I'm hugely ahead of myself here since I don't even have a car, but I'm curious about security and car theft because these are such hot ticket cars; like the Accord used to be. My thought is that the vast majority of car thieves have no idea what a Prius is, let alone how to start one. Nonetheless, the scarcity of cars might induce some car thieves to go into business. Does the fact that this car is celebrated by the environmental community and not by the muscle car community help in making theft a bit less likely? And, for those of you on the other side of the magic have/havenot line, does the standard security system satisfy you that your car is safe on the street, or have any of you invested in additonal locks? As an aside here: a guy who lives across a very busy arterial and up a steep hill from where I live, got into his car which had a club lock on the brake. He forgot that the club was there (it was disengaged from the steering wheel, but still on the floor). After he started down the hill, he realized that the club was wedged behind the brake pedal and he could not stop the car. Miraculously, he made it across the arterial without being hit by anyone, and ended up crashing through my neighbors cyclone fence and stopping about two feet from the house. I never had much use for cyclone fencing, but this time, it actually saved this guy from possible serious injury. So....the club is out for me. I think it's a crappy design and could probably be broken with liquid nitrogen like the guys who stole my outboard motor must have used on my Kryptonite lock. What's your take on car security? I know this has come up before, so I apologize for revisiting the issue. Bob sans Prius
The most popularly stolen cars, are, alas Toyotas (and Hondas). But mostly for parts. So the more cars there are on the road of that particular model, the greater the demand for parts and therefor they are more likely to be stolen (at least that's how it works here in LA). The second reason they steal cars is for buyers of said cars. Here in SoCal, those cars are often taken over the border and the SUV type vehicles are very popular in that market. Here's a list from last year: 1-1991 Toyota Camry 2-1989 Toyota Camry 3-1990 Toyota Camry 4-2000 Honda Civic SI 5-1994 Chevrolet C1500 4x2 6-1995 Honda Accord EX 7-1994 Honda Accord LX 8-1994 Honda Accord EX 9-1988 Toyota Camry 10-1996 Honda Accord LX 11-1993 Chevrolet C1500 4x2 12-1997 Ford F150 4x2 13-1990 Honda Accord EX 14-1991 Honda Accord LX 15-1996 Honda Accord EX 16-1987 Toyota Camry 17-1997 Honda Accord LX 18-1992 Honda Accord LX 19-1991 Honda Accord EX 20-1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 21-2000 Chevrolet C1500 4x2 Silverado 22-1995 Honda Accord LX 23-1991 Acura Legend 24-1990 Honda Accord LX 25-1995 Honda Civic EX At the moment, because of the rarity of the car I think it's unlikely it's going to be stolen and go to a chop shop. There really can't be much of a demand on the parts market for such a new car. Take a look at the list and you'll see that it's the older models. But then again - ALL 2004 Prius on the road right now could be stolen and we still wouldn't make the list because there aren't enough of them - we're talking hundreds of thousands of thefts here. Some 1.5 million cars were stolen last year alone. I think it's more likely that the classic would end up on that market because the body parts are at least the same as the Echo. If someone wants your car, there's very little you can do to stop them. I just lock my doors and try to park in a well-lit spot. When I had an '87 Camry, I used a club, but I can hardly believe that's what saved it from being stolen. But someone stole my neighbors Mercedes SUV right from her carport a few months ago ... The best security? Probably keeping the car in a garage - out of sight, out of mind. Or lock a fierce dog in the car ... on the realistic side? LoJack.
I think the 04 would be difficult to steal because it doesn't have a conventional key. I don't have SS/SE, but a standard feature is that the key fob inserts into the slot and when it is removed the car's alarm is automatically activated. In fact I got a discount on my car insurance for having this "passive alarm". Also I tried the other day to lock the car with my key in the ignition and the car would not lock! So if you are in the habit of locking your car, it's unlikely that the key will be left in the ignition. Of course, if you leave the key in the ignition and DON'T lock the car... LOL. Not to say that crooks aren't clever, but I think it would take one more clever than the average car thief. Of course, if the demand is great enough...
Alas... car thieves are ingenious. Locking a car properly will discourage joy riders. I suspect the Prius isn't a big target for those people. Most of them take high performance vehicles. Serious thieves can find a way to steal anything, using a flatbed tow truck if necessary. Most of these guys deal with "chop shops" and sell parts which is a profitable business. The Prius is probably a more probable target for this kind of theft. If you have a garage, lock the car inside. If you don't, park the car in a well lit area. In any case, lock your car.
Well, I doubt the Prius is gonna be a popular stolen car. Honda Accordss are all over the place. They can be stripped for parts and easy to get rid of whole too. Can you imagine trying to hawk a Prius? Or even better, Prius components? Pssst... Do you want to buy a 2004 planetary gear box?
