Stolen Land Cruisers -- Common Factors (1 Viewer)

[jaymar]

This thread inspired by a comment from @desmocruiser on @devo's thread on his just-stolen 80 in Colorado:

STOLEN - My 80 Was stolen last night -Colorado- (Recovered!!!)

For what it is worth if you live in western Colorado or nearby please keep a lookout for this FZJ80 Colorado plates EHY5150

forum.ih8mud.com

Obviously 40s and 60/62s are the choice American "classics" at the moment, but our turn is coming--along with (one must assume) higher theft rates. So if you've had your rig stolen (or almost-stolen) or caught someone in the act--or know of someone who has--what can you tell us about it? If enough folks chime in, it should help the rest of us spot patterns and/or be better prepared against random dipsh*its and seasoned pros.

Initial thoughts:

LC year/model/color?
Triple-locked?
Geographic area?
Where parked?
Running or off?
Locked or unlocked?
Time of day?
Where were you?
Stock or modded?
What visible exterior mods?
General appearance, from showroom to failing paint?
Security measures taken / forgotten?
Busted glass or skid marks at site of theft?
Police helpful or no?
Any info from them that others may find helpful?
Vehicle recovered?
If recovered, how found, when in what condition?
Any arrests or convictions?
Does theft appear to be random or planned (target of opportunity vs someone wanted YOUR Cruiser)?
If planned, any indication it was part of a pattern of similar thefts in the area?
Does theft appear to be the work of professionals?
Any personal suspicions as to perpetrator(s)--hinky dudes, recent service, switched insurers, attended event, posted video, media coverage, craigslist convict work crew in the area etc.?
What would you do differently today?
Any other thoughts/tips for the rest of us?
What databases might you and your Cruiser be in, along with your home or business address? (Other than the obvious: DMV, AAA, insurance.)
Any info that might help the rest of us spot your rig should we blunder across it?

Got a pic?

So, Stateside or elsewhere, 80 or other--what's the scoop?

ADD: Thread turned into more of an anti-theft measures collection, which is fine. From what I gather, the most common factors seem to be vehicles parked for long periods of time (usually overnight) somewhere other than a home garage, and a lack of security measures. Kinda like backing up your computer; most people don't pick up the habit until AFTER they've had a really bad experience...

 

[Grandlooser]

I doubt the common factors will have anything to do with the victims or their trucks. The common factor will be a POS seeing an opportinity and taking it, with the variable being how degenerate the person is and how much effort they will put in. Im sure 90% of our rigs could be stolen easier than we want to think unfortunately. Me personally, I have left the keys in my car my entire life and have not heard of a theft of car story in my circle of friends of family for about 25 years...thank you geographic location.

 

[leonard_nemoy]

Haha, I am sure a common factor will be proximity to the Freeattle and Portland areas....

But in all seriousness I would love to see some info/data on this topic. I am getting ready to install some kind of gps tracking device on my rig.

 

[2fpower]

I don't want to make a instruction book on how to steal an 80; however, I think it might be worth while to understand how these are getting stolen. How is the steering wheel lock getting bypassed (assuming they are being driven)?

How can we learn from the thefts to make our rigs more secure?

 

[jaymar]

I don't want to make a instruction book on how to steal an 80; however, I think it might be worth while to understand how these are getting stolen. How is the steering wheel lock getting bypassed (assuming they are being driven)?

How can we learn from the thefts to make our rigs more secure?

You know I thought about that, instruction book I mean. But I recall an old story about a newspaper reporter wanting to get the guest list at a U.S. diplomatic function in DC. The State Department refused to provide the guest list, citing security reasons – – presumably to keep the information from our “enemies.” So the intrepid reporter asked the Soviet Embassy. And they provided the guest list. So, really—who is this Information being kept secret from? The thieves already know. We do not, and it’s time we educated ourselves. My two cents.

 

[audi2nr]

I'm in the process of getting a gps tracker for my rig, anyone with recommendations? not looking for something that will connect to the obd2 port, something i can hardwire with battery backup or non hardwire.

