Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

devicemanager

Registered
One of the worst things that could happen to a man's car happend to me this past Thursday. The Mark was broken into! I work in the slums of Trenton, NJ, if anyone knows the area they can agree, it is not a safe place to be even with a machine gun. Well around 9AM a colleague of mine heard my alarm going off and looked into the parking lot and saw the Mark's new HID's flashing. He called me right away and I ran outside. The car looked fine until I ran around to the drivers side and saw that the drivers side window was smashed in. As I looked furhter wires and 3 sets of rca cables just hanging out over the wood grain console cover. They stole my Pioneer 8200 radio, found the face plate and did not forget to take the remote. Unbelievable right! Almost as if I have been staked out! There has been 5 or 6 break-ins in our company parking lot in the past year. But the good news about all this is that we are getting survielance camers installed and because there was tint on the window they were able to get a hand print. Hopefully they will be able to find this guy and give him the treastment he deserves.

The reason I ask if anyone works/lives in a bad neighborhood is because I am afraid to replace the radio as for they may be coming back especially because we feel the culpret lives nearby. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

As you may know, our Son, Matt goes to college in Lawrenceville, (affluent suburb of Princeton, between Princeton & Trenton) I told him to stay OUT of Trenton, or he'll lose his Cherokee! He had to take it to Coleman Jeep, (do you know where that is??) once for an adjustment. That area ain't too bad, but other areas are WHOOOOooaaaa bad!!!!!!
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

My apartment in St. Louis is right next door to the Fox. If you go past that point, farther to the North, all hell breaks lose. One of the great things about living in this building was the secured parking garage. But that is no more. Starting this week it was opened up to public event parking. To say the least I am furious. I myself have started a petition to get them to close the garage back off; hopefully by the end of this week we will see some results. Otherwise its just a matter of time before mine, or someone elses car gets jacked.
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

I am so sorry for any of you that get your car broken into, it always makes you feel like you have been violated.
A good solution is to find a nice secure storage place for the Mark, and drive a beater to work. After all that is why God created Toyotas. Sometimes it is not all that difficult to find a good storage place near your home. Older folks often have garages that they wouldn't mind making a few bucks off of every month. Also small businesses that have to do with information, like accountants and lawyers and the like have offices with either storage facilities or garages that are not being used and these make good targets for folks like us that need the storage for our cars.
The Mark VIII is a unique enough ride, that it justifies just a little less exposure than the average ride.
Good luck in getting it repaired and just for grins, go over the inside with lysol, so that you feel better about not having lingering fingerprints and sombody eleses goooo all over the interior.
The other answer is that you could move to a town like the one I live in. 1700 folks if you count all the pregnant dogs also. Not so pretty, mostly folks that have retired, or people that work with their hands. Most of the homes would be considered by outsiders as not a very nice neighborhood, but inside they are full of families that are working and making the world a better place. All the folks with BIG money live in the next town over, in their large new homes. I know if you don't mind commuting a little way, that a very few miles west of where you live, you can find country, and thence less stealing. As for parking at work, OOOLD Toyota.

Tim Van Nattan
'94 Mark VIII
Santa Fe/Saddle
"Moffie"
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

Thanks for all the input guys.

Sandy - I know the area, not as bad as Trenton, but I should've stayed away too. A while back my company was thinking on moving to Clinton, NJ in Hunterdon County, but it would have cost us $1,000,000.00 to move so they bailed out. Plus the taxes in Trenton are dirt cheap. I think they are $3500 a year and we have a huge 3 story building.

Moffie - Fortuanetly I do not live in a bad area. I just bought my first home this past December and it has a garage. I live in Bucks County, PA - I call it one of the greatest places on earth. But I work in Trenton, NJ and it is bad. The beater idea is a good one, a guy I would with drives in a Toyota Tercel and leaves his mint 93 Eldorado at home. My thing is I don't understand the whole beater idea. Why have a nice car if you can't drive it. I hate to let the theives know that they won and now I have to live in fear. The same day I went out and had a new window installed and 2 days later I had the car re-tinted just to prove they got my radio and hurt my pride a litle, but they didn't get me. What does it prove really, nothing.
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

Bucks County is SO BEAUTIFUL ! We go there all the time when we would go down to see Matt. New Hope has gotten too commercial. I like Peddler's Village and over in Titusville, the Washington State Park, and that narrow bridge. It's so peaceful there. I also like the surrounding area. Truly "God's little acre" ~ Do you know how many 1,000s of greeting cards had their covers photographed there!
Restrauants down there are kinda weak, however. Jumbo prices for bland food.
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

Sandy - I agree with you 100% - If you come down this way, go into Lambertville and check out Lilly's On The Canal, it is a restaurant owned by my cousin and sometimes I am there helping out. She also owns another place in Doylestown called Lilly's Gourmet. She is amazing.

I use to live in New Hope on a horse ranch, man those were some of the best times - I had a really great landlord, but I had to move on...
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

Why have a nice car if you can't drive it. I hate to let the theives know that they won and now I have to live in fear. The same day I went out and had a new window installed and 2 days later I had the car re-tinted just to prove they got my radio and hurt my pride a litle, but they didn't get me. What does it prove really, nothing.

