People will steal anything!

My daughter had a beater car that she slid sideways into a pole with when she hydroplaned during a rainstorm in the fall. Her dad welded aluminum siding over the now-useless rear passenger door (as if she wasn't humiliated enough by the car itself).

Last month, that ugly heap of metal was parked out in front of a friend's house overnight and somebody stole it and wrecked it.

Is stealing and act of meaness or of desperation? I think people turn to a life of crime out of desperation because they see no other way out for themselves. The lesson for the rest of us is not to leave valuables in our cars ... period .. and to always lock our cars, garage doors and doors and windows to our homes. Sounds bad, but that's the way of the world, no matter if you live in Minneapolis or in Savage. What's more, many of today's youth are not stealing out of desperation, they are bored and want a thrill. And no matter what kind of car you have, someone will want to steal it if your car is in the right place at the wrong time. All we can do is live and learn the hard lessons that come from these trials and tribulations.

Many cell phones are offering GPS technology. Perhaps that's a way to avoid having something sitting in your car that people would want to steal?

Well, Keighla, I'm feeling your pain tonight.
Someone smashed my window and stole my two back speakers while my car was parked for one hour at the dog park by Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis.
One hour, broad daylight - between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Very highly trafficked area, with cars parked all around me on the street right next to the park. Someone had to have seen the person/people smash the window and dismantle and steal the speakers!
I always lock my doors, and I do not leave valuables in my car. I'm not sure what else I could have done to prevent this other than to cover up my speakers with a blanket or something!
They didn't even steal the car stereo!
Those were nice speakers, too...they probably saw the Infinity label on them and went for it. Unfortunately, I didn't write down the serial number, so they probably can't be tracked at a pawn shop.
So now my car has a lovely plastic sheet covering the window, too! At least the insurance will cover the glass.

Oh, and I realized this morning they also stole my gym bag. My gym bag!

Lori, they probably took the bag because the needed something to carry the speakers in -- duh! they didn't want to look like thieves so they passed themselves off as health fanatics ;-)

Currently, I have two boxes of books, a box with jumper cables, fix-a-flat, etc. and various cold-weather gear strewn about my back seat. I think I'll clean my car out when I get home tonight to avoid broken glass.

I didn't have time to clean out my car last night but, apparently, the risk of a break-in was on my mind because I had a dream (nightmare?) about it and the big bad thieves took everything out of my back seat -- including the two gallons of water I have in jugs for the dogs.

The only thing was that, in my dream, it was my old car that got broken into (and I kept all my junk -- I mean important stuff -- in the trunk) in that car. The car I'm currently driving is a station wagon and I don't have the luxury of a trunk to hide things in so I have no choice but to leave everything out in the open or -- horror! -- take it in the house.

Well, luckily, the weather is warmer and those jugs of water aren't going to turn into blocks of head-splitting ice again for awhile. But I got the message loud and clear -- tonight, I swear, the car gets cleaned out!

Fun stuff is OK - as long as it's cheap and light, that way no one will want to steal it and it won't fly around the car :)

Serious? I had mine replaced and I've been really careful with it. I'm going to get a lock box for it in my house now. No one can be trusted.

Here's how observant I am: We go to that dog park several times a week, and I've probably read those signs, but it didn't even register with me until you mentioned them!
Next time I might have to put a giant sign on my car that says "Speakers...gone. Gym bag...gone. Not much left to steal."