abou them. When I first bought myCarrera, I had to park it on the street. and I couldn't sleep for months, because everytime the wind blew I'd get out of bed to make sure the car was OK.
Nobody ever touched it, and I've learned to accept that we have insurance for just this reason.

[Joeaksa]

Richard,

Which heart clinic? A good friend of mine runs a heart clinic in the Osnabruck area. Name is Henning W... and also is a bike rider but do not believe that he is into motorcycles. His flavour of Porsches is the 356 so it may be someone else.

I had a bike and 911 stolen off the streets in Berlin. Both ended up either in pieces or parts in Russia or Poland we were told as its only a 20 minute drive from Berlin.

Joe

I have a friend in Germany who had a '96 polar silver C4 stolen out of his garage and it was never recovered. got a Boxster and an old BMW bike. >>>>>

[Rick Lee]

Yes Joe, my friend is in the Osnabrueck area too. He's the chief at the Schuechtermann Klinik in Bad Rothenfelde. I think he retired last year though.

[Joeaksa]

My guy is the Chief Artz for the heart bypass and transplant wing at the Schuestermann Klinic, my soon to be ex-wife (17 Sept is the divorce thank God) is the head of OR and nursing there!

I lived in the Bad Rothenfelde area for 3 years and know the guy you were talking about but forget his name. Cannot believe his car got stolen as theres not much going on in this little country berg. It must have been someone who wanted that particular car and they put out a request for it...

small world !

Joe

[RoninLB]

my brother lives in west LA. US and a crook moved a friends Ferrari from his drive way to steal a turbo Porsche.....Ron

[pwd72s]

Theft shouldn't be funny....but Ron, that tale does contain some humor...

[sammyg2]

Hay Mark (axeman),
I bought a used 911 windshield in great condition from someone in your neck of the woods, and he was a musical type person too. Wuz that you or just a coincidence?

[stormcrow]

As far as stealing a P-car or any other car for that matter it's just a matter of making it difficult for the thief. With the new pager alarms out, once the car is moved, or door opened your pager goes off.

With regard to alarm set-up. I have mine set up with a relay in series with the fuel pump relay. If the key is turned on and the alarm goes off, the fuel pump relay still works, but power is cut to the fuel pump by the other relay.

It's located under the bonnet and would take more than 60 secs to get to it, let alone figure out wich wire to hot wire to make the fuel pump operate.

If you want to get real serious about stopping a thief, you can install a hydraulic pump on your brake system to lock the brakes when the car is driven over 5 mph.

Or you could install air shocks on all four wheels of the car. When the alarm goes off, a selenoid valve is opened letting all the air out of the shocks and the car goes to the ground.

Steve

[Axeman]

Originally posted by sammyg2
Hay Mark (axeman),
I bought a used 911 windshield in great condition from someone in your neck of the woods, and he was a musical type person too. Wuz that you or just a coincidence?

Yes that would be me! Did you show up with the truck to pick up the windshield?

[kcope]

Just take the rotor with you. how many crooks run around with a porsche rotor in their pockets.

[HawgRyder]

I like the "take the rotor " idea....good one.
I have installed armoured cables for the coil feed and the fuel pump....I figure if they want the car they will have to work hard for it (and we all know that they are lazy).
In the end though...the best deterent is a good pump 12 guage!
Funny how everyone on the planet knows the sound of a pump shotgun being racked. LOL
Remember...the only good thief is a dead thief..make 'em good as fast as possible...then have a good place to hide the body.
Bob