I don't usually do this. I don't usually ponder the fears and worst thoughts of losing a car to a thief. But like many of the owners in this forum I own an R and do deal with the constant threat of it being raped or stolen if my guard was let down for an instant.

My solution was not to alarm it, or install a cutoff or multiple layers of such, or boot it, or whatnot. I am lucky enough to have a different daily car or several in my family so the R is more of a toy. Safely tucked away. Well hopefully at least.

But car safety or safety from thieves is not my point.

My point is, that the other day on a local NY news station they had a small story about supposedly the largest car theft ring on the east coast that got busted. They were on Long Island and they showed all of the cars confiscated on the lot. Not too many Honda's or Type R's. Actually None that I could see at all. Instead there were copious amounts of high end Cars, and SUV's, Mercedes, BMW's even a few Porsche Cayenne's.

I say supposedly the largest or most lucrative ring since they announced a minimum of $20,000,000. in profit dollars a year linked to this organization. And you know when you watch the Soprano's that the mob usually laughs at the reporters and cops for bunk information and Not really knowing all of the truth. If you look at it though, this sorta makes sense when they explain just what they did and how they duped thousands of people in resale’s of the vehicles.

They reported that the ring would buy salvaged or totaled high end wrecks in the south, IE Florida, and Georgia, then would transport them north to LI and have their chop shops supply stolen parts to rebuild the wrecks, then sell them for an "as new or just previously used price".

Low mileage high end cars and SUV’s for almost discount prices. What a deal. What a business.

They had employed/bribed several key people in Southern and Midwestern DMV's to provide clean titles so these cars could be resold for a great markup. They'd buy a totaled Mercedes SUV for $8,000. Then ship it up north and rebuild it, and sell it for upwards of $40,000. That's a nice chunk of change.

Am I envious or impressed? Not really, it just makes good business sense if you're in organized crime.

They got tips on this ring from another ring that got busted stealing the cars from valet manned clubs, restaurants and whatnot.


What's the real point you say?


Well, then who's stealing our cars? This is my point and real question.

I mean no one wants to be pigeon holed or labeled. You don't want to say it's any particular nationality that's responsible or any specific group, but h'mm ya gotta wonder.

I mean to turn a real profit on a Type-R or even just an Integra chassis, I mean something you'd really make some noticeable money on, you'd have to deal in some serious volume. And we all know how limited the R already is.

Pause and take a deep breathe and think for a moment.

So this morning while I'm doin my daily duty on the porcelain throne, I'm leafing through a public classifieds mag called the "Pennysaver". It's local to my area and lists houses for sale and rent, jobs available and of course Cars for Sale.

I haven't really looked at the prices of the average 94 to 97 Gen 3 Integra’s lately. Not since I had one really. I also didn't really pay any attention to the price of Honda Civics and or CRX's much. Mostly all because I don't need one or much care to. Moot.

But if you didn't already know, you can find a decent average to high mileage Gen 3 Integra for between $4,000 to $9,000. And Honda Civics and CRX's mostly at the lower end of that spectrum. H'mmm, more thought.

I always knew the reasoning behind stealing an R was to strip it and swap everything and create a hybrid. It makes sense and the swapping at least minus the theft involved has been done forever and a day since the 50's at least, and even before with the hot rods in the 30's and 40's. There was theft then too for certain that is clear.


But, now we go back to the groups and just Who do we think are stealing our cars? I mean it's Not PC to label anyone or to point at any specific group, not for nationality, or their inherent bad taste, or their illegal activities.

But, just who steals our cars?


There isn't any insane resale value by high end car theft ring statistics.

And you'd have to do quite a few of these Integra’s to really get ahead and make some money.

Dare we say that a lot of this thievery is still fueled by "Street Racing"?

Dare we say there are hordes of Asian Street Gangs led by Johnny Tran on Super Scooters, scapping up our cars for race wars out in the desert?

Dare we say it's ricers with particularly poor taste with relation to aesthetics but just want to show off their blingin rims and can say they have a real B18C5 under the hood?


What do we say? Who do we look at?

For certain the average high schooler or young college student isn't safe much anymore just hangin at the local gas-n-go or meetin up with some new found import enthusiast buddies.


I'll take a stab in the dark and say it's small time thieves mostly amateurs, or budding criminals. I won't go much further but to say if that's the case then Every Town in Every County, in Every State has potential. And that's the way of it.


The world is not safe, our cars are not safe, and life is not safe.

H'mmm, Ok I'll stop rambling now. Just some random ideas I thought might be of conversation here.



Modified by 1GreyTeg at 2:14 PM 9/10/2004

 

Haven't had a good read in a while.

That made me think some.

 

When i have more time, I will read the whole thing. But in the meantime, can you summarize what you wrote? a shorter version for ppl who has limit time to read at work.

 

that post reminded me of scott's famous rambels in RR/auto-x forum.


lets also be relistic, you can't really sell a stolen motor, with the VIN plates and all some one is bound to get you in trouble.

so seats 700, misc body parts 1000 MAX, gauge cluster 200, dash 200. suspension 1500.

so there really stickin there neck out there for 3600 buck, thats crazy.

im sure there is more they could and do sell but i don't think they would make anyting over 5000 for one.

 

If I had a stock Civic, was in high school, had no regard for other peoples property, no morals, nothing to loose....

I think I might consider stealing someones car and using the parts for my car.

I stole a candy bar my freshman year in high school. I walked to the bike rack that very same day and my lock was cut in half and my bike was gone. No joke.

Too bad karma isnt as quick for everyone else as it was for me

 

somehow i think most theives aren't in high school....

I happen to know a lot of people who have gone to jail for car theft. I hate to say it, but they are asian gang members, and not to be racist, but most of them are south east asians. Why do they steal? Bcause they are poor, uneducated people with parents who are never home, and have corrupt moral values. It is because America embraced these "anti communist" thugs who were streaming in from Indochina. I know that a few of these theives are not U.S citizens, and do they deport them? No, they get free reign in our country, after a bullshit 1 year jail sentence, while Japanese people who get caught at a rave taking ecstasy get deported for 15 years. American policy sucks.. end of story.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by slammed_93_hatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
lets also be relistic, you can't really sell a stolen motor, with the VIN plates and all some one is bound to get you in trouble.

.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You're pretty naive man...there will always be some shady character that wants to buy a stolen motor...they don't give a ****...

 

I'd say it's people who are in highschool all the way up to about 30ish.. they are people from all different backgrounds, financial standing, and nationality.. but they all have one thing in common - the desire to either have something or make money off of something for nothing..

Why do they continue to do it? because there's no real incentive to stop. I know right now that I could walk out, find an integra, steal it, strip it, and leave it somewhere in a pretty short amount of time and with relatively little fear of being caught or even any kind of punishment. What stops me? My morals. What stops these people? nothing.

Besides, there is a market for this stuff.. Fueled by the aura of the ITR to those who don't know enough to realize it isn't THAT special. Fueled by the demand for their parts on hybrids, civics, etc..

 

i've been in the salvage bussiness for over 15 years. its usually the younger crowd that would want a type r motor, vin tags arent a probelm on a block, lets just say there not a problem to take off. the bigger car rings usually dont even care about power trains, its usually about front end parts. insurance companys will pay big money for a factory front clip off a car/suv, especally if it like a high dollar car/suv. but even the swtiching of tags from a salvage car to a good car happens alot, about 5 years ago there was a small show here that was buying suv's that were destroyed and finding a new one and swaping out vin tags waiting a few weeks and and 2 rivits later(maybe a little paint work/ pin strip here or there) and they got a nice straight car to sale. the samll time theives and the one that feel the need to roasdt the tires off, smash all the windows out of a car rump on the roof and bacically destry the thing. you can tell which group stole the car just buy the way it was taken apart.

 

I could drag this out, but i will get right to the point. Anywhere and everywhere you go....you will have people working against the honest life that you try to live. There are people that will never have a real job, who insist on stealing and getting things the easy way their whole lives.

Well back in May of 04 my brother got married and had several buddies attend who had moved out west. One of which had just bought a brand new GSX-R 1000. Not two weeks later it was stolen off his porch up a set of stairs two stories high.

He soon after that met a guy out in CA who was a thief for a living. He explained to me that this person he had met actually took orders for caRs people wanted, would hunt for them, then wait for the perfect time.

This individual knew/knows people who work for the DMV and can take any stolen caR/truck/motorcycle and have a brand new VIN # and title in less then 24 hrs! As i sat and listened to these stories it just boggled my mind b/c everything that i had always thought maybe was true, he was officially telling me it was!

It was hard listening to him tell of this information b/c i hang in these boards and know so many people whom have had their caRs ripped off. What has the world come to when you can no longer trust your own local DMV.

