Security issues...please help!!

Ive been lurking on this site for quite some time now and Im sorry that my introduction post has to begin this way. First off Ive got an 01 Tacoma extended cab prerunner that I bought privately from a gentleman here in Dallas. Lookswise, the truck really stands out from other tacomas and performance wise, all I can say is it will run I could tell the gentleman I brought it from was a racer and I was told this tacoma actually has custom engine work done to it by his uncle who is a toyota mechanic. When you crank it up, you can tell that its had some extra work done to it thats much more than just a loud exhaust. I absolutely love this truck but my job has moved me into working into a not so good section of town and I have no choice but to leave my truck parked in a horrible spot. Today, I was informed by a co-worker that someone was taking pictures of my truck from various angles as well as underneath and also informed that usually when this happens, the vehicle usually ends up stolen. Supposedly they take the pics to see how much they can get for it from a chop shop As of right now, the truck has an alarm on it but I know thats not going to do much when it comes to actually preventing them from taking the truck. From what I understand, the truck has been in many car shows so Im sure some probably know what kind of money is wrapped up into it. Is there anything I can do because all I can think about is going outside one day and seeing it gone. The only other option Ive got is a 1991 mustang with a 347 but its more of a playtoy than an everyday driver (no ac and not to mention my paychecks would literally not cover the amount of gas it drinks with this far of a drive) Any solutions out there? Ive read about killswitches but Im scared to do it myself because I dont want to go out one day and try to start my truck and it wont start. I really hate to do it but if push comes to shove, I would actually rather put it up for sale. Its a really nice sleeper truck that some probably would call riced out with the carbon fiber hood but it will easily outrun more than you think it would

 

First off welcome to TW!

I would recommend having a professional install a quality alarm with a remote paging system, this way if any of your zones are triggered, you will be notified. It also wouldn't hurt installing a fuel shut off switch and hiding it in a secure location that is hard to find, yet easy enough to trip on a regular basis.

Other than being cautious and parking where it would be hard to pull the truck up on a wrecker, be vigilant and just keep an eye out.

Personally, I believe a good side arm is a pretty fair deterrent once someone trips the alarm and is scrambling around to hot wire you truck... You do live in Texas after all, and your pick-up truck falls under the castle doctrine.

 

Honestly, you NEED to put a kill switch on your truck. Go to a respectable audio shop or best buy and buy the premium Viper alarm system. Get the one that sends the signal a mile away, if your trucks been touched.

And I know what you mean by you have to park in bad spots. I park in the third ward everyday for school. One in three inmates in Texas are from the third ward...

 

yall are fast thanks for the welcome, as stated earlier ive been a long time fan to the site but never joined because Im not too knowledgeable about Toyotas. Luckily, this one came with all the goodies I have actually thought about taking my pistol with me in a concealed place and now that you mention it, I no doubt am after seeing the random groups of people always walking by. Since each of you recommended it, I also am going to ask around and find someone to install a killswitch in there. Ive never done anything like that and though I have an idea where to start, I dont want to make a mess of things. I know Im probably overreacting but Im also about to go check on upgrading the alarm system as we speak. As of right now, all it is is just a conventional noisemaker, no notifications to me about anything Luckily I should be working in this area no more than 3-6 months top but Id rather be safe than sorry because I know I wont find another truck I like as much as this one

 

Just as an update, I told a buddy about the situation and he said he'd prolly be up here this weekend and if he is, he'll see what he can do as far as a kill switch goes Also went to check on the alarm deal and I like the numbers I saw as far as pricing goes but they were backed up. The earliest that would work with my schedule would be friday afternoon so hopefully after this weekend, I wont have to worry about it as much. The only downside is I have to make it till friday so its going to be a long week :knocks on wood:

 

Welcome to TW. I hope you get the truck better secured. I don't think you're over reacting at all. I'd flip if I caught some stranger taking pictures of my vehicle.

 

Thanks, Im going to do that! I wanted something to do before friday because alot could happen between tomorrow and then.

Thanks for the welcome! and yeah i found it odd myself. Ive taken pics of vehicles I thought looked nice but I didnt take pics from several angles and underneath

 

lo jack... .. buy a german shepherd and some pitbulls and leave them in your car. but you might need to leave some newspaper in there also for the dogs. but yeh.. lo jack maybe. or you can add metal bars underneath the door handles that have a electric current running to them from the battery when you arm the car so when the dude opens the door he gets zapped.

 

awwwwww embedding disabled :[

 

nvm saw that.. hahahah thats legit. where can i get a trunk monkey?

 

Welcome to tw. let's see the truck

 

lol and thanks for the welcome. The only pics I have on my computer right now are cell phone pix of it dirty so id rather wait and get it cleaned up first I'll definitely have better pix of it this weekend and Im going to try my best to get a video tho idk how well its going to capture the sound of it (the only video recording device I own is a digital camera aside from the cell phone and it doesnt handle videos that well lol) I planned to eventually make a formal introduction then this happened so I joined at the spare of a moment