Ready to buy Audi RS3 but concerned about theft...

[vaud]

BunkMoreland said:

Thats got to be a case of the gang having a link to customers addresses surely. Presumably a inside guy at a Audi or VW dealers. Bit more than the casual "we've seen this car we want to nick"

Yes, the police thought dealer, insurance or VW FS but I don't think they got to the bottom of it.

[Cold]

Fr0dders said:

This is the way forward - let them drive off with the car. You get a call when they're off down the road and then remotely detonate the vehicle.

FTFY.

[Patch1875]

Within 6 months of owning an R there was an attempted theft. Really affected sleeping afterwards so got rid and went back to a GTI which caused no issues.

Tried an S4 and that’s been fine as they seem pretty inconspicuous.

[Terminator X]

I'd bet that 80% of stolen cars are from high crime areas like Bradford, not really an issue for most. I have never ever been worried about my car being stolen although I do fit Ghost etc just for some extra peace of mind.

TX.

Ps I owned a 2015 RS3 back in 2015 and it is amongst the best cars I've owned. Loved it.

[MC Bodge]

Each to their own of course, but is owning a top of the range Audi A3 really that desirable or worth the worry?

[vaud]

Terminator X said:

I'd bet that 80% of stolen cars are from high crime areas like Bradford, not really an issue for most. I have never ever been worried about my car being stolen although I do fit Ghost etc just for some extra peace of mind.

You'd think so but the police told me the gangs are often based out of Bradford, Birmingham, etc but then go to specific areas and have a few weeks of focusing on rich areas with a "shopping list"

Ironically the gang that stole mine were from Birmingham but took it from my house (I pay council tax to Bradford but where I live is very much not typical Bradford)

Organised crime is unsurprisingly, quite organised.

[NikBartlett]

Cold said:

Fr0dders said:

This is the way forward - let them drive off with the car. You get a call when they're off down the road and then remotely detonate the vehicle.

FTFY.

I would prefer them to be deadlocked in and then an acrid burning smell to waft through the cabin. The interior will get wrecked as the occupants panic trying to escape but at least the police will have some live humans to arrest.

[NikBartlett]

vaud said:

Terminator X said:

I'd bet that 80% of stolen cars are from high crime areas like Bradford, not really an issue for most. I have never ever been worried about my car being stolen although I do fit Ghost etc just for some extra peace of mind.

You'd think so but the police told me the gangs are often based out of Bradford, Birmingham, etc but then go to specific areas and have a few weeks of focusing on rich areas with a "shopping list"

Ironically the gang that stole mine were from Birmingham but took it from my house (I pay council tax to Bradford but where I live is very much not typical Bradford)

Organised crime is unsurprisingly, quite organised.

They'll employ spotters on the ground to do some recon first, match vehicles to the list, work out what security is in place. I would presume there will be vehicles put on a do not touch list, eg owned by members of other gangs, paid up protection or known bait cars.

[BunkMoreland]

Baldchap said:

Organised theft is less of an issue now they're nearly a decade old. They will target much newer ones.

I do wonder if there's an element of this. Is a 10 year old RS3 just as desirable now?

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16027608

Similarly is a 2017 Range Rover Sport (although just as nickable as when new) stlll as wanted when its value is around £40k if its got a steering lock on it and a bollard in front?

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15983468

Or do the organised crime lot have an order of preference? 1) Easy, 2) Newness 3) Market for broken up parts


Part of the problem I think for hot Audis/VWs is that the "scene" loves to mix and match parts between them as its all bolt off bolt in.
Bentley wheels on a Golf. Audi engines in a Polo. Golf R seats in a Fabia etc

Edited by BunkMoreland on Saturday 20th January 16:33

[x5tuu]

Adam-8hsau said:

Thanks for the replies....

My main train of thought is along the exact same lines, that its not worth the worry....

...my other thought is that why the f*** should I not have the car I want and worked hard for due to fear of scum stealing it.

I'm in the south west.

I also have a neighbour with a brand new M5 and there's an M3 comp up the road too.... even more frustrating that a 20k car would likely be targeted first over these.

Edited by Adam-8hsau on Saturday 20th January 09:52

Get your point but the other cars are irrelevant.

