SpeedRoush

keep in mind it attracts attention good and BAD!! This afternoon I was leaving the mall headed back to the car and saw a suspicious guy in the parking lot. I had parked away from everyone else in a less used section of the mall parking lot but there were still alot of cars in the area. The next closest car was probably a lane and a half away.

Anyway, we're walking between cars and I notice this guy parallel to us headed in the direction of my car. Keep in mind there was only one other car in that direction and he seemed fixated on my car. I watched as he passed the last car before it would be obvious he was headed for mine and he paused then kept going. So I stopped with my woman behind an SUV to see what he was going to do. We were about 40yds from my car and he's headed for the driver side. He walked slowly up to my car then around the back. I couldn't quite see for sure from where I was but it looked like he tried my door. He walked around the back of the car glancing through the back window then kept walking through the parking lot.

Did he see us? I don't know.
Do I think he was up to no good? yes.

Like I told my girl, if you ever see someone screwing with the car in a parking lot go back in the mall/store/ crowded place and call the cops. If something doesn't feel right, go back inside and call the cops. Let them have the stupid thing. If someone wants something bad enough they'll find a way to steal it...

ps- recently in atlanta there's a crew cruising mall parking lots ambushing women and stealing their wedding rings...

keep your head up and eyes open in the parking lots.

Blue Notch

Sounds pretty scary. Glad to hear he didn't get anything though!

pegasusphototx

I had my car overnight at my girl friend's apartment last night in their ungated parking garage, and when I came out today, someone had lifted both windshield wiper blades straight up. Nothing appears to have been damaged, but the thought of someone F'ing with my car ****ed me off!

Just leave the cars alone people, or go buy one for yourself!

-danny

Hollywood_North GT

I don't know if they have anything similar in Georgia, but here in British Columbia, many police forces have introduced a program of "bait cars", with the intended result being to catch car thieves.

The program has worked rather effectively, because now car thieves know that they are being singled out and targeted (which turns the tables on them) - and they don't know where or when.

A bait car is a generic term used for a vehicle that has been rigged by a law enforcement agency with the intent of capturing car thieves. Special features include bullet-proof glass; automatic door locks; video cameras that record audio, time, and date; and the ability to disable the engine remotely. The practice does not violate entrapment laws, since the suspect is not persuaded to steal the vehicle by any means other than their own motivation. The bait car is a phenomenon in the study of criminal behavior since it offers a rare glimpse into the actions and reactions of a suspect before, during and after the crime. Unlike other crimes caught on surveillance cameras, suspects at least initially believe and react as if the crime has been successful, until the bait car is retrieved.

Blue Notch

I've seen that on tv before. One of the cars they used was a white sn-95!

RobK

A colleague of my aunt's was murdered by some punk that wanted her car. She was walking to the car in a mall parking lot. The guy walked up just as she opened the door and shot her in the head, in broad daylight, in front of about 15 people. He pulled the keys out of her hand and drove off.

I-70 west

The biggest problem we got here Hollywood is not being able to leave a car in a parking situation with out it being broken into for sometimes only pocket change. I will not go downtown and leave my car.
We have a justice system that lets the junkies rule the streets!

Hollywood_North GT

Yeah, that's a problem alright, but not just here.

Hollywood NORTH, dude.

I have no problem parking my car downtown; never had an issue. Mind you, it's not a shiny new Mustang, either..not yet, anyway.

Well, Hastings Street, anyway. And I stay away from the downtown east side whenever possible.

kevinb120

I would of blipped the lock/horn once while walking up if I suspected they were too close to a lonely car, and hit the panic and the locks over and over to make a huge racket if I was sure of it, even if it was just some young mallrat punk for the fun of it. It doesn't hurt for women to hit it a few times if they are walking to their car when its somewhat deserted or at night. The mustang has a loud *** horn to start with.

