[DMD]

I am going to Boston University for Dental School and will be taking my '02 325I. Do I need to be concerned about safety, I will be parking in the Albany Garage across from BU Medical Center. Do you think the standard alarm will be enough. I am coming out of Iowa so I know crime is horrible compared to Iowa but then again maybe everyone exaggerates the crimerate in Boston. Should I get a LoJack system? And how much does a LoJack system cost?

Thanks in Advance.
DMD SOON

 

[ObD]

Lojack will cost between $500-600 installed. Only get it if you feel you want to recover your car if it's stolen. I went with the standard alarm to keep the amateurs out plus I get an insurance discount. The professionals you won't stop and I doubt I'd want it back after they got their hands on it anyway.

 

[lint]

cars and boston

This is the way I look at it up here:

1) Leave nothing out in the car. Don't want to tempt someone to break a window just to grab your old, empty wallet.

2) If you're parking it in an attended, private lot, the alarm might do some good. Otherwise, if the person wants the car, they'll take it, alarm or not.

3) Lojack is worth it, IMHO. I got mine installed for $500 in Boston. If you're going to be leaving your car for days on end, it probably won't do much good, but if you think you'd notice within a few hours of it disappearing, then Lojack will be your most comforting anti-theft device.

The biggest threat around here is vandalism and breaking in to steal something laying around. Lock your wheels, keep the inside of the car clean, and you'll *almost* be able to rest with comfort. Oh, and don't leave a spare key in a box hidden on the car somewhere.

Good luck with the move! Boston rocks - enough here to make you forget you're in school.

 

[DMD]

Re: cars and boston

This is the way I look at it up here:

1) Leave nothing out in the car. Don't want to tempt someone to break a window just to grab your old, empty wallet.

2) If you're parking it in an attended, private lot, the alarm might do some good. Otherwise, if the person wants the car, they'll take it, alarm or not.

3) Lojack is worth it, IMHO. I got mine installed for $500 in Boston. If you're going to be leaving your car for days on end, it probably won't do much good, but if you think you'd notice within a few hours of it disappearing, then Lojack will be your most comforting anti-theft device.

The biggest threat around here is vandalism and breaking in to steal something laying around. Lock your wheels, keep the inside of the car clean, and you'll *almost* be able to rest with comfort. Oh, and don't leave a spare key in a box hidden on the car somewhere.

Good luck with the move! Boston rocks - enough here to make you forget you're in school.

]

Thanks for the tips I will keep them in mind. I plan to leave it in a parking garage downtown, the lot does have cameras I found out as it is where patients park to come to the BU medical center. Do you think Wheel Locks are a good investment? I do plan to get the LoJack system. If I get that system do you still recommend the dealer (BMW) alarm? Thanks again. I am excited about the move and cannot wait to get up to Boston. Hopefully I will see yours and other bimmers around town.

 

[lint]

Re: Re: cars and boston

]

Thanks for the tips I will keep them in mind. I plan to leave it in a parking garage downtown, the lot does have cameras I found out as it is where patients park to come to the BU medical center. Do you think Wheel Locks are a good investment? I do plan to get the LoJack system. If I get that system do you still recommend the dealer (BMW) alarm? Thanks again. I am excited about the move and cannot wait to get up to Boston. Hopefully I will see yours and other bimmers around town.

Yeah, wheel locks are good.. inexpensive but effective.

As for the OEM alarm (or any alarm, for that matter), no one really pays attention to them unless they're being paid to do so. If a guy who doesn't really know what he's doing decides to break in, the alarm may scare him away. If a pro is trying to get it, he'll get it regardless.

They have aftermarket alarms that come with a pager that goes off when the alarm goes off - that combined with LoJack would probably be as close to the silver bullet as you can get - but, 99 times out of 100 the alarm will be false.

