The RX-7 was a very desirable car for Car Thief's. I suspect the RX-8 will also be desirable?

 

That's my biggest concern, especially since I'm in the 1st allocation, and mine will be the only one sold from the local (in a 60+ mile radius) Mazda dealership until the fall. I will definitely be forking out for any additional security options available from the accessory catalog. I also hope to be in our new house by then, and will keep her in the garage.

 

although it may look nice to them...they probably won't take it if they are at all smart (unless they are extremely well-paid to).

think about it. if you report a stolen car that NOBODY has, chances are it will be found pretty quick if it's on the road.

on the other hand, people stealing accords/civics/camries/etc. probably won't be caught for days/weeks because everyone has one, and there are soooo many on the road.

we can hope at least...

 

True, but if an APB for a red Mazda RX-8 comes across the radio, how many cops do you think will have a clue what to look for?

 

Three words:

Unbreakable Auto Lock.

While it's not entirely fool proof, it DOES take some time in removing, and while the alarm is sounding and people are watching some dude go to work... I don't think that they will get away with it easily.

If somebody really wants to steal your car, they'll get it. But I think a $50 investment into that Auto Lock is the best thing you can get for the time being.

 

Many people who steal cars take them to a chop shop and get money for the parts. It is a lot easier to sell parts than to change the identity of a whole car. Since there be a small demand for RX8 parts they are less of a target than a civic, because so many people want those parts. Acuras get knocked off all the time because you can put many of the goodies (xenons) in a regular honda.

 

Define "desirable". A certain percentage of cars, the number of cars, or does it just seem like it was desirable compared to other cars?

---jps

 

my biggest consern is pp keying my car, (Still in high school), makes me wanna put a 360degree camera in the rx-8, o boy wat i would do the the person that keys my car. God i almost want it to happen so i can justify putting them in the hospital. ROAR!

 

I'm buying a clunker so I can drive that to everywhere else.. I figure I save myself 5 grand and get a Miata to tool around in and have fun, and the RX-8 will be my after work/weekend car.

I haven't ever gotten my car keyed yet, so I'm not terribly concerned about that just yet, but we'll see if/when it happens. I got a good body shop guy

 

I'm seriously considering not only one of those unbreakable auto locks, but also something like Lojack, and an alarm too. Overboard, perhaps, but we're going to be in this apartment for a while longer it seems, and we've already had our BMW keyed up pretty bad by our stupid ^&$&$()&e! neighbor (he got THREE panels AND the hood- that was a fun, expensive repair job) and while he's gone, no telling who else will appear-especially since I'll have one of the only ones in the city...

 

 

I'd just like to say that pp that steal or vandalize are scum of the earth.

 

I would have to agree. I just don't understand the point in detroying something just to destroy it. Oh well.

 

I think the 8 will get jacked mostly for joyrides.. At least in the first year.. As more and more get sold and the demand for parts increases then we'll see theft and chop.

 

**** happens. Sometimes it's intentional like in Elara's case, sometimes people are thoughtless, and sometimes people make honest mistakes. But you're going to have to remember that it's just a car. If you stress over every little nick and dent that might happen to your car, you're simply going to drive yourself mad. I know people who have a perfect car minus a couple of scratches and dents, and they obsess over those minor flaws that they just can't be happy with the car anymore.

Then there are those who think like Hercules, park their "baby", and drive a "clunker". It's one thing if you have a rare Ferrari that is in excellent condition that you need to keep that way, and it's another thing if it's just a current mid-priced mass-production car. Why bother getting the car if you aren't going to enjoy it?

My point is, if you let anger and frustration from such minor little things get the best of you, then your life will be dictated by it, and you will be a sad, lonely, bitter *******.

---jps

 

I agree -- and I'm going to try to keep reminding myself of that when I get my car, but I know I'm still going to be really bummed when I get my first nick!


A while back "IGOZMZM" posted a copy of a "specification deck" that he received from his dealer. In it, it listed an "engine immobilizer security system" and "alarm system" as standard safety and security features.

Anyone know anything more about that?

 

Yeah.. I would be especially careful with my 8.
My dad just got his new Mitsubishi Vr-4 from Wolverhampton and the first day we had it, it was broken into and had the stereo nicked and later that same day some $%"*( tryed to steal it! So now my Dad is really paranoid and has bought just about every security device there is!

 

Well said!

Your right - it's a car and was made to drive.



:D

 

Oh sure, that's natural, and there isn't anything wrong with that. There's a difference between feeling bummed for a little while, and obsessing over it.

---jps

 

I'm a police/fire/medical dispatcher and after working at my job for a while, I was finally sold on Lojack. I don't know about other agencies, but here in San Francisco, almost all the patrol cars have tracking devices that alert them when a vehicle's Lojack system is activated--basically a directional compass and "hotter/colder" scale. I've been on channel a few times when one of those things goes off and I must say, it's kinda fun, almost like a game, when you're coordinating all this units, trying to surround the signal and nab the suspect. The cops here react swiftly to this and really work hard together to catch the thief, almost like they live for these kind of things. Plus, felony stops always look good on one's record. Most stolen vehicle recoveries are pretty passive, but Lojack signals trigger a massive hunt from whoever is in the vicinity. Most impressive stuff. I'm probably going to get a Lojack system and possibly some sort of immobilizer. For the most part, alarms are ignored and practically useless.

 

Yes, everything I've seen about Lojack makes it sound like a great system. Expensive, yes, but it's got a 90% recovery rate and money-back guarantee. I only want the alarm to scare off any more twits who think keying cars is a great idea. It would need a motion sensor, obviously, but as soon as it went off I'd know to get outside and figure out what's going on.

 

That's what most people mistake about alarms: They expect them to be magical devices that will thwart any attempt on the car. There are some things that an alarm is effective against, but not everything.

The most important thing in keeping your car from being "attacked", is to avoid garnishing attention. It seams obvious, but most people don't think about the fact that the less desirable the car and/or it's accessories are, the less attention it will get from undesirables.

---jps

 

I believe the RX-8 will come with a car immoblizer if it is not standard already. Any cars that are over $30K should have one now. Most of the car jackers out there are good, they can disarm alarms, break or remove security devices like "the club" or "auto lock" fairly easy. But if you remove a fuse for the starter, or electronically disable the car, most of them can do nothing about it.

About keying your car, I've never seen any sports car under $50,000 dollars get keyed before. I have seen many Porsche 911, BMWs and Ferraris get keyed, but no Japanese imports. Someone did throw eggs at my car (benz) before. And once my friend's BMW 330ci got his windows broken, there was nothing stolen so it was purely an act of jealously.

 

That sux big time .
Let's just hope that none of those acts happen to our 8s .

 

(knocking on wood)

I've never been keyed before, despite having lived in a medium-crime prone area and having to park my FD out in the street every night because my old garage entry was so steep that any car made after 1986 WILL bottom out.

Unlike random acts of thievery, like emblem-stealing, I think getting keyed is an invited act of vengeance--by students having some sort of rivalry with another, jealous ex-boyfriends, jealous ex-girlfriends, irate neighbors of owners of car alarms that go off every minute at 3:00 in the morning, those that get their parking spaces snatched up by some fool after they've been waiting patiently for 5 minutes, those following some jackass Starbucks-drinking cell-phone-yapping SUV-driving yuppie who isn't paying any attention to the road and almost causes a collision. It has more to do with how one carries themself and the things they do to people, friends, and neighbors.