Seem to have had a spate of them amongst my friends and family recently:

- Family friends house was broken into while they were asleep. Keys weren't downstairs so they burst into the bedroom, he pushed his wife into the ensuite, they gave him a good beating until they got the keys. That was for an Audi TT (well specced, but not an S or RS)

- Another family were broken into, again while they were asleep to get the keys to her well-specced Audi A1. Left the Mk5 Golf, even though they took the keys.

- Someone attempted to box me in a few months back during the early hours while I was on my way home.

Both of the above friends are now buying cheaper cars to avoid the same thing happening, and avoiding anything rare and/or desirable.

Speaking to my brother in law, he also said that now he has a family, he'd never buy anything like an RS4 due to them being particularly targetted. Stories like the GTR being stolen when a gang held an axe to some guys son's neck doesn't help.

Does it affect your choice? I know it never would in the old days when they'd smash the window and hotwire it, but it was a factor for me when I was looking at RS4's. I don't really want to keep looking over my shoulder all the time for the sake of a car?

--

ClubLupo
Technomotive - Games, Cars, Stuff

Is it me or are they just going for the current crop of max power cars, any recent Audi or big German car (status symbol, so stolen to order?) or GTR due to them being bigged up by magazines.

You wouldn't see them going out their way to take an M3 for example, but a TT...

Updated February 28, 2013 at 5:43 PM

Recently I know of:

Pug 3008 - knife held to throat for the key

Clio 1.2 (2006) - house broken into for keys

Alpina B5s - OBD hack

Ten years ago, a group of men spent 10 mins trying to kick down my grandparents front door presumably for a then new E320.

As said on here by others before, they go for sh1t cars too. You ca get stabbed so that someone gets the keys for your sh1tty metro...

So it wouldn't affect my choice. If its gonna happen its gonna happen.

--

Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.

Is car crime actually on the increase or are they just becoming more aggressive and therefore more publicised? I know car security has stepped up but I'd rather the car hotwired/OBD hacked than my family put at risk for the keys.

My wife gets scared with the mustang in the garage and me not home. There are more and more thefts like that around Lyon, and the stag ain't very difficult to steal .

However, it wouldn't put me off buying a particular car. For the moment anyway.

--

Revels not accepted

hmm strangely car thefts do seem to be a lot more common than when i was younger no one i knew had their car stolen, except for my uncle but we lived in a shithole at the time. recently though, especially on here, there seems to be loads. really bad news for all of us who would have to save to buy a car instead of just stealing it.

curious to know how did you get away when they tried to box you in?

Updated February 28, 2013 at 7:35 PM

--

Pain don't hurt

In all honesty it wouldn't have done till now. I suppose it depends where you live. Where I live you used to get the odd crew come up from Newcastle to nick cars and stereos but that was 20 years ago, I haven't heard of anything for a while.

If I still lived in London it might make me think very hard indeed.

--

What would Daddy Pig do?

Keeping the keys in an obvious place seems like a good idea.

I found my M3 keys on the ground next to the car. I'd dropped them without realising and they'd been there for ~3weeks.....don't think we are in a high crime area!

--

Cheers,
Mike

car crime is a lot less than in the late 80s when anyone with a screwdriver could nick 5 cars a night

but violent car crime defiantly seams to be on the up, most cars i suspect are going abroad, they rarely ever seem to get caught and get very light sentences when they do which just encourages more of the same

weak justice system and a police force with fubard priorities

Updated February 28, 2013 at 7:53 PM

--

WIBBLE

Statistically it must still be a tiny % though?
You can't really let it affect your car choice.

I feel sorry for the criminals as most expensive cars are owned by powerfully built company directors

Cheers

Steve

--

252.3KW

For me no it wouldn't affect my choice the shite load of miles does that for me.
For the missus yes it has.

I work away from home and don't like the idea of her coming out of a supermarket struggling with shopping and baby whilst driving something tasty to have some lowlife pikey khunt nicking it from under her nose. Hence she has a 307CC

--

artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

Interesting topic. Personally, I have never considered this when buying a car as where I live back home is safe. I'm more worried about vandalism than theft.

However, my OCD neighbour is very careful as he always park his M3 in between the his Mazda 6 and the garage door, and it's always in lock up when he's on holiday.

The house that I am currently living in the US is always unlocked and no-one has a key except the landlord . There is a brand new Mini Clubman, Mustang, Prius and Civic parked on the drive.

Updated February 28, 2013 at 8:10 PM

--

If there is an emergency, please call 999.

Never, when I'm home I'm confident that I can deal with the situation and when I'm not home our choice of dogs should do the rest.

If you start letting them scare you then they win which is no way to live.

Dave!

--

I came here to drink milk and kick ass..... and i've just finished my milk!!!!

GraniteV8 said...

If you start letting them scare you then they win which is no way to live.

Dave!

This up to a point, its a good excuse not to buy an Audi

--

Ben
______________________________________
"you don't look like a fussy eater" // Mazda 3 MPS For Sale

I remember going to a talk by the police about crime, "the fear of crime is the inverse of the likelihood of crime" was the key message.

For example the old fear violent crime but in reality almost all the violent crime is between young men.

We might fear car crime because of the availability principle - we hear about the high profile cases and they stick in our minds. In reality they are the rare event.

I like the saying 'trust in God but tie your camel', you take the right measures to secure your car but what will be will be you can't let it stop you enjoying the car you want.

--

http://www.youtube.com/user/mbk72

I don't think the bother stops with the violence, trying to get the insurance company to cough up for the damage to the house, loss of the car, the sleepless nights after that. What's the point in inviting that hassle?

I'm quite fortunate, the area is quiet and I can keep my decent car locked away in an alarmed garage out of sight. Not everyone has that luxury.

Its a bit like everything in life : if someone really wants what you have it can be taken by force. That goes for nice car, nice watch, nice phone, yada yada - nice house too (although that is rather harder to take - you know what I mean - hallway TV's etc).

You can tone everything down and keep low key, but its a pretty dismal existence and you might as well not have tried so hard at school / work etc after all....

Or you can take reasonable precautions, buy a dog, hire a BearDave etc etc and try not to let it keep you up at night.

They should legalise assault rifles here. It would prevent this type of crime and we could all protect our families

--

Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.