To get a car alarm or not?

[Rockenreno]

To some this may be a no-brainer, but I have been thinking about getting a car alarm for my 1996 240sx. I'm a poor college student so I don't want to spend a buttload on a car alarm that won't really help me, but I also don't want to get my stuff stolen. For added peace of mind, I think I am going to add comprehensive coverage to my insurance ($250/yr), but since at my new apartment I may have to park on the street a good deal, I am thinking of adding an alarm as well. I just don't want to buy an alarm that won't help or that just is an annoyance by going off all the time when nothing is wrong. If I do get an alarm I may upgrade to power door locks with it for convenience, but including install (I seriously doubt I would install this myself, its too intimidating right now) I wouldn't want to spend over $300 for sure. Preferably closer to $250.Anyway, does it sound like an alarm would be a good investment for me? I do have a new CD player that cost me about $200, but is a $200+ alarm the right way to protect it and the rest of my car? I'd just like to hear some more opinions on this seeing as my friends have told me to get one, but my dad tells me not to waste my money.

Thanks in advance for any advice or recommendations you may have!:D

[skswapman]

Well... When I had like $1200 worth of stereo equipment in my 89 hatch i bought one. There also is a huge variation in alarm prices-- from $100 installed to $350 installed. If youre paranoid about the CD player getting stolen it may be a good idea, but if you've got a detachable face on it you shouldn't bother... it comes down to if you give people a reason to break in they just might.

[stillmatic]

I say go for it. It's well worth it for security, convenience, and cool factor. I recently bought an lcd pager car alarm on eBay for only $85!! It's pretty good for the price and is comparible to a clifford or viper alarm featurewise. I then had it installed with keyless entry for $120. Only problem is the bastard wouldn't connect the remote start feature because my car is a stick. I even offered him $50 (and promised to keep my mouth shut) on top of the $120 installation fee but he wouldn't budge. He said the court told him not to do it to a manual transmission anymore. Oh, well... I tried.

Anyhow, here's the link to the one I bought on eBay. The seller doesn't sell them anymore but you can easily find one with the same features for cheap. It probably won't come with a pager, though.

Here are the key features that you need to look for in a car alarm:

Starter killDual shock sensorKeyless entryAnti code scanning mechanism

You need to buy your own power door actuators as well if your car doesn't have power door locks. Normally, your local car alarm shop would charge you $25 a pop but you can get them on eBay for 2 for $4.

Finally, once you have all the parts needed then it's time to look for someone who would install it for cheap. Go to citysearch.com, select your city then search for car alarm. Once you get the results, call each one of them for a quote until you find one that satisfies your budget.

[[Zero-S]]

Proximity sensor is a plus too:D

[creophus]

Get an alarm man. It's worth the money. Don't go too cheap and don't go too expensive.

[GEO]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...48611

[creophus]

Looks link your link doesn't work. Are you sure that EBay Id is still good?

[fiznat]

My s13 had an viper alarm in it when I bought it, and I hardly ever used it for the first month I had the car, except maybe to make it chirp in a parking lot or something or to impress the girlies-- all that was cool until one night I looked out my window at 3am to see some punk a$$ kids just digging through my car - right there in the driveway!!

I never really thought any of that stuff was necessary, but after that night I lock my car EVERY TIME. It's just peace of mind knowing that if someone fu*ks with your car at least you'll know about it and can hopefully stop it. Things are a little different in big cities I guess, but it's really nice to have in a small town like mine where punk kids like to think they're bada$$ sometimes.

[Camel]

i couldn't deal without keyless entry or trunk pop anymore...... Definately worth it.

[SCOTTDW]

I would never park on the street or in an apartment environment without an alarm. And it should be installed by a pro which means the brain is hidden.Consider a back-up battery and a hood lock. Starter kill is also a must, although if the brain is not hidden properly a crook will defeat the system and steal the car. The best system will use wireless technology and is very hard to defeat but quite expensive. .

Scott99I30T..

[Former_240_s14]

Well remember this, if someone wants the stuff in your car that badly it dosen't matter what you have protecting it, its gone. But on a side note there is a chance it would help lower your insurance premieum. I think a $150 rattler would do good enough trick, but you might as well get one with automatic door lock openers and what not. Just my .02c.

Rubin

[Rockenreno]

Well remember this, if someone wants the stuff in your car that badly it dosen't matter what you have protecting it, its gone. But on a side note there is a chance it would help lower your insurance premieum. I think a $150 rattler would do good enough trick, but you might as well get one with automatic door lock openers and what not. Just my .02c.

Rubin

I completely agree that people will take it if they want it badly enough. My goal would be to discourage it I suppose. My friend just got an alarm in his 240 for $300 with power door locks installed as well. It also comes with some $2500 guarantee that nothing will be stolen, which would be nice to have. But that's another $300 to spend. Is it worth it? I don't know..

[Former_240_s14]

Well it depends on who you ask, as long as that 300 bucks dosen't break the bank for you I would think its a good investment if that alarm comes with insurance like that, IF it was valid.

[Rockenreno]

it's a Viper alarm too, so I figure it must be halfway decent. It wouldn't break the bank for me, but $300 is still $300. That could be a new clutch or something. Then again, alarm gives peace of mind as well...*sigh* I'll probably just do it so I don't have to worry about it any more.

