Good to know. Hm, husband will not like the idea of taking a bus to get a car. I better have lease info lined up in advance, lol. That way I can have something immediately ready for him when he inevitably gets fed up with zip car.
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With regards to a lease, Internet says they would likely require comprehensive coverage, which is probably how parts theft would be handled. In which case it’s probably cheaper to buy a cheaper car, and get insurance on that. Also, there are aftermarket solutions for cat converter theft, such as a big steel plate under the car. Looks like those run a few hundred, not sure about installation labor.
Just things to consider.
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Yeah I looked into the plate and it’s not an option for our car. I spent a morning calling OEMs for those and they have to be created for each car model and none exist for our car yet. I also considered having something custom cut but that will make the car fail state inspection so that’s out too. The mechanic also said that people here have adapted and are now bringing extra tools to saw through the protective plates!
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Also, with this, we already have coverage so I imagine those costs will be the same for a lease. My question is more about what happens if the car is stripped, like do we have to arrange for the repairs and handle all that or can we have it towed to the lease place and immediately be given another car. If it’s the latter it might be worth paying the premium, because I don’t want to be in a constant cycle of doing this over and over again.
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Just thought of another car option. We could buy another car and choose a model whose chassis does not allow enough room for a person to get under the body. That way if someone wants to steal parts they’d have to jack the car off the ground. Hm.
ETA: Although I guess they could still pop the hood and steal stuff from there, so maybe that plus an alarm system? And it looks like there is no zip car near me, sigh.
Anyone have experience with something like this?
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I’m going to page @smacky, who might not get back to you today, but has good experience with being a neighbour with good enough stuff to steal. Things sound organized in your neighbourhood though, which is a little harder to work around. Maybe you need to drop cookies off to the right grandma?
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I wish, haha! Usually there is some protection in knowing people, or that has been the case in other places I’ve lived, but my sense is these people are coming from other neighborhoods to do this, so I don’t think that will help unfortunately. The crime here is a lot less predictable than other cities I’ve lived in, just in general.
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Do you have nearby friends to split a car with? I’ve done that. It was a compromise but workable
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Nope, good idea though!
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Or someone nearby that will rent you space in their garage?
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Well the space we rent now is already covered! And there aren’t really secure garages in this area, so it would be a similar setup to what we have now.
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I’m out of ideas. This really sucks. A newer car seems like the simplest solution. I would price out that cost vs a major Uber habit.
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That sounds like a good plan. Thanks for the brainstorm, I wanted to make sure there wasn’t some other option I was stupidly overlooking!
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I vote elaborate booby traps a la Home Alone 
But in seriousness, probably makes sense to make a choice that reduces your susceptibility (thief convenience) in this area. I don’t think I would expect it to happen all the time unless it happens a second time.
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LOL! I’ll just toss a bunch of marbles around 
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Chicken wire keeps porcupines away from tires. Maybe there is a similar solution for petty thieves.
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A pet guard skunk.
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I would price out a lease vs buying a newer car. A few years ago we bought a new base model Impreza with a very low interest rate and it was the right financial choice even though I hated having a car loan lol. Both leasing and a new car purchase required comprehensive so it did increase our insurance costs.
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I am finding that too! It looks like you (and @galliver) are on the right track with this not leasing thing. I think buying a newer car is what we will do because it is cheaper, and I’ll probably install some type of security on top of that because you can get me once but you are not getting me twice! I keep hearing my late uncle’s voice in my head, “don’t be a sucker”. And yes he looked like an old mob boss in a movie, lol, scared the shit out of many a boyfriend.
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I think when you lease a car, you are in charge of getting it fixed. It’s like you own it, but you don’t.
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