 

[jaymar]

P. S. — There are some surprising people out there with your vehicle and home or business address information. For example, police cars, tow trucks, buses, garbage trucks, mail trucks, repo men scanning parking lots etc. are in many cases fitted with license plate recognition systems. They suck in thousands of license plates every day, if not every hour, and the information is aggregated by data mining companies. They’re not collecting it to amuse themselves; this information is for sale to anyone who wants it and is able to pay. Data includes license plate number, location, time of day. (So, where you live, where you work, drop your kids off for school, shop (weed or gun store, if that's your thing), where you go to church (or to watch pole-dancers), who you visit or park near and on and on. And on.) How easy it is to correlate that with make, model and color, I do not know. But anyone with access to DMV records can do it all. And DMV records themselves are often for sale. Presumably some of these systems can identify the vehicle simply by its shape, and take photos as well. In California, it has been declared illegal to cover your license plate even in your own driveway, thus preventing you from protecting yourself from such drive-by scans. You’re allowed to throw a cover over the entire car (provided the cover can be easily lifted to view the license plate(!)), but not the license plate alone--making it a PITA for you, in order to make it easy for them. (There was a bill to end this in 2018 (SB 712), but police lobbyists killed it.) And then of course there are ALPRS alongside a growing number of roads. Even if you’re okay with LE using all this, they’re not the ones in charge; they’re just customers of the data mining companies. Such info can and has been used to track people down and kill them; it can certainly be used to help sophisticated thieves steal vehicles. The challenge is to make YOUR vehicle the b*tch of the bunch, so they just move on to the next guy down the list. That applies to dipsh*t and pro thieves alike.

Maybe by crowdsourcing info--doing a little data mining of our own, so to speak--we can at least accomplish that.

 

[Grandlooser]

It has been declared illegal to cover your license plate even in your own driveway, thus preventing you from protecting yourself from such drive-by scans. You’re allowed to throw a cover over the entire car, but not the license plate alone.

I want to see someone come and enforce that. Then maybe Im geographically spoiled about this kind of thing as well.

 

[jaymar]

I want to see someone come and enforce that. Then maybe Im geographically spoiled about this kind of thing as well.

Given time, they will. Or--as with drone-spotted unpermitted swimming pools--they'll just send you a notice to appear, or a bill (or both).

 

[devo]

@jaymar
This may be to raw of a topic for me to respond to right now. But if you drive around in an “attention” getter like my 80 is you attract attention. And there are many LandCriusers out there that garner the same or more attention than mine. I also live in a 4x4 centric area and the truck you drive can define you, if you want it to. Lots of folks can only have that definition by cheating and not earning it. Thus the thief. How many times have I (you) been approached by someone in awe of your LandCruisers, often. Same with any of us who drive a proud rig.
I think I may have been targeted. I live in an off the busy area in no thoroughfare type neighborhood. But then there was the roofers, or was I stalked. Was there someone who watched and waited til I loaded up all of my camping gear. Was it a random criminal sweep of my hood and someone got lucky? Was it a Methican American? Who knows? But, they got in my truck and drove off! Were all of my doors locked after I hit the auto lock button? Sometimes on this old 80 some doors don’t completely lock. I didn’t check, it was in my driveway? The crime happened between 11pm and 0600am.
Not sure what I would have done differently, I’ve done it this way for decades. What I’m thinking about for my old Cruisers at this point are kill switches and that big bar that locks to the steering wheel as a remedy?
The cops are going to follow up as they do to find a needle in a haystack. The insurance company will follow their procedures.
What I wish is that I had less gas in it and that my tags were to expire sooner than August!


This hurts my head,





devo

 

[Rifleman]

A GPS tracker is a good idea, but i tend to lean towards that old saying, an once of prevention, is worth a pound of cure. Install a kill switch on the fuel pump, or to be extra sure pull the EFI relay too, and drop it in your pocket when you park your truck. That's not to say someone still can't steal your truck, but it makes it alot harder for them to just get in, and drive it away.

 

[greentruck]

FWIW, a garage is one of the best theft preventative devices known. Doesn't make it impossible, but a truck that isn't sitting in the drive or on the street is hard to make off with.