[Camel]

Alpine is the only one for me, and i did this professionally for 6 years before i got into IT.

[bazan]

How are the Alpine alarms? My friend was looking for one for his GMC Yukon. Out local ALpine dealer told us that Alpine's had major problems. He ended up with a Viper in the Yukon, but I'm still not sure about the Alpine. I put an alarm in my old car, it wasn't that bad really.

[Camel]

Vipers have a higher profit margin. Thus they will probably try to sell you one. Alpines have a lower profit margin because the demand is high and the product is great. I have had an 8027sec in my car for 7 years, then moved it to my new 240 a month ago. Not a single problem ever. Even had locks/remote start/trunk pop on it. I have to tell you though, if a ****ty installer puts it in, you WILL have problems. Go to a reputable company that does custom level audio work and they usually have a top notch alarm installer working there also. Just ask them who is the best at their shop. There is usually one guy that is pointed out by everyone in the bay. Expect to pay 100 bucks for a standard install. This should include attaching it to the factory locks, hood and trunk pins, and all the standard features. Good luck.

BTW- I worked for HiFi Buys in Atlanta (Jimmy Carter, Gwinnett, and Alpharetta stores) for 6 years. I mostly did custom work (fabrication, cabinetry, plex, show quality stuff for them. If some of you guys are still in high school or just got out of high school, you may have seen one of the 6 humvees that i did for the Marine Corps as recruiting vehicles.

[Camel]

A base model Alpine should cost you 120-200 for the alarm and 100 bucks for installation. Make them break out the prices and check the alarm cost on a whosalers website to see the profit margins. Alarms cost next to nothing to make. It's all about reputation.

[bazan]

I went to my local audio store, Autosound and asked them a while back. They won't even put Alpine's in anymore because they said they had too many problems with them. I've always wondered about them though. They have pictures of cars they've custom done in the past, none of their current ones match the craftsmanship i saw in the old ones.

I was planning on installing it myself. Like i said, i put a cheap one in my old accord and i know a good deal about the wiring in this car. Plus I've got the FSM to help me out. I usually have a hard time letting others put stuff in my car without me helping/watching. Not because I don't trust them, just I like knowing what the hell is going on with my car.

What kinds of wholesale websites are you talking about, eBay doesn't have much that i've seen lately. Thanks for the help i appreciate it.

[TachyonS14]

Well, In my case I had an alarm installed ASAP when I first bought my car. With all the mag's, our cars get a lot of attension, some un-wanted. If you think about it, alarms don't do much really... I know everyone hears them going off in a parking lot and doesn't think anything of it other than some person set it off by mistake. But the reason i got one was for the kill switch and it was to make me feel better at night. The one I got came with keyless entry, lights up my whole interior at night when I'm getting in the car, has a kill switch, and shocks sensors. I bought it and had it installed for a total of $115 bucks. It was worth it to me because the garage at my house is full, so i have to park my car outside and I think at home is when your car is in the most trouble.

Think about it, when you park your car at the store or something it is not very likely to get stolen because who brings tools to the store? But, when you park your car all alone out in the dark people driving by can scout out your car and prepare for a fast breakin in advance. I only hope my kill switch will stop little punks from taking my car, but the truth is like someone said above is that if they want it, they are gonna get it. The more deterrents you put in your car, the more likely your car will get *****ed up in the process.

[Rockenreno]

I ended up getting the alarm installed... now I have power door locks and peace of mind, so I guess its worth it. I am still taking off my faceplate though

[TachyonS14]

Even though I have my alarm, I also take my face plate off EVERYWHERE I go and I also try to take it with me if I can. For instance, when I was driving my truck I would take off my faceplate and put it in the case and then under my seat. One night, someone broke into my truck and stole my custom box out of the back and picked up my face plate, but left it. I was lucky, they only took the 2 speakers in the box and just broke my window, while my other speakers and everything else was in-tact. Now that I've transplanted my trucks headunit into my 240, everynight I take my faceplate in doors to be extra safe.

[MrFox]

Can I ask which alarm you got and info on installation? How much you spent? I'm looking at doing the same thing (alarm + remote lock).

Thanks!

[Camel]

I park my car in my garage at night so the faceplate thing isn't necessary. At work I leave it on because our parking lot is very busy on campus and we have mobile guards that patrol every half hour or so. Other than that, I really don't go anywhere because I have a wife and two kids that keep me busy. Last time we went out, I used the valet service at the restaurant we went to downtown. I typically don't worry about the FP anymore since the alarm though. One good thing to remeber is not to leave any visible signs of value in the vehicle. (No change/smokes/purses/cds/sunglasses/etc...)

[Rockenreno]

Can I ask which alarm you got and info on installation? How much you spent? I'm looking at doing the same thing (alarm + remote lock).

Thanks!

It was $300 total for alarm, door locks, and installation. I didn't exactly get a great deal since it was a low end Viper alarm, but it works. Door locks were $80 installed and alarm was $200 installed (for a $120 alarm). The guy offered me the pager system for $430, which would have been a much better deal since the alarm itself is around $350, but I didn't want to fork over another $130.