As for who is stealing our caRs........one will never know. They probably breed thieves and have freaking training camps somewhere. Its ashame that owning such a car accompanies the paranoia and frustrations that other caRs dont, but i guess thats just the way it will remain.

&lt;----Whose recommendation is to start the "Boondock Saints" of import thieves and start eliminating the bastards

Edit: The dood never did get his bike back if some of you were wondering that. It just kinda added to the story of thieves.

 

very nice write up

the "ring" you mentioned is more of a high-end, well organized, well finance group of theives. They will never target honda (or hype-R in this case) cuz they can't make money on it or I should say the return on investment is not worth the risk they are dealing with. Ppl who steal our car are the total opposite.....unlike the more professional, they can be everywhere, keep in mind that almost every shop knows how to swap a honda engine, I say driving an ITR is more risky than a 993.

 

First off, let me just say that there is a way to cut down on the high R vandalism and burglury (or just Honda parts in general) although its not terribly realistic. DONT BUY USED R PARTS--IT DOESNT MATTER IF YOU KNOW THEY ARE LEGIT OR NOT. You might have to bite the bullet on high prices for OEM **** but think about what is happening now because you refuse to. People are stealing parts and selling them for stolen prices. You are creating a market for R parts by buying them used. Stick to your local dealer or get new stuff through Len. For all of us here on H-T...its sometimes is obvious when a seller is shady or the parts are hot. I did not realize the danger of owning a "very sought after" car until I bought my R. I was always one of those kids who walked up and gawked at nice car or highly modded imports. I didn't think twice about what I was doing. When I drove a 95 EG HB I used to see another 92 EG HB with a JDM B18C drive by all the time. For those of you in the Bay Area you know this car...the white BENEN shop EG Hybrid. There were a few times when I went looking for where the car was parked just to get a better look at it. Now that I look back...I was half way to becoming a thief if you really think about it (although it never crossed my mind to steal anything from it--I just envied the car and wanted to drool over it in person). Now that I own an R, I won't touch another mans car, I won't gawk at other R or any other exotic imort for that matter. I keep as much distance from another car as possible because I try to put myself in that owner's shoes. Would I want my car being chased and looked at everywhere I went? NO WAY! So why do it to someone else. If you don't own a Type R...chances are you haven't seriously contemplated the danger your car is in or what it means to show respect for other peoples' vehicles. I'd like to think owning my R makes me a more moral person because I have been face to face with the scum that rips our cars to pieces and I will never let myself stoop to that level. Within the first two weeks of owning my R it got ripped off twice. This was the biggest slap in the face ever and it made me realize the pain of having your car vandalized. So back to the original point. Do you really think a kid you doesn't own an R will appreciate it enough to not buy hot R parts? NO. Of course you can't. Owning an R in the states is a rather shitty position to be in if you really look at it. All you can do is enjoy it while it lasts because it won't be with you forever...

P.S. The guys who broke into my car were Asian...makes sense if you think about it. The average asian has a better chance of knowing what an R is over your average Hispanic or Caucasian. All my friends think my R is a rice rocket!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by REDTOPChemistry &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

P.S. The guys who broke into my car were Asian...makes sense if you think about it. The average asian has a better chance of knowing what an R is over your average Hispanic or Caucasian. All my friends think my R is a rice rocket! </TD></TR></TABLE>

You could have prob left this out dood

 

Why is that. Not PC enough? Well...its a fact. Im not saying that all Asians are thieves but the question was asked, "what is the main group of people are stealing R stuff?" You can sit there and grit your teeth all you want but I dont really give a f@$k because they broke into something I owned and took something that was mine and I don't feel like covering up for them just because its not PC. I think most H-T members are mature enough to understand that I didn't make an accusation that "all Asians are thieves"....

 

Very interesting. I vote for petty theives that steal everything and anything and just know that Type R's are rare. Street racers? Maybe. I'll leave it at that.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by REDTOPChemistry &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Why is that. Not PC enough? Well...its a fact. Im not saying that all Asians are thieves but the question was asked, "what is the main group of people are stealing R stuff?" You can sit there and grit your teeth all you want but I dont really give a f@$k because they broke into something I owned and took something that was mine and I don't feel like covering up for them just because its not PC. I think most H-T members are mature enough to understand that I didn't make an accusation that "all Asians are thieves"....</TD></TR></TABLE>

Whoa easy guy.....i was completely trying to help you out! I just wanted to let you know that from some viewer's standpoint you might try and be called out. Not gritting my teeth at all....was just trying to get you to look at it from another angle .

