So coming to the collective knowledge...
We have a 2014 Auris Hybrid. Competent, if not too exciting.
Second vehicle is a 2011 Brazilian-built VW T2 camper.
Myself, wife, son (12) and M-i-L living in (she has her own car).
Last night, scrotes had it away with the cat from the Auris. Bit of an epidemic, apparently.
We have made the decision to move it on. We could invest in a cat lock, but now they know it's here, it could be targetted, and I don't trust that we would not lose it again.
So what to replace with?
Option 1: Mk3 MX5. Wife loves these, and it would be fun. She could also possibly take it on a track day.
Option 2: Bangernomics. Been there before with an old Volvo. Cheap, and can be interesting.
Option 3: EV on a lease (probably Hyundai Ioniq). I work for the NHS, so can get a good deal on this.
VW can take on more duties, if necessary.
Thoughts welcome!
I would say having 2 weekend vehicles ( T2 and MX5) would be a stretch for a family, I say that as a T2 owner myself, good fun but if you are relying on that when 3 of you want to go anywhere together would get tiring quickly.
I like the bangernomics idea, you can get great cars for not much money these days, maybe something like a old A4 convertible for open top family driving.
Cheers..
Jase
Surely whatever you replace the Auris with will also have a cat and therefore be just as vulnerable? I don’t really get the logic. As a family we have a VW Tiguan, my son has an Up and we also have a VW golf cabriolet (the last version they did, Mk 6) - I fancied an MX5 but I’m too tall, as is my eldest. Anyhow, the Golf has proved surprisingly useful, plenty of room for 3, incredibly frugal and nice on a sunny day. I highly recommend and there are lots of cheap ones around.
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Of that list I’d go with the Ioniq or other EV. The MG5 would also be a good choice; it’s an estate car, EV (so no cat), has a decent range and room for all the family.
Cat thefts are VERY common. To be fair though, if you replace it with a cheaper, aftermarket cat, it’s unlikely it’ll go missing again. I feel for you, I’ve had around 30 customers targeted in the last couple of years.
Originally Posted by Dave O'Sullivan
Is that purely from a statistical pov or is there something that tells the scrotes that the cheap CAT is (relatively) worthless?
I read somewhere that it was ridiculously easy to steal cats from early hybrids, and that manufacturers have since made it harder?
You can tell by looking if it’s gen or not (usually). Not suggesting it’s a sure fire way to never have it stolen but better to be hung for a sheep than a lamb and all that.
Hybrids are top targets for cat thefts too.
Hybrids are best for cat theifs as the cats see much less use so there is more usable platinum in there. If the Hybrid was replaced with a petrol car this would reduce the cat theft risk.
I'd go with the EV!
Thanks for that explanation, I had no idea - and I imagine they’re not cheap to replace either
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I've just ordered my dad an XC40 Hybrid so I'm concerned to hear this. It'll be garaged most of the time but are there any practical tips to reduce the likelihood of theft? Can we rig an electric fence up around he cat or something???
Flamethrowers under the sills, that's what you need.
There's a YT video somewhere.....
The Pruis/ Auris drivetrain is particularly vulnerable due to design, but any high vehicle will also be at risk as it will be easier to get under.
You can buy devices that make it physically harder to get to the cat (cat locks), which can be effective to deter the more casual thief.
The Honda Jazz is the favoured car where I am. So much so that I have a quote printed and stuck to the wall for when someone phones!
The reason the cats are stolen from these cars is because they're very easy to remove quickly. My friend developed and owns CatLoc and by design it would seriously slow anyone down with a battery cutter/grinder to the point where they'd most likely be discouraged from trying to steal the cat from your car.
I can attest to that - the cat on my Landcruiser was stolen late 2019 by some scrotes that brazenly stole the cats off 6 cars parked in a 4x4 workshop's yard.
All caught on CCTV, took all of 30 seconds for each one!
Now replaced with a full stainless system including new cat and some added bracketry and bars/shields to hinder any further attempts.
Am I alone in thinking manufacturers bear part of the responsibility for not taking measures to make this kind of thing more difficult? I remember I had a Peugeot where the spare wheel was hung in a frame under the back of the car and someone stole it whilst I was at the cinema. I bought a locking kit afterwards but it was frankly a stupid design and now I think of it the last time I bought a french car!
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I’d go down the well kept high mile “banger route”
A5 3.0 tdi as a classic example of fun throttle snd little to spend even if it goes wrong
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My work place had Peugeots with that design, if you ever had to change a wheel you got covered in filth!
My work place had Peugeots with that design, if you ever had to change a wheel you got covered in filth from the exposed spare!
How scummy was your neighbourhood if people got down to stealing spare wheels?
It was an ideal place: not only didn't it take any space from the boot, it was accessible even if your boot was full, you used the crank to unhook the tray from the inside, so no chance of it dropping even on an English pothole ridden B-road, and the wheel was ready to slide down with no carrying; likewise, no carrying to put the damage tyre back, just a shove. Yes it was dirty, but changing a wheel is usually not a clean job anyway.
Another alternative was under the bonnet (like on some Citroens) but it was also dirty, and the wheel got hot, and you had to remove it to access the engine.
Nowadays many cars do not even have a spare wheel and rely on expensive, uncomfortable RFT that offer limited choice, or a space-saver which greatly limits the capabilities of the car and is frankly only good enough to go to the next garage. And you have to empty your boot to access it, and hope it's not so full you can't put your normal wheel back in.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
It was Wimbledon Village so not what you’d associate with scummy tbh!
I think mine was prior to any wind-down mechanism, it was literally a clip and a 5 year old could undo it. Ymmv but it was a stupid design ‘in the real world’ - when I visited Peugeot they said they’d had dozens of incidents and had a locking mechanism I could purchase.
As an aside a friend had a new Discovery a couple of years ago and someone got under the back of his car, snipped the wire holding the spare in its harness and stole that in the same fashion. Cost him over £1k to sort. I recently bought my son a VW Up and there’s a full size spare under the floor of the boot - if you can do that on a tiny little car like that there’s no excuse!
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I'd heard of cats (on modern cars) and radios being stolen, or in really dodgy neighbourhoods the car put on cinderblocks (and the boot broken into to get the low hanging fruit that is the 5th wheel) but never of spare wheels, even more so when they were just steel and not pricey alloys. Under the floor of the boot is fine and a much cleaner solution... until Sod's law comes in and you need to access your spare when the boot is full to the gunnels. So you empty the boot on the side of the road (possibly under a downpour); then of course you will need to *carry* your dirty punctured wheel into that nice clean space, and then reload the boot.
By that time I suggest you would call it a design flaw as well.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
In 30 years of driving I’ve never had to change a wheel (touch wood) - but I have had that wheel nicked which is why it stands out to me. My friends wheel he had stolen from his Discovery was a full size spare alloy hence the cost.
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If they want it they will take it...broad daylight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUlikgzaDOE
I love the idea that a 'posh neighborhood' is a defense against theft. The mistaken idea that 'wrong 'uns' have no mobility is naive at best.
Anyway of the choices the OP gives my initial reaction is 'get the EV' however this has to be tempered by their usage but if it fits then it's the best idea.
Bangernomics can be fun in the same way that base jumping with a parachute packed by a stranger is 'fun'.
MX-5 is good but severely down on practicality.
If you want a practical convertible get an e-class - i think there was one up for sale in SC that looked very good.
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