I live on a small self-build “estate” and there are 35 properties.

One of the properties the thieves left a limited run Bentley Continental GT Super Sport, Ferrari 458, and Bentayga and took the RS6 and RS3.

Equally a few doors up they left the McLaren 720s and Tesla and took the Golf R and M140i.

That was one night a couple of years ago.

Personally the last thing I would want is an organised group cutting through my front door to get the keys to a car that they’ll happily use violence to obtain.

[vaud]

NikBartlett said:

They'll employ spotters on the ground to do some recon first, match vehicles to the list, work out what security is in place. I would presume there will be vehicles put on a do not touch list, eg owned by members of other gangs, paid up protection or known bait cars.

Probably, The police said they thought I had been followed and then probably they would have checked security and if I was a night owl. They broke in between 2am and 6am. I leave the keys downstairs, in the open and visible if you are in the house, but invisible if you are outside the house.

No way I'm having someone wake me up with a baseball bat, etc, and even less so with my wife and 3 year old in the house.

[Adam-8hsau]

Really appreciate all the comments! I'm not aware of any thefts around by me - not to say they don't happen though.

Think my minds made up, going to have a shop around to see if anything else scratches the itch but won't be putting too much thought in to the theft aspect.

Cheers all!

[NikBartlett]

You hear plenty of stories about gangs breaking in and taking keys to steal a car but not sure if I've heard of a case in the UK where the gang got rinsed by a tooled up home owner and their mates. Makes you think that they choose their targets very carefully, there will a small number of car owners, most likely part of the criminal persuasion, out there just itching for a fight.

[Griffith4ever]

Griffith4ever said:

Any car that you are going to stress over is not a car to own. Its just not worth it.

I stand by this, BUT, depending on where you are in the South West it may be a worry over nothing. Im' in the SW and whilst its not all the same, it is a low risk county. It's not Birmingham.

[hungry_hog]

0a said:

Why are these cars so targeted, out of interest?

Easy to drive fast I guess, but what’s happening to all of them after they are stolen?

Fast
Easy to drive (4WD and auto)
Practical
(Reasonably) discreet - average Joe will not notice it the way they notice a supercar

Can use to commit other crimes
Can break for parts
Can ship abroad to a place where they don't ask questions

[Acorn1]

Adam-8hsau said:

Really appreciate all the comments! I'm not aware of any thefts around by me - not to say they don't happen though.

Think my minds made up, going to have a shop around to see if anything else scratches the itch but won't be putting too much thought in to the theft aspect.

Cheers all!

Good, let us know what you decide on and pics please.

You can spend your whole life worrying about st that will most likely never happen.

Enjoy.

[J4CKO]

hungry_hog said:

0a said:

Why are these cars so targeted, out of interest?

Easy to drive fast I guess, but what’s happening to all of them after they are stolen?

Fast
Easy to drive (4WD and auto)
Practical
(Reasonably) discreet - average Joe will not notice it the way they notice a supercar

Can use to commit other crimes
Can break for parts
Can ship abroad to a place where they don't ask questions

Anything thats aspired to by scrotes. Audis they didnt really used to bother with as they were too busy with Fords, Vauxhalls and BL stuff, especially the fast ones.

Also the demographics and tastes have shifted in the car crime world in the last 20/30 years.

[Plyphon]

Unfortunately this is what put me off an RS4 after years of lusting after one. I didn't want the anxiety or risk someone putting the back door in to get at the keys.

That, and insurance was over double what I was looking at for a Macan GTS. So I went that route.

[swisstoni]

I would buy something that is interesting to you but doesn’t tick boxes for the scrotes.
As a car enthusiast you will probably have a long list of cars that you are keen on, but that aren’t on their shopping list.

And if that might mean spending a bit more than you intended, then that’s when man maths really helps.

[BunkMoreland]

Plyphon said:

Unfortunately this is what put me off an RS4 after years of lusting after one. I didn't want the anxiety or risk someone putting the back door in to get at the keys.

That, and insurance was over double what I was looking at for a Macan GTS. So I went that route.

Don't blame you. Its extra ironic as they have the exact same engine.