I'm not to worried about this one as its a bit on the down-low(and not accidentally-you pretty much have to walk into it and then its like 'wow thats cool' as opposed to noticing it 15 cars up in traffic), but if I had a yellow Saleen I would be a little paranoid about it. If I owned a GT-40 or something like that I probably would never drive it anywhere that had public parking, you can't get in/out of it anyway if anyone is within 4' of the doors. People would park next to it like a magnet to start with, and if you angled it the security morons would write a ticket in a second just to touch it. I don't like personalized tags on any daily-driver sports car either-some idiot you looped around fast on the parkway because they were going 10 under the speed limit in the left lane will remember it at Macy's a week later and key it-"theres that KULSTANG dude"

kevinb120

I've had a couple convertibles in particular, and other nicer cars, where I would make it a point to leave NOTHING in it and always left it unlocked(with an alarm though) if in any kind of major lot or city curbside when I used to live in more urban areas. Nothing stops a pro car thief(the door locks surely wont be the obstacle anyway) but junkies don't sit in cars and make vroom vroom noises.

I had a 89 MR2 supercharged back in 1990 that I left a set of dirty coveralls on the seat that I used when I worked on one of my project cars, and someone busted the T-top and the window and I found the coveralls on the ground next to the car. $1500 of glass for some looser to find out it was a worthless piece of fabric and not a leather jacket.

EDIT: had to move the MR2/date 10 YEARS back, jeeze I'm getting old....

screamingGT

he probably just really liked your car...

I know its weird, but when I see really nice cars I usually peek through the window. Like today I went up to a really nice Red GT500 with white stripes and was looking inside for about a minute and a half. I wasn't going to steal it or anything...

Hollywood_North GT

That's the thing: I think we've all done that now and again, and often it's just the innocent gawkings of an admirer.

I will usually look around first to make certain no-one is observing me, though.

I remember a couple of years ago - when the '05s just came out and were new on the streets - I spotted a Torch Red coupe with the red interior in a very public downtown parking lot. I walked over to the car to admire it and get a better look at the interior, and the next thing I knew, this young, twenty-something year-old woman comes walking over (her car) glaring at me with a really unimpressed look on her face. I tried to disarm her by telling her I was a Mustang enthusiast and hadn't seen the car close-up and in person yet...and then by asking her a couple of quick, genuine questions about her new vehicle. She went into full-scale cuente mode, and mumbled a couple of terse, one-word answers at me.

Spoiled rich beatch. Whaddya gonna do...?

metroplex

Draw down!!

jcopin

you should have split him up the middle

lol

i love boxxy brown ;p

mustang_lurkers

Having a nice car can draw trouble but I control the risk by not driving it in areas that are known to be bad. It is a good idea to keep your situational awareness when you aproach your car to see if anyone is casing you or approaches fast. Car security systems are so good now that people won't bother trying to steal your car but try and jack you when you come up to it. I have a conceled weapons license and carry a pistol and if I were to move to a tough city like atlanta I would by body armor. You can get a set of concealed body armor for about 500 bucks.

Hollywood_North GT

You know, there's something really sad about our society when you have to start doing that.

05RedGT

Was this in Atlanta? What mall? I hate malls.

SpeedRoush

I have a carry permit and I'm a black belt but the greatest weapon we all have is our mind. Neither my pistol nor my karate skills do any good if I can't read a situation. My personal philosophy is if I have to throw a punch I screwed up bad. I should be able read a situation well before it boils over and take a proactive stance in order to diffuse or avoid it. In my experience most situations can be diffused simply by walking with a purpose and a little attitude. Criminals are LAZY that's why they steal other peoples stuff. They certainly don't want to break a sweat to steal something. If you project that you'll be trouble for them they'll more than likely pick another target.


Don't be fooled that you can be care free in a small town. Yes, it may be less likely something similar may happen but it's still possible. Atlanta does seem to have alot of crap going on everywhere.

SpeedRoush

05RedGt- It was NorthPoint Mall.

metroplex

Greatest weapons = Glocks and AR-15's!