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Healey Thefts

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Editor_Reid

Editor_Reid

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Another subject here (on the battery cut-off switch) made me wonder, of all the Healeys stolen now - in modern times, how many are driven away versus how many are towed, trailed or maybe even pushed away. In other words, how many are stolen using their own power (driven away) versus how many are stolen without any need to drive the car away, such as towing it away?

Anyone know of any stats?

How about anecdotal evidence?
 
Anecdotal: A Nasty Boy and its trailer were stolen here in the Bay Area--in San Leandro or nearby IIRC--a couple months ago (I'm presuming the car was in the trailer). The owner put out an APB on the mailing list, and I'm pretty sure I saw the car in Alameda (it was black, had oversized chrome rims and a roll bar, and the spears were on backwards, so not a 'generic' Healey). I reported this to the owner; never heard what happened.
 
I've installed a telematics box with geofence and curfew alerts in my car. It also does breadcrumbing. Just so happens that I build that type of device for a living, so I had one laying around the office. That way even if someone loads my car on a trailer, I'll be able to send the police right to them in minutes.

Just something to consider adding to your car...
 
I have no stats to prove it but I would suspect most true thefts, not joyriders, would use a trailer, probably enclosed, to avoid notice while heading where ever they may be heading. The days of blending in with a vintage sports car are long past and there's too much chance of being spotted if you want to drive away. And I suspect the quick chop for parts is long past too, would the demand be there for a thief to cut one up and dump what's left.
 
Bob_Spidell said:
Anecdotal: A Nasty Boy and its trailer were stolen here in the Bay Area--in San Leandro or nearby IIRC--a couple months ago (I'm presuming the car was in the trailer). The owner put out an APB on the mailing list, and I'm pretty sure I saw the car in Alameda (it was black, had oversized chrome rims and a roll bar, and the spears were on backwards, so not a 'generic' Healey). I reported this to the owner; never heard what happened.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's close to home. I live in San Leandro. Alameda is 10 min away.
 
Chris_Masucci said:
I've installed a telematics box with geofence and curfew alerts in my car. It also does breadcrumbing. Just so happens that I build that type of device for a living, so I had one laying around the office. That way even if someone loads my car on a trailer, I'll be able to send the police right to them in minutes.

Just something to consider adding to your car...
Click to expand...
I've had Rocky Mountain (brand name) trackers on my cars for at least four (>4) years now. Before we moved to Florida, I was keeping my own cars in garages all around the city, when I'd get backlogged with customer's cars taking up space at home. It's a small price to pay for the peace of mind it brings.

I'm using this model, and they can be installed/concealed in minutes, but I have to wonder; are the crooks already scanning for tracking devices when they steal the cars...?
https://www.rmtracking.com/vehicle_recovery/smart_tracker.php

It's not much bigger than a box of matches:

smartTracker_207x118.jpg
 
" I have to wonder; are the crooks already scanning for tracking devices when they steal the cars...?"

The pros:-YES, and remote codes too.
 
I regularly leave my car in parking lots with the top down. Sometimes I flip the battery cutoff but usually not. Not saying it can't happen but I just don't worry about it.

It would take a pretty sophisticated thief to figure out how to sell a Healey. It's a lot easier to steal an SUV.
 
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