Gen 2 Camrys A Target For Car Thieves?

[phenixphyre]

OK, I admit I may be freaking over nothing but I did some research online and noticed that for the last 3 years a '91 Camry was listed as the 3rd most stolen car that year. Has anyone heard of someone's Gen2 getting stolen?

I will admit my car right now doesn't look the best and doesn't run the best. (That will be wall worked on!!) My worry is that after I do all of this work on the body and the engine that the car will be stolen and all of that work will have been a waste of time.

['88 All-Trac]

I haven't locked my All-Trac in a solid 7 months- admittedly, it doesn't have more than 2 wheels attached at the moment. I just lock the doors and call it good when I go into town- what else can you really do?

And then compare how often the 3rd most stolen car in America is actually stolen as compared to the most stolen overall... And then look at how often that car is stolen. There are a lot of Gen 2s on the road; even if they have a higher chance to be stolen, percentage-wise you're pretty safe.

We have a '91 that lived with us out in a bad part of SoCal for years and years- it was never stolen nor were the tires even slashed. I'd rather be driving a Gen 2 than, say, a 2001 Corolla. Those things just disappear.

[phenixphyre]

Ok now I feel better. I agree with you I would rather have an older car because I feel that thieves would rather steal a newer car than a car that is 21 years old!

So do you still have your 2 Camry's? and if not why do you get rid of them? Just trying to get an idea of how long I can get my car to last.

['88 All-Trac]

Hell yes I still have them! My goal is to see the '91 read 123456 on the odo, which means rolling it over... So I'll have to stock up on engines and transmissions when I've got money.

I wouldn't sell the All-Trac for anything. Love it, even if it is still in the middle of some pretty annoying overhauling. That thing is a blast to drive.

You can pull 350k easy out of a Gen 2 if you're easy on it. I don't recommend replacing the engine with a JDM unit, though... Ours only has 20k on it from the time we bought it, bringing it up to supposedly ~80k, and it's already knocking. If it's true that they have to R&R engines at 60k miles, I'd imagine they don't treat them quite the same as we do.

[joeykrim]

Originally Posted by phenixphyre

OK, I admit I may be freaking over nothing but I did some research online and noticed that for the last 3 years a '91 Camry was listed as the 3rd most stolen car that year. Has anyone heard of someone's Gen2 getting stolen?

I will admit my car right now doesn't look the best and doesn't run the best. (That will be wall worked on!!) My worry is that after I do all of this work on the body and the engine that the car will be stolen and all of that work will have been a waste of time.

we own two 2 gen camry's, an 89 and a 90. the keys from the 89 will easily work in the 90 to open the driver side door and start the ignition.

i think this is the result of both a worn down key and worn down locks. i know ive read the locks on this build of the camry won't amazing to start with.

there isn't much to be done to prevent this, other than physically replacing the lock. otherwise, the best you can do with a car alarm would be to make some noise while the car is being stolen.

only incident i've had was parking my 90 camry in brooklyn for 1 night outside a car repair shop. next day, the trunk lock was smashed and dented. have since had the lock removed (shaved) and trunk repainted .. one less lock to worry about!

hope that helps!

[phenixphyre]

Joey that definitely does help. I don't think I live in as bad of a place as Brooklyn.

[Doctor J]

Most of the cars are stolen when they about 12 years old or rare models over 30.
My 79 Supra was stolen in 2001 and was later recovered within short distance without damages; the thieves most likely were looking for 20R motor for truck and confused 6 cyl Supra with Celica.
I would recommend to put some extra switch for ignition or fuel pump wiring which will prevent car from starting.

[phenixphyre]

That is a great idea DoctorJ!! I will have to do that. Beats paying $100+ for a alarm system. Any ideas on how to set up an electrical switch that will make the car not start??

[Doctor J]

For best results use 15A rated switch; you can splice it into the fuel pump feed wire and hide it in the trunk for example (but not close to speakers or jack storage).
this will look natural if you opening trunk frequently.
other places can be under carpet with "access cut" or even under hood.
The key point is not to disable a starter cranking function; the car that cranks but fails to start ALWAYS catching attention!

[Sturdavj]

How far/long will a Camry run w/pump shut off ?

[yamahaSHO]

When I owned my '89 Camry from 1998 to 2002, I remembered it being one of the top stolen cars then. I personally never worried about it.

Originally Posted by Sturdavj

How far/long will a Camry run w/pump shut off ?

Depending on fuel pump/FPR condition, if the car has been sitting for a little bit, the fuel pressure will bleed off and one would be lucky to get it to even get it to fire for a second. If they happen to try it shortly after you turned of the car and disarmed FP power, they may get it running for a few seconds.

['88 All-Trac]

I personally run my kill switches in the cabin- and will sometimes run multiple switches for redundancy. The plan for the Geo is to make the key really unnecessary and wire it up to fire with a series of switches flipped and a big ol' push-button start system.

For a fuel pump cutoff, I usually mount the switch not quite inside the dashboard, but on the right kick panel of the driver's side footwell above the bottom line of the dash. It makes them damn near impossible to find and easy to reach- much less conspicuous than opening the trunk every time you drive the vehicle.

[Doctor J]

I am carrying my walking cain in the trunk so it is natural for me to open it

['88 All-Trac]

See, then that makes perfect sense.

For me it'd be along the lines of... Open trunk -> Rummage around (don't remove or add anything) -> Close trunk -> Go to store -> reverse procedure -> Drive away

[atobe]

If you don't want to spend any $ just pop the hood and remove the EFI relay everytime you leave the car. and put it back it once you get back to the car