So I got in my car, Mut, to pick up my friend Kate from the airport — she flew in from Phoenix, and is flying to New Zealand on Sunday for a Fullbright Fellowship and had all her stuff with her — and it wouldn’t start.
Yes, someone stole my car engine computer. Again.
I thought I was gonna cry, then just got angry. Maybe this is a sign I should get rid of the car altogether, finally. What am I — in the business of providing LA with free engine computers??
And Honda Civic engine computers don’t come cheap. I got my last replacement used for $468.87; a new one would’ve cost over $1000. This, on top of the broken window and stolen headlight makes me think all signs point to getting rid of this headache altogether.
Of course, getting rid of that headache might bring on new ones –
Things I’m trying to decide now, before street cleaning happens on Wednesday and I have to move my now-immobilized Mut:
* On the days I’m at USC until after dark, can I still take the bus home? I don’t think I’m being paranoid by being afraid; I get one of these emails from USC every few days. Usually, there are weapons involved:
CRIME ALERT 2006-76
The University of Southern California Department of Public Safety is providing this notice of a criminal incident that occurred in our community in order to provide information that may help in avoiding a similar crime or provide information to solve this crime. This notice is also intended to meet the requirements of the “Timely Notice” provisions of the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistic Act of 1998.
ROBBERY
DATE & TIME OF OCCURRENCE: November 28, 2006 at approximately 6:55 PM.
LOCATION: 1100 block of 37TH Place (off campus).REPORTED OFFENSE: The Complainant reported that the Suspect approached him, struck him in the face and demanded property. The suspect took the complainant’s property, and was last seen running east bound on 37th Place and out of view.
SUSPECT DESCRIPTION (provided by complainant) Suspect 1- Male, Black, 18-20 years old, 6 feet tall, 160-180 pounds, wearing a white t-shirt and blue pants.
* If I do decide to sell the car, will I get a better deal by replacing the computer first, then trying to sell it? Or can I just sell it for a lower (but comperable) price sans computer?
Beyond those, of course I’ll have to make some lifestyle adjustments — Scary, but doable…. Any advice, suggestions, opinions are invited — What would you do if you were me?
Kate’s arrived safely at her hotel, via cab. I’m now gonna get on my bike to finally meet up. I might even have a glass of wine, ending my new year’s resolution a couple days early. In my defense, Summer suggested alcohol as an appropriate reaction to this turn of events –
Update, 1/14/07: After calming down, I’ve decide on what next steps I should take ’bout my car situation. Feel free to weigh in –
My advice is to take a look at where you’ll be getting what bus – it may be that a lot of the incidents are not near the bus stop you’d need. If the stop is always well-lit and busy then there’s no real issue. Don’t have much experience in LA yet (moving in Feb) but I’ve been car-free in NYC and Boston (different experiences, of course) and I’ll be doing the same in LA.
Comment by Aaron — January 12, 2007 @ 7:46 pm
If you’re selling the car, a battery will help a lot. People buying used cars want to try driving them. Can’t do that without a battery. You’ll get a lot less without a battery than a used battery would cost.
Comment by don hosek — January 12, 2007 @ 8:30 pm
You paid over $400 for a battery? You know those normally go for under $100, right? Just wanted to make sure that when you go get another one that you do not get ripped off. Good luck
Comment by David — January 12, 2007 @ 8:41 pm
Oops! I meant car engine computer! Sorry — as someone who knows v. little about cars, I get ‘em confused. I’ll correct it on the post –
Comment by Siel — January 12, 2007 @ 9:09 pm
Oh well that makes more sense! Yes, Civic computers get stolen all the time in this city, its bad. All thoes guys with the souped-up Civics need them. I thought you moved to Santa Monica, you still having problems in our neighborhood?
Comment by David — January 12, 2007 @ 9:40 pm
Yes! I thought it would be safer, but really, if you’re parking on the street, your car’s not safe from theft :(
Comment by Siel — January 12, 2007 @ 9:43 pm
I can’t nesc. recommend night commuting by bus from USC. But then I wouldn’t recommend CAR riding from USC to Santa Monica either.
The safety issue is really only part of the problem of going car free — it becomes necessary to arrange one’s life to obviate the need to ride a car as much as by were and how one lives as by what one drives.
At USC I lived on, then near campus when I was there as an undergrad, and if I had a full time gig there would probably do so again. My wife and I both live a little over a mile from where we work — here in Pasadena — and can bike regularly. We can also access all the things we need on foot or bike without leaving Pasadena.
I recognize that this does not help you at all, but it is important, I think, to recognize some of the lifestyle issues that implicate cars.
SO: Maybe you need a not very sexy or popular with the shallowest car-crowd vehicle for the odd time when you NEED a car because of the way your living / work/ school thing is arranged.
I do — every other week I have to grit my teeth, put away my bicycle, and drive a car to take my son to school near where his mother lives. But its a not very cool or theft crazy KIA . . .
But Monday its a bike week!
Comment by Roger, Gone Green — January 12, 2007 @ 11:20 pm
I suppose the street isnt safe..that’s why I pay a fortune for a parking spot in a garage. I dont even know if its worth it, but I feel better knowing that I wont get tickets and my car wont get stolen. In fact, somone got robbed on Montana at 3rd the other day, so I suppose no one is safe!