 

Understandable....sorry for seeming assholeish...

 

Go to Hunts Point, or maybe YO or Spring Valley one night, and youll have your answer. The amount of stolen **** around those areas is ridiculous. Go there looking for a motor, and youll be referred to about 10 people who have mint B series swaps for like $1000 I dont like to label people either but sometimes you just cant help it because its so plainly obvious. People that steal our cars, arent only into stealing cars. And they certainly arent into stealing high money cars and transporting them to be rebuilt or resold for huge profits. They are all ******** in general, and thugs with no respect for themselves or anyone else except their "boyz y0". General trouble makers, and the fines/punishment for car theft is so weak that its common for them to do this ****. I dunno, maybe a lot of this just depends where you live, where you hang out, etc. But Im sure its like this in most areas.

 

i'm personally a high schooler and i have never thought about stealing a car. Most people in the HS are rices, just wanting loud fart cans and big wings with underbodies on there 85 Grand-Am, and most people dont even know what a Type-R or really any honda is. I know for a fact that a few car thevies belong to our school but none of them would steal a stock looking R, more then likly they will steal a riced out neon or something for it's bootykit. meh just my perspcitve

 

thought provoking.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RTW DC2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Go to Hunts Point, or maybe YO or Spring Valley one night, and youll have your answer. The amount of stolen **** around those areas is ridiculous. Go there looking for a motor, and youll be referred to about 10 people who have mint B series swaps for like $1000 I dont like to label people either but sometimes you just cant help it because its so plainly obvious. People that steal our cars, arent only into stealing cars. And they certainly arent into stealing high money cars and transporting them to be rebuilt or resold for huge profits. They are all ******** in general, and thugs with no respect for themselves or anyone else except their "boyz y0". General trouble makers, and the fines/punishment for car theft is so weak that its common for them to do this ****. I dunno, maybe a lot of this just depends where you live, where you hang out, etc. But Im sure its like this in most areas. </TD></TR></TABLE>



Sad to say. Those who steal our cars likely drive them, or cars very similar to them.

 

I remember reading tons of stories of ITRs being stolen that had:
lojack
alarm with pager
garaged with another car blocking the garage
etc

I dont think a 1 time theif looking for a motor swap could be good enough not get past things like lojack and such.

 

Finally! Something LOOOONG and has no Pictures but is intersting to read. not like gay
" ITR vs. ......" threads.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RTW DC2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Go to Hunts Point, or maybe YO or Spring Valley one night, and youll have your answer. The amount of stolen **** around those areas is ridiculous. Go there looking for a motor, and youll be referred to about 10 people who have mint B series swaps for like $1000 I dont like to label people either but sometimes you just cant help it because its so plainly obvious. People that steal our cars, arent only into stealing cars. And they certainly arent into stealing high money cars and transporting them to be rebuilt or resold for huge profits. They are all ******** in general, and thugs with no respect for themselves or anyone else except their "boyz y0". General trouble makers, and the fines/punishment for car theft is so weak that its common for them to do this ****. I dunno, maybe a lot of this just depends where you live, where you hang out, etc. But Im sure its like this in most areas. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Ryan, you are absolutely true. I got followed home last night all the way from Spring Valley back to Yonkers by 2 cars. It's a 20 mile ride!

They won't stop until they have mine, this is true, but I pay too much for this car not to enjoy it any way I want. And until I can afford a track event bi-monthly I will continue to drive my car everywhere I can.

The truth of the matter is that if I wanted I could have a fresh interior, lip, parts, tires and wheels, HID's, steering wheels and motor in my R by making a phone call. But to me, if I install a single stolen part in my car it makes me no better than the pieces of **** that make me have to dip thru side streets at night and drive home with my lights off so as to not be seen.

The people who steal these car (at least in my area) will do nothing with your car but swap it into their's or their friend's car. No one (for the most part) is selling ITR parts for profit. Everyone wants a car that they can bring down to the races (Hunts Point 2 years ago, Newark now) and run without caring if they get it impounded or smacked up because they only paid for the shell in the first place.

Sad truth

 

I suggest taking a dremel and carving your VIN elsewhere on the cylinder head, engine block, and transmission. Yes, this can be removed, but the part will no longer be pretty, hence a lower resale value and bling factor. I would mark the head adjacent to the PR3-# casting mark.