 

[jaymar]

@jaymar
This may be to raw of a topic for me to respond to right now. But if you drive around in an “attention” getter like my 80 is you attract attention. And there are many LandCriusers out there that garner the same or more attention than mine. I also live in a 4x4 centric area and the truck you drive can define you, if you want it to. Lots of folks can only have that definition by cheating and not earning it. Thus the thief. How many times have I (you) been approached by someone in awe of your LandCruisers, often. Same with any of us who drive a proud rig.
I think I may have been targeted. I live in an off the busy area in no thoroughfare type neighborhood. But then there was the roofers, or was I stalked. Was there someone who watched and waited til I loaded up all of my camping gear. Was it a random criminal sweep of my hood and someone got lucky? Was it a Methican American? Who knows? But, they got in my truck and drove off! Were all of my doors locked after I hit the auto lock button? Sometimes on this old 80 some doors don’t completely lock. I didn’t check, it was in my driveway? The crime happened between 11pm and 0600am.
Not sure what I would have done differently, I’ve done it this way for decades. What I’m thinking about for my old Cruisers at this point are kill switches and that big bar that locks to the steering wheel as a remedy?
The cops are going to follow up as they do to find a needle in a haystack. The insurance company will follow their procedures.
What I wish is that I had less gas in it and that my tags were to expire sooner than August!


This hurts my head,

FWIW, a garage is one of the best theft preventative devices known. Doesn't make it impossible, but a truck that isn't sitting in the drive or on the street is hard to make off with.

Yeah, but a LOT of garage doors (that's to say you have a garage) are too short for built Cruisers. You can modify the door and the roof if you own it, and your house isn't on top of it, and the roof isn't flat....

 

[ewillis]

Roof rack, bumpers, sliders, winch, expensive lights, drawer systems, lockers, suspension, gears...thousands of dollars sitting on full display and easily removed/sold. Part of the reason I always kept mine in the garage and part of the reason I sold it. I roll pretty low key now with my GX and a set of KO2s. Fully built 80 series (or any series) is a major score for car thieves.

 

[jaymar]

I'm in the process of getting a gps tracker for my rig, anyone with recommendations? not looking for something that will connect to the obd2 port, something i can hardwire with battery backup or non hardwire.

Old cell phone.

 

[enox]

Haha, I am sure a common factor will be proximity to the Freeattle and Portland areas....

But in all seriousness I would love to see some info/data on this topic. I am getting ready to install some kind of gps tracking device on my rig.

Have you had any luck with what brand you're going with?

I'm also looking into gps tracking..

 

[greentruck]

Yeah, but a LOT of garage doors (that's to say you have a garage) are too short for built Cruisers. You can modify the door and the roof if you own it, and your house isn't on top of it, and the roof isn't flat....

True. But that has helped me keep my build modest and affordable, too. Something to consider if you're just starting out and have a garage where it will fit. These trucks are only going to get more desirable.

 

[ZackR]

FWIW, a garage is one of the best theft preventative devices known. Doesn't make it impossible, but a truck that isn't sitting in the drive or on the street is hard to make off with.

100% agree!

Part of my decision not to go bigger than a 1.75" lift and 285/75/16 tires is the fact that I can still fit it in the garage.

I worry very little about my cruiser when its in my locked garage (most of the time). Its when I'm parking on city streets that I worry the most.

 

[bhsdriller]

I'm not about to leave my 40 out on the driveway so it's in the garage and the 80 is outside. Might be able to get creative and fit both inside

I've taken tires off of vehicles before as a deterrent lol
It really only takes less than 10 minutes to put it back on

 

[Whiskerz]

When I was a kid my dad had a dune buggy that he had both a kill switch and he ran a cable lock through the wheel and around the axle so that rolling it away easy and quiet was not an option. Several of his friends had theirs stolen. His never was. The best idea is to be a tough target. Lojack works. The police will not work hard. You stolen car is one of hundreds they see. It is just a statistic. Small town police may take more of an interest. Have a set of good pictures and spread them far and wide with a reward poster. You may get lucky.