[sjg]

No idea if anyone might see this, but if you do please get in touch with Met Police.

Stolen from N4 (Finsbury Park / Crouch End) approx 21:15 today 2nd December 2011.

No idea how, I heard an alarm going off and looked out the window to see it driving off down the road - no glass left behind, and I definitely have both keys in hand.

 

[rowbo]

Aw mate im sorry to hear that , hope they catch the scum

 

[Starpoint]

Makes you want to get CCTV installed, just to see how they did it.

 

[Staffs Deltic]

Really bad news. Makes you wonder how they managed to drive it off if you have the keys. Hope they catch them and put 'em away for many years.

 

[FWH]

Always sad to read news like this. :-(

There are (I have been told) clever devices that criminals use to unlock cars and by-pass immobilisers.

 

[Xrv750]

just a thought, was your car any place where someone had key and could have copied it without your knowledge I thought it was really hard to steal a modern car

 

[NEEMSTAR]

Sorry mate, hopefully they wrap themselves round a tree with it, and you get a nice pay out for Christmas for a shiny new one.

 

[Kremmen]

just a thought, was your car any place where someone had key and could have copied it without your knowledge I thought it was really hard to steal a modern car

I thought that !

 

[Fonzey]

Sorry to hear that mate, hope you don't end up losing out too much.

I'm not sure if I'd want my car back if it got stolen... just wouldn't be the same

 

[northwich gaz]

car thievs are scum and deserve more punishment than they will ever get in this country,hope you get sorted soon

 

[DPG87]

I know that feeling really sorry to hear that mate, hope you get it all resolved

 

[Jonnyrocket]

That sucks! theres nothing worse than having something like that stolen. its a total violation. hopefully you get a payout.

 

[onweed]

gutted mate... Sorry to hear it.

I would probably cry if I seen my car being driven off by someone I didnt know!

 

[Civic_Outcast]

Sorry to hear that.. I'm a trucker so will keep my beady eye open for you on my travels.

I know what the feeling is like though.... Waaaaaay back in 1993 I had an Orion... Because my second daughter was due to be born I filled the tank to the brim and left it out on the street instead of my garage. Went to bed at 22:00 coz I had to get up for work around 02:45.

As we went up wooden hill we heard glass break outside but thought nothing of it...

03:00 the next morning .... that empty space (where your car was) really smacks you in the face.

You even go and look in the garage.. And that empty space smacks you in the face again.

"Baaaaaaaaaaaaaar-Stewards" echoes around the empty streets

 

[Fonzey]

Slightly OT, so sorry for distracting - but I was thinking about this thread last night...

What do people steal cars for nowadays? I don't want to get hurt for writing this on a Civic forum, but I own one and love it... but is a Civic REALLY worth stealing when you consider the risks to it, and presumably the cost required to offload it? With the various security checks and technologies involved now when buying, taxing and insuring a car - it must take some work/cost to get a stolen car back out onto the road. I guess stripping one for parts is the most logical thing to do... it's hard to track down an ashtray or an armrest.

Or alternatively, are most cars stolen to joyride/use for other crime followed by being burned out?

I'd be interested to learn some statistics, I'll be honest that car theft never really crossed my mind before and I never wonder "is it safe" when leaving it somewhere - this thread has opened my eyes and got me thinking though.

 

[FWH]

To be honest I think that is a good question, I was about to ask the same thing in my original post in this thread.

Someone I know had his BMW 760 stolen from his drive recently, which is not too surprising, most probably organised crime stealing it for export or parts stripping. But if the same thing happened to my Civic I would be surprised.

But, cars are also stolen to be used in other criminal activities, such as smash and grabs, armed robberies etc.

 

[sjg]

Thanks all. No update from police, I'm assuming as it must have been quite a sophisticated theft, they'll probably not be caught just driving around in it.

just a thought, was your car any place where someone had key and could have copied it without your knowledge I thought it was really hard to steal a modern car

Thanks for the thought, but my spare is locked away at home and my usual key hasn't left my possession since MOT in August.

They presumably didn't have a blipper for the remote locking/alarm (as it went off) but somehow got the car started and away in about 15-20 secs. As others have said, I too thought that modern car immobilizers were so good that theft with keys (sometimes under threat of violence) was the normal way that cars got taken these days.

 

[NH Dan]

Getting into a car with it unscathed is relatively easy, the hard part is/should be getting it rolling/running.

As others have said, unless its ridiculously easy, i cannot see why people would go to the trouble of nicking a civic other than for a joy ride.

 

[endepende]

keys are not a problem to start a civic. Thanks to the START ENGINE button

 

[Unknownsoldier]

I thought it was really hard to steal a modern car

Not really, it's stupidly easy if you know how..... it just rely's on not knowing to keep your cars safe

Tom