Some Dude was taking pictures of my cars. I'm I being paranoid?

Don't worry guys, the Falcon is being moved to a secure location for the time being......I've also rigged it to explode should anyone try and steal it.

 

All that reefers got you paranoid YA DAMN HIPPIE

 

Why is (assuming) a community college student riding the bus odd? You said he looked artsy-fartsy, took multiple angles and have a com college across the street. 2+2=4.

But sleep in the car with a gun anyway

 

Just for that, I'm moving all my cars to your yard.

 

My advice is to not worry about it. My friends, neighbors and myself have had plenty of shit stolen over the years. 99 percent of thieves are looking for the easy pinch. If there's much effort in it, they move along. This is because they know there are plenty of easy pickin's right next door. A shocking number of average joes make stealing shit from them really easy. I've watched kids walk down the alley and "shop" from unlocked car to unlocked car, lifting purses and wallets and cd players, never breaking a single lock or pane of glass the whole way! Thieves know this, so most will not hesitate to move on to the next guy instead. Effort equals risk equals getting caught, and ALL bad guys hate jail.
Also you mentioned the guy was clicking photos from many different angles. In my experience, even in casing a joint, crooks don't take pix of cars from many different angles. If he was clicking a shot to id the make and year for a fence job, he'd have taken once quick shot and high-tailed it.
My place, I admit, I work to make it secure as hell. Motion lights are the single greatest invention ever. Ever. (mount 'em high, though, those sons of bitches will unscrew the bulbs!) But honestly, in the end, if somebody wants my shit: they're gonna take it one way or another. I know that, and so do they. All I can do is make 'em work a little harder for it. When it's all said and done, it's just stuff. Long as you and your girl don't get hurt, then all is well. That's what matters. Do a couple simple things, then forget about it and enjoy your life.

 

Hell if you did that we might be able to put one together that runs!!!

 

we could get all our cars built, running and fixed. But we'd still need about 4 sets of tires.

 

The last person to take pictures of my stuff was my a-hole neighbor who took about 100 pics and sent them to the zoning enforcement agent. The agent showed up a couple days later with his trusty checklist and clipboard with the stack of pictures. So, i had to ask how the last few pictures of my fist came out...

 

Here's something I'm surprised hasn't been suggested yet - a car alarm. I don't mean to come off as an ass, just saying.

A lot of people are against them because they're "not traditional" - but stealing cars is a tradition I'd like to break!

 

Kinda like gone in 60 seconds? hes mapping out all the 4 dr classics in the area and then him and all his hippie friends are gonna steal them in one long night......sorry couldnt help it! Really though I have had it happen to me and nobodys ever been back.....yet. I wouldnt worry about it,it will do nothing but make you crazy.

 

A hidden kill switch is also a good idea in any vehicle. Mass produced alarm systems have exploitable faults & weaknesses - once they figure out how to bypass one system they can bypass the same type again & again. with an owner invented & installed kill switch/ignition bypass they will waste too much time trying to figure out how to bypass it & will move on to an easier target.

I have an ignition bypass in my truck. My dad & my wife know how to get the truck running, everyone else could crank it over until the battery died & get no fire. A couple of different idea's are to wire a relay into the cigarette lighter. with the lighter in place, no problems, the car will fire right up. with the lighter in your pocket the circuit is not complete & the car won't fire. Also a momentary on switch hidden under the seat or the dash that you have to hold at the same time as you turn the key will also work. Remember to run anything with a heavy current draw through a relay to avoid burning anything up.

As to the dude taking pictures he should have asked first, most car guys don't mind people taking pics of their ride but doing it without permission can be grounds for a beating in the right (wrong?) circumstance. at a car show or cruise night I understand people to take pic's without asking but at my house I expect you to ask first. Just common courtesy.

Keep one eye open & a gun loaded just in case though.

 

... than some strategic parking and...


I refer to this as the "redneck antitheft device.

he's not some goob from the county trying to impound your cars is he?

 

Hell, I have a camera with me all the time, and always take pics of cars....

We live in an area with lots of cool old stuff.