Well there you go, did the right thing by declaring victory over the invasion!!
Why have a "beater", well in the last 35 years that I have been buying and selling cars, few have the intrinsic value that the Mark has, with the low production figures alone. They scream for having a car that you can take anywhere without having to worry about something happening to it. I always try to have a real knock about sitting around, because the cost of insurance and what not, don't even come close to repairing a fine limited production car like the Mark. In the end, all of us have our Marks for our own reasons, and if having a really nice ride to work comes into your deffinition, good for you and you should keep driving the car to work. I certainly understand that reasoning. When I worked in the Silicon Valley in No. California, Eastman Kodak always bought me company cars, but when they approved payback for private cars I immediately went out and bought a very lightly used Caddillac, and then worked and drove in comfort and security. The company would always supply mid-sized cars, but I preffer larger ones.
In the final analisys, be happy and do what makes you comfortable, you are the one that is in your skin and not anybody else can tell you what to do.

Tim Van Nattan
'94 Mark VIII
Santa Fe/Saddle
"Moffie"
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

We live in a "nice" neighborhood and it sucks. Early January we found our 91 Super Duty truck had been broken into and the stereo stolen from it. Funny thing is, it's one of the early 90s models with the paint adhesion issue...it's a beat up looking truck. They busted the vent window on the passenger side, the side of the truck that was right next to a street light. It wasn't much of a stereo. Just an Alpine CD player from Best Buy. My GT sat next to it while this happened. Made me paranoid for quite some time after.

Come to find out, car break-ins are incredibly frequent in our area. Just one more reason to get the heck outta here!

I'm thankful for the utter lack of stereo in my GT. I'd be ballistic if anyone violated my baby.
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

Well as I said in my eariler post it was just a matter of time before my car or someone elses car got broken into. Here are the results.

http://www.markviii.org/~jayello/NewFolder/DSC00018.JPG
http://www.markviii.org/~jayello/NewFolder/DSC00019.JPG
http://www.markviii.org/~jayello/NewFolder/DSC00020.JPG
http://www.markviii.org/~jayello/NewFolder/DSC00021.JPG

The only thing taken out of my car was my Olympus D-520 digital camera. For some reason they over looked the oakleys. The drivers seat suffered 2 small scrathes/cuts in it, broken window of course, and glass scattered everywhere.


edit: I believe my car was targeted because it was the nicest car in the garage at the time. The jag, lexi, and caddilac that park in my garage as well not in the vicinity at the time this event took place. However there was a Mustang GT with its top down just a few parking spots over.
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

Yes, I too am sorry for your trouble!

What angers me the most is that they seldom (if ever) get caught, and go & do this over & over & over again! WHEN & IF they do get caught, the punishment is a slap on the wrist. Not until the punishment is SEVERE can we honest citizens expect for this stuff to stop.
Yet there are people who fight the death penalty for mass murders found and caught red-handed at the crime scene, so what would expect for punishment for a vehicle break & entry & theft? Community Service at the Red Cross answering the phone for 3 days......
I read in some country (I can't recall which one) they tatoo across your forehead the word THIEF. This way, everone knows who you be!
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

did you know that in Maine, if you are caught pulling someones lobster pots, the owner of the pot is alowed to shoot at you. There is even a form to fill out of you do shoot someone...interesting idea...i think we can work with that!

Im glad that everything is fairly safe in NH, the only thing that I really worry about is door dings in the parking lot. I went to school in Worcester MA for a year and just in the parking lot of my fraternity house there was over 10 break-ins. we caught two of the punks. One was violently placed under citizens arest and the other one was picked up at the hospital with two broken legs from a car "accident"....

Luckily I had a teal beretta at the time, not exactly a huge target. But just in case some one wanted my stereo, i left the stock AM/FM radio in the dash and put power to it just for the clock and relocated the New Kenwood eXcelon head to inside of the console. When I parked, the rear seats folded up, the console cover went back on and everything went into complete stealth mode.
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

Damn, I feel so bad for you guys, that really sucks! Thieves piss me off so bad, I'm totally paranoid about that sort of thing happening.

did you know that in Maine, if you are caught pulling someones lobster pots, the owner of the pot is alowed to shoot at you. There is even a form to fill out of you do shoot someone...interesting idea...i think we can work with that!

Okay, I'm moving to Maine and registering my cars as lobster pots. Who's coming with me?

[font color = blue]Tony - St. Louis, MO[/font]
1998 LSC - Toreador Red/Light Graphite
1989 Mustang LX 5.0 - Scarlet Red coupe
[FONT COLOR=RED]>*> [link:www.markviii.org/~tonymueller|Tony's Internet Garage] <*<[/FONT]
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

I work both jobs in crappy neighborhoods,
That's why I have a 86 Bronco II.
 
RE: Anyone work/live in a bad neighborhood?

In GA, you don't need a lobster pot and there's no form to fill out, it is legal to shoot in defense of your person or your property. If the thief is fleeing with your property, it is legal to shoot he/she/it. If the thief has dropped your property, and is running to escape capture, you can't shoot them.

My home is in one of the better areas of my city of 25k, but the neighborhood around my shop has gone to Hell in a handbasket since I bought it in '86. But I refuse to be intimidated. New people moved in diagonally across the street, and I still don't know much about them.

BUT, I do know about some of the people I have seen over there are known to me as crack whores, crack head thieves, and crack dealers. Then, to top it off, I began to notice an inordinate amount of attention being paid to my comings and goings.

So, now when they see me coming and going, they see a 12 gauge Mossberg riot gun with 20" barrel and 6 shot magazine and pistol grip slung over my shoulder as I arrive/ depart. Amazing how quick the word has gotten around and I no longer notice those prying eyes!
 
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