Comment by David — January 12, 2007 @ 11:44 pm
Hey Roger — I hear ya with the live, work, play in the same area thing — which I do for the most part in Santa Monica (I only have to go on campus 1-2x a week). I did actually try living near USC for a couple years when I started grad school, but the lack of fun things to do around there — which ended up getting me to drive all over the place even to go to an indie cafe — finally forced me west.
Oddly, before I bought my civic, I had NO idea that they were popular for racers and easy targets for theft! One of my friends told me that they were reliable, fuel-efficient, and had a high resale value, which is why I bought it. If I’d known it’d lead to all these probs, I’da gone kia too!
One thing I find interesting (somewhat discouraging?) is that, like you, Roger, all my enviro-conscious still own cars, although they try not to use it much — sort of like what I’ve been doing with the de-car-ing efforts. Anna and Summer both still have their rides; their live in boys have their own cars too, so that’s 4 cars right there already in 2 households of environmentalists. Ferris, Greenopia dude, still owns a car. Barent, green drinks guy, owns a car. Basically, everyone except a couple bloggers over at MetroRiderLA seems to still own a car. I’m not criticizing people for owning cars — I mean, I own one — but I do wonder if, really, NOT owning a car is a viable option when all the self-described car-haters still feel they need to have one handy…. It makes me wonder if I’m crazy for considering this….
Comment by Siel — January 13, 2007 @ 10:24 am
Siel, have you thought about joining Flexcar? You pay a $36 annual membership plus $8/hour for actual use of the car (fuel is included). Flexcar membership also gives you a discount with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. (It takes 7 days for Flexcar to decide whether it will accept you, and it might ask you to go to the DMV to buy an H-6 driving record printout.)
Flexcar’s fleet is Honda Civic Hybrids.
Comment by Wad — January 13, 2007 @ 3:43 pm
Hey Wad — I have thought about it, but I haven’t joined yet cuz even at $8 an hour, it’s actually more expensive than owning a car (except in cases of theft, of course).
Let me explain: I spend about $200 a month on my car, including insurance, oil changes, gas, registration and permit fees, etc.
$200 is about 20 hours worth of Flexcar driving, accounting for membership fees and such. However, the times I need the car are 1) when I’m putting in a long day at school, and 2) when I’m going to visit my mom in Anaheim.
For #1, that means that I drive the car to USC, then park it for 8-10 hours before driving it back to Santa Monica. In the case of #2, I usually spend the night at my mom’s before driving back up to Santa Monica. Basically, both are instances where I drive somewhere, park it for long periods (while still accruing Flexcar hours), then driving it back.
Even if I did 1 and 2 only 1 time each in the course of a month, the Flexcar deal gets more expensive than owning a car. In reality, #1 happens 2-3 times a month — So that would put me in the 30-35 hour ballpark for Flexcar….
Comment by Siel — January 13, 2007 @ 5:31 pm
If you go the Flexcar route, the alternative you can do to minimize accruing hours is to take the bus one way and pick up the car towards the end of your day and then drive it home. That would be about 2-3 hours as opposed to 8.
The other alternative, and much cheaper, is to use Enterprise. The economy cars (Chevrolet Aveos and such) are about $25-$30 a day with 150 miles. Enterprise also rents if you’re under 25, and you can ask for the representative to bring the car to you.
The problem is that you have to take it back where you rented it and fill it up with at least as much gas as you had when you rented the car. Discount coupons for 50% are usually included with L.A. Times’s TV Times.
Comment by Wad — January 14, 2007 @ 5:54 pm
Hey Wad — If only Flexcar had some locations near USC! As it is, I would still have to take the bus up to downtown at like 8-9 pm to get to the Flexcar — in which case I may’s well just go via bus all the way. Which, as you know, I’m reluctant to do due to safety issues.
However, the Enterprise idea is fucking awesome! There’s one 2 blocks from me! From my brief research, it appears that I can rent one in the afternoon and return it the next morning for under $30 — though I’m concerned about whether or not I should get the insurance options (which jack up the prices).
Okay — After I get some answers re: the car issue tomorrow (I was gonna do it today, but I forgot it was King day), I’ll make more decisions –
Comment by Siel — January 15, 2007 @ 9:55 pm
Enterprise has three insurance options, and if you get all three it’s about an extra $12-$15 on your bill. The basic insurance on an economy car would run an extra $6-$8.
Check if your insurance covers you driving rental cars. You’d have to produce the policy, though, to the rental agent.
Comment by Wad — January 16, 2007 @ 1:06 am
As of now, I still have insurance, but I was planning on cancelling it as soon as I sold my car. That’s what one normally does, yes? Or is there some sort of non-car-owner yet occasional driver insurance one should subscribe to?
I’m hoping not. I’ll get the basic insurance on rentals though — That’s important! :)
Comment by Siel — January 16, 2007 @ 9:06 pm
Hey Seil,
I work at Wilshire & Vermont. If you’re ever taking the 720, I often take it right down Wilshire…once or twice even as late as Midnight.
I haven’t encountered anything except the odd (sometimes very odd) person asking for change, or an overly talkative Vetran.
Anyway, I often work late (past dark) and there’s a gym downstairs, so my leaving hours are flexible. You can shoot me an e-mail (I put my work e-mail in rather than the usual bit) if you’re worried about night -riding.
If nothing else, I can offer company.
Comment by Cassandra — January 22, 2007 @ 4:04 pm
That’s so sweet of you, Cassandra! I’ll definitely keep it in mind :) It would be Tues. evenings, mostly, when I teach until 6 pm –
Comment by Siel — January 22, 2007 @ 9:36 pm