mfells
Member
Just a warning to all of you, this weekend my car was broken into while parked on the corner of Yellowstone Blvd and 69th Road (on yellowstone). The window was smashed and my GPS and other items were stolen.
PLEASE be careful and dont leave anything valuable in your car.
Karen in NYC
Member
So sorry to hear that. Was it at night, during the day?
jensays
Member
That's where I used to live. Car theft was very common back then.
stockguru
Member
Was the GPS nav visible?
The price on these things have fallen by so much, these thieves should really start moving on.
TALBOTRESIDENT
Member
Junkies
mfells
Member
It was at night. I parked at 7PM sat night and I noticed the broken window at 11:30AM sunday. I did hear something around 10:30 sat night that sounded like a car accident so I looked outside but didnt see anyone around my car or anything.
You could see the wires/mount for the GPS but they are so cheap now, I cant believe someone would risk getting arrested for something so cheap.
It kind of hurt my pride to think something like this could happen on such a beautiful street. The cops said it was very common.
bobbyrab
Member
I just got a brand-new car a few days ago with built-in navigation for the first time. On my old car, I always used my Garmin but generally used a bean bag mount so it would not leave tell-tale suction cup marks on the windshield.
Queens Moll
Member
I have a Magellan and I fixed it so that it fits in one of my cup holders. When I'm done driving, I put it in the trunk. No telltale mount either.
My window was smashed and my GPS was stolen out of my car about a year and a half ago on the street across from Best 1 Sushi. I had left the mount suction-cupped to the windshield. That street isn't especially isolated, and it taught me you can never be too careful!
zman
Member
All 4 wheels and rims of my car were stolen 2 weeks ago near Forest Hills High School. They were one year old, 20 inch alloy rims and Toyo tires. Cost me $500 insurance deductible to replace them. So, be sure to install wheel locks, guys!
COCED
Member
that's it, I'm not parking anywhere but my garage! walking is good, I heard
Bobbyrab, what are you driving now?
bobbyrab
Member
COCED, now driving a Buick Regal Turbo. It is significantly larger than my previous vehicle so I am spending a good deal of time relearning the fine art of parallel parking.
jensays
Member
Usually when these bums steal stuff, it's so they can fence it. With GPS's rapidly losing popularity as more and more people are using smartphones with GPS apps, how much is someone even going to get for your typical GPS? This indicates two factors; 1) that people are getting very desperate; 2) the young people who roam around, especially during the summer, have no regard or fear whatsoever for authority. That's what we've seen go on in London this summer, and also all over the country with "flash mobs". This world is getting to be a very scary place!
Karen in NYC
Member
Garmin GPS (on Amazon) as low as $85.
TomTom as low as $85
I'm guessing the prices depend on the features you want.
The Garmin nüvi 1450LMT 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Map & Traffic Updates is $166.54 on Amazon.
It hardly seems worth stealing but even if the thief gets $20. . . It just doesnt seem worth if if the Car has an alarm and they are doing it (thieving) in an area that is well traveled. Makes me rethink the car I will buy in arizona and what "equipment" I need for it.
ShaynaMadel
Member
I would not give up a GPS for a GPS app on a smart phone. Even the smallest GPS screen is bigger than the biggest phone screen, so if you want or need to look at the screen when you're driving, it is much easier to read (or take a quick glance at) almost any GPS screen than almost any phone screen. And the ones that are factory installed, though more expensive, have even larger screens than the ones bought aftermarket. That said, the GPS feature on a phone is certainly better than nothing and is a great idea when you're on foot.
I didn't have a GPS for the longest time and would typically Mapquest where I was going and simply take the directions in the car with me, but I finally did get a GPS as a back-up and for times I decided while out to go to somewhere that I didn't anticipate. If you're driving alone in an unfamiliar area, it's not a bad thing to have. One feature on the GPS that I like is that it estimates the time I will arrive somewhere, periodically readjusting for hitting traffic, so if I start running late, I can contact whoever I might be meeting to let them know. When I get where I am going, I pop the bracket off the windshield and put the GPS, bracket and cord into the armrest, so as not to tempt people who are looking to make trouble. Storing it in the glove box is another option.
All of that said, I agree with Karen--hardly seems worth it to fence something likely worth next to nothing, but as jensays says, there are desperate people and people without regard to others out there...for that same reason, I do my best not to leave packages or shopping bags in the car and I also try not to open the car trunk and put something in it when I get to my destination, so if someone is watching for a target, they don't see that stuff was just put in the trunk.
ShaynaMadel
Member
20-25 years ago, this area was notorious for car break-ins. My brother's car was actually stolen off the street (71st Road, I think) and his ex-mother-in-law's car was broken into. When he went over mileage on a car lease for a car that also had some damage, he was tempted to leave it unlocked so someone would steal it but he later thought the better of it.
jensays
Member
As I mentioned, this is where I used to live, and we had at least 2 cars stolen there. Never found either. Shayna, I agree that the phone GPS is really tiny, but nevertheless, it's definitely cut into sales for standard GPS's, plus they're updated in real time. I bought my Garmin about 3 years ago, just before they started offering free lifetime updates. I don't appreciate forking out around $85 for them.
I think my favorite use of the GPS, however, is when I'm somewhere unfamiliar, and I want to know where the closest (fill in the blanks... example, Target, Walmart, Costco) is to where I am. I can pick one, and then still be able to get home, despite the fact that I don't have a clue as to where I am. I've downloaded POI files with info such as all the Starbucks nationwide. A friend at work gave me the POI that alerts you where there are red light cameras, but that requires frequent updating because they switch the cameras around. However, soon that will be obsolete if Bloomberg gets his way, because he just wants to put cameras everywhere.
ShaynaMadel
Member
Oh, I'm sure it's cut into GPS sales a bit, but I don't think that GPSs are "rapidly losing their popularity." I guess we can agree to disagree on that one...I forgot about that feature of looking for places like gas stations, etc. I have a Garmin that has that POI feature installed--I didn't know that you can download more of them. Where do you get them--at Garmin, or at the retailer's sites?
Forgot to mention that amazingly, my brother's car, a really cute little black convertible (can't remember the model) that had an alarm and actually had a hood lock, so who knows how they got the car moving, was actually found in perfect condition, except for the trunk lock having been damaged. Apparently, it was just taken for a joy ride. When they went to pick it up at the yard, it was inside the garage and they were told that it was being kept there because it was in such good shape that they wanted to make sure it stayed that way until the car was picked up by the owner.
COCED
Member
for some reason I find it especially offensive to have your car stolen or even broken in...
maybe because I didn't have a car till I was ... 36?
anyway, I'm not sure I would act reasonably if I caught somebody breaking into my car.
good thing I don't have a separate GPS now, the one is in the dashboard. on the other hand, I have easy-pass on my window and this thing for anti-radar, with suck-cups...
maybe I should remove my easy-pass altogether and keep it in glove compartment..
stockguru
Member
the ez pass would be pointless to steal. you can call them and cancel that pass. Also, the cameras in the toll booth will have a picture of the person who stole it. Not saying thieves have to be smart, but that would be one dumb move.
Kind of like stealing a credit card and then shipping a purchase you made with it to your house.
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