Remind me not to photograph your car!

 

Toss a wireless baby monitor in the seat, put the receiver on your nightstand. Cheap & easy security for hotel stays and situations like this.

Or you can get a motion-activated game camera mounted around the house. They have regular, color, nightvision, and infrared versions. And even version that send photos to you via email incase the camera gets swiped.

Master-Lock now makes a wireless auto alarm. Only wiring is Power/Ground to power the audible siren. The sensor uses a cigarette lighter power source and is pressure sensitive, meaning an open door/broken glass/etc will activate the alarm. Runs under $100 and takes a few minutes to install.

All three options are cheap insurance.

 

I'd call the cops if I saw you, ya scary old man!
Of course you never did steal the cars you shot at my joint..

 

Would you consider your front yard and the falcon sitting outside picturesque?

 

Damm straight!

 

Check ebay and Craigslist. Probably will be on there tonight. Maybe you can score a good deal.

 

FWIW, I am using transit right now, and will be for the foreseeable future. We have a hefty mortgage to pay, and save about $200 a month (gas insurance, maintenance) by having one car on the road, that $200 a month goes into my project car. My wife works twice as far from home as I do, and takes the kid to day-care, so its not like she can go without.
Lemme see, I could, A:drive a shitbox '96 Nissan around and take an extra couple years or so to finish my car, or B: suck it up,take transit to work and plow an extra $200 a month into my "real" car? Hmm, well for me, thats a no-brainer, and a little food for thought for anyone who is having trouble affording thier toy. $2400 a year adds up to alot of parts...
If I need to pick up parts or something, I wait till the weekend when shes not working.

 

Since your neighbors said he had a special camera vs. some phone-camera and avoided your cooler rides, he was probably just into the Falcon for personal satisfaction. And he apparently wasn't worried getting caught.
But you never know and it sounds like you took care of this already.

You need a good dog and drive him around in your car, so he/she owns it and protects it - Female dogs are even better guardians, btw.

I never locked my rides with open windows in the last 15 years, when I am out running errands with my dogs. Nobody comes close and the reward is to let them run free in nature, every time.
Everybody wins.
I also don't need a house door bell or ever worry about my rides. Woof!

 

Don't forget to tell your wife.

 

I think you may be a bit paranoid..Ive parked some real pricey Rods and Classics out front of my house and never once had any issues ever.He probably thought it was cool and old and with everyone having cameras on their phones its not that odd now days...

 

it happens all the time I have the same issue but I don't worry about it everybody can see my cars and trucks from the street people just want to see them

 

I do the same down hear, often have a camera.

I reckon you are being a bit paranoid. Dont loose any sleep over it.
Are you in another on of those "land of the free" states?

 

Probably a harmless mentaly disabled bus rider who thought it was neat.

 

That dude was me. How do you like the pictures? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1960...6496563?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item45f532e433

 

I don't see too many official/unofficial types riding the bus. I would expect to see either some sort of municipal vehicle, or a car that is of a make one would expect to see a self-righteous busy body prick drive. You know as he investigates what is driving down the property values. The guy is probably an art student or something, they always do stuff that seems weird.
Once I had to store one of my cars at my mother in laws place. There was three cars stolen out of her parking lot, and I was freaking out but I had no other place to keep this thing. The only comfort I found was in my own twisted logic. I figured that since most thieves must be stupid I would make it hard to seal the car. I pulled the rotor and hid it in the ash tray, and I pulled the coil wire and locked it in the trunk. I figured if the thief was smart enough to realize what parts were missing, go get the parts, install them and drive the car away then he earned the damn thing.

 

Me too. You couldn't get me to live in a city if you gave me a house. I leave all my keys in all my cars although only a couple of the ten I have actually will move under their own power Could help that I wander outside with my shotgun alot in the front yard shooting pest No one messes with crazy rednecks.

 

Taking pics of the girlfriend's car ??? Might be a PI working for your girlfriend's husband!!!

 

I would think if he was planning something fishy he wouldn't stand out in broad daylight taking pics. Probably didn't know what it was so he took some photos.