Oh, and there's BMW's abound in Boston... it seems like everyone and their mother has one. :dunno: You'll fit right in. :bigpimp:

 

[Trea]

Man I finished from BU five years ago...

still live in boston...at the time I had an e36 M3...there are sooo many hot cars at BU - Lotus, viper, S4...more BMWs then at a dealership, that your car will be (trust me) just one of the crowd...having lived in Boston for 10 years now...just down the road from BU...I've never had a problem...not one...Now I will warn you that Boston ranks #1 in having the most God awful drivers...and NO parking at all...not to mention the door dings as a result of no parking and bad drivers...so if you have off street parking (a 100% must in this town) ...and treat your car right...you'll be fine...:thumb:

 

[PunchIt]

It is not your decision if you get our car back after someone has stolen it. That is up to the insurance companies. So, get the lojack. At least they have a chance at catching the guy.

 

[MikeW]

Daniel,

You've been reading too many Lojack adds. The Insurance company can't decide to give the car back to you if they can't find it. If the car doesn't have lojack, chances are that it will either be in pieces, or in the back of a shipping container bound for South America, before the owner is off the phone with his insurance agent to put in the claim.

 

[DMD]

Daniel,

You've been reading too many Lojack adds. The Insurance company can't decide to give the car back to you if they can't find it. If the car doesn't have lojack, chances are that it will either be in pieces, or in the back of a shipping container bound for South America, before the owner is off the phone with his insurance agent to put in the claim.

Does your insurance rates go up like crazy if you have had a car stolen and not recovered?

 

[MikeW]

To be honest, I'm not sure. Theft is usually rated by location and make/model of car (BTW BMW has traditionally not done well in this regard). I really don't know if the claim history of the driver is taken into account, but, knowing the insurance industry, I'd be surprised if it wasn't. Also, I don't know if it would matter whether the car was recovered or not. If it was stolen and recovered, and they had to pay a claim for damage incurred during the theft, that could cause the same increase.

 

[10chi]

unfounded fear

There are soooo many nice cars in Boston. BMWs, Benzes, Audis, and even Italian exotics like Ferraris and Lamborghinis unlike Iowa. Kids 17 and up drive around 2002 M3s here. I doubt a car thief would single your car out, no offense.

I would worry more about the meter maids in Boston. I call it "legalized robbery".

And besides, I had a LoJack on my Grand Cherokee and I thought it was a waste of money. It did provide a sort of deterrent (the alarm) but most ppl know that if a car thief wants your car, ain't no alarm gonna stop him/her. Also, the tracking thing is a joke. Here's an example. I once had the car towed. I thought it was stolen. I called the cops to report it stolen and that there was a lojack on the car. They told me to come down and fill out a report (dumb cops) and once it was in the system they could activate the trace. of course all this took more than 30 min. If my car really had been stolen, it would be nothing but a skeleton by this time.

 

[10chi]

BTW, Boston has a low car theft rate for higher end vehicles. Acuras and Toyotas are more their choice.

 

[lint]

This is a little off-topic, but..

Oh, and if you're not paying an auto excise tax where you live now, don't register your car in boston unless you have no choice.. Each year your're charged $25 per $1000 value of the car just because you have it. Talk about legalized robbery. :thumbdwn:

I mean, come on. It's bad enough you have to pay sales tax when you buy it, and income tax on the cash you earned to pay for it, but charging a third tax on top of all that to pay for a >15-year-long exercise in corruption (read: Big Dig(tm)) is just a travesty of democracy.

Man, I can't wait until my stock options vest so I can move the hell out of here. :flipoff:

On the other hand, if you *do* happen to register your car here, you'll officially be a Masshole. :thumbup:

 

[Trea]

Where did you find gras in Allston???

Your banner

 

[lint]

Re: Where did you find gras in Allston???

Re: Where did you find gras in Allston???

I knew some guy who hung out near the Harvard Ave. T stop that had a connection with some guy near San Francisco - grew the grass himself. Man, that s**t is *dank*! :yikes:



I didn't take the pic in Allston - that's my buddy's driveway out in the 'burbs.

 

[DrElectron]

In Boston, BMW Stood for...

I lived in the Boston area from the late seventies into the eighties and back then, the joke was that BMW stood for BREAK MY WINDOW. Many cars were broken into and radios were ripped off. It got to the point that some BMW owners would not replace stolen radios and instead place a sign in the window indicating "no radio inside". I think the best strategy is to park in well lit places in good parts of town and do not install an aftermarket stereo. The anti-theft nature of the OEM radio helps. Good luck and keep in mind it could be worse: You could be moving to NYC...:thumbup: