Miata = cop and thief magnet?

[Prodigy]

Background:
Having owned a boosted red protege for the past 7 years I've never had any cops follow me + run my tags without reason.
I also haven't had any attempted break ins. (although I did have my wheels stolen when I first got the car, luckily that was the only mod I had at the time)
The protege appeared to be stock on the outside (but lowered 3") and it was f'ing loud.
It got a lot of attention when it was moving... but not from cops.

http://i30.tinypic.com/2vd34p1.jpg
It's hard to believe that there's about $15k sunk into this car.

Recently:
I just got my '90 red miata running and in 2 weeks time I've had 4 cops chase me down and follow me until they had a chance to run my tags.
(though I was never pulled over. I didn't do anything!)
During this time, I was driving the same speed as surrounding vehicles, not speeding, 100% stock exterior, stock exhaust, etc.
I can only assume that the police relate this small, pitifully slow, old, red, 2-seater to a Ferrari 430 Scuderia.

http://i32.tinypic.com/2vceqv6.jpg
looks fast? (didn't think so)

I was wondering.. if anyone else has had a similar experience?

I just wonder what's going to happen once I lower the car 2" with a GV front lip, roll bar, 6' cb antenna, and TRACKIT license plate.
They'll probably call in the helicopters to chase this 1.6L naturally aspirated 75hp beast. :rolleyes:


Week 2:
When I purchased the car, it didn't have a stereo in it.
Twice, I've come back to my car to see that the driver's door had been left cracked open (brand new soft top = unlocked doors).
There isn't a radio and the interior looks like crap.
I have no idea why anyone would even bother checking inside this car but it's obvious that someone has tried to steal something....or the car.
The only thing stored in the car at night is my insurance card and registration receipt.


To solve this, I just ordered a Viper 5901 alarm w/ remote start and a few extra goodies (dual zone proximity sensor, tilt sensor, and a backup battery).
(Just spent 1/2 the price of the car on the damn alarm! lmao)
I'm planning on mounting 2 sirens up under the dash as a pain generator to the would be thieves since it will only be a nuisance to my neighbors if I mount it on the exterior. The key fob has a 1 mile range so I'll be within sight of the car within seconds.
Hopefully no one will bother the car once I have the alarm in.

I'll probably leave my Valentine one and alpine headunit in the car one night as bait.
I think the viper alarm + a few bored Marines + a digital camera will make one hell of a story if anything happens.

Has anyone else had people break in their car when there's nothing to steal?
I just read about the girl who had her blue NA miata stolen from SPSU, I'd hate to have the same happen to me (@ the same school).

[CupCate18]

I had mine broken into at my house a month or two after I bought it. Before it even had tags (it was legal, had DMV papers etc for custom tag)! They took cash, left the bank cards, etc., and broke my glove box latch. I couldn't get in the glovebox without making a call to some friends with a body shop. I considered getting a viper alarm as well, but funds kinda had other plans. I'm at SPSU on occasion and have yet to have anyone mess with it there. Then again, I stay for short amounts of time, parked in close. Oh, and I know a cop or two there. ;)

[Sawyer]

Surprisingly, my loud and bright orange car really doesn't attract much attention at all from cops. Maybe because I'm a girl so they think that I just bought the car because it's pretty and don't really know how to drive it? I don't know.
I've never had anyone try and break in before. No alarm but I always lock my doors.

[4sevens.com]

Surprisingly, my loud and bright orange car really doesn't attract much attention at all from cops. Maybe because I'm a girl so they think that I just bought the car because it's pretty and don't really know how to drive it? I don't know.
I've never had anyone try and break in before. No alarm but I always lock my doors.I really love that orange! One day I'll have to pick one up!

[Bernie]

I think NAs and red especially draw way more attention than owners really think is necessary.

When I had my NA and lived in apartments I would have troubles with people snatching CDs, etc. They even slashed my original top one night to find the door unlocked and then stole my 7 yr old stereo. I laughed all the way to RSpeed where my insurance paid for a nice new glass window top and updated Pioneer system to be installed.

Never really had any trouble with the Po-leece that I didn't deserve, but my NA was white...

[nolift]

I have had two speeding tickets in my entire life, both were in a Miata. Although I did get pulled over in my old POS Prelude but he let me off with a verbal warning. :D

[darknessprevails]

knock on wood i never had anyproblem really. cops dont care much and i am usely driveing around with an srt-4 or a supra..
break in wise i lock my door and all never had a problem even with the radar dec.

[luckyxiii]

I used to get pulled over at least twice a month in my BRG miata for various reasons all for various BS reasons. My personal favorite being the famous "tag light being out" excuse.

[Doppelgänger]

I get bothered for my tag...and the noises my car makes between shifts. If it weren't for those, I don't think the cops would ever bother looking at me.

[MeFryRice]

I've never been bothered by my tag. I have received a few compliments from Sheriffs about it though. :)

[RotorNutFD3S]

Never bothered locally, I went to school with most of them. Cobb County accused me of street racing a Corvette that passed me at a high rate of speed while I was accelerating from a light that just turned green. That was not a fun night. Other than that, no problems really. I've even had a few that have asked me how it would hold up against their cruisers. :lol:

As far as theives go, I consider myself very lucky to never have experienced that. But where I live, it's not a common occurance. The car is usually parked at home, or at work which is a well-guarded FTZ, so no worries. I try not to ever drive it somewhere that I'll question where it's parked.

[metalman]

I used to get pulled over at least twice a month in my BRG miata for various reasons all for various BS reasons. My personal favorite being the famous "tag light being out" excuse.

The reason that excuse is used is because it often works.
Such stops often net anything from DUIs to drugs, or wanted felons etc.
Its more about 'profiling' which is an effective tool from law enforcement prospective.

Here's an example: In a quiet area of Dacula a parked police car observes a beat up ****ty looking Miata passing by a 3 am. Obviously this kind of car cruising through this area at this hour might be worth a look. So, cop proceeds to pull over the car (using light excuse) which has two 'dumb ***' occupants, both under 21. Turns out the driver has a suspended license and the passenger has had a few drinks. Four tickets are written, one for driving on suspended license ($700), one for illegal use of a license ($150), one for tail light ($50) and another to the occupant for possession of alcohol by person under 21 ($???)
The driver went to jail.

All in all a very effective stop. I admit, if I was a cop I would do these kind of stops too.
If I am sitting in a quiet area during the night and a tinted window 80's Oldsmobile with one wheel cover missing rolls by I am pulling that sucker over too etc etc.

[Bernie]

Only time I got pulled for a tag light out, the light was actually out... Both of them... wires burned slap through. Ford craftsmanship for ya. However I'm pretty sure the cops didn't need to pull their pistols as they were approaching the car :dunno:

But in their defense, I was pretty shady looking... White dude driving a white Mustang coupe with tinted windows leaving a hospital... Who knows what sort of shenanigans I was up to that night??

[Otto]

cops never bother or follow me, due to a registration error i actually drove the miata without a valid tag for over 7 months without hassle.

as far as theft, i keep anything valuable out of sight and leave no clues that there is anything other than the factory radio in it. thieves will usually look for targets of opportunity, so by leaving the door unlocked you invite the easy thefts. a motivated thief of course wont care if you have an alarm or locked doors, they are getting in anyway so just make it look like there isnt anything worth taking and they will probably go for another car that has something worth stealing in plain sight

[oldgrayfrog]

As long as I have owned convertibles, over 20 years, I have left the doors unlocked. So far no cut tops. I never install any stereo even a $100 piece of Kraco crap, other than Factory. If you do, somebody will take it. Every couple of weeks invite a friend to check out all your lights and signals, then do the same for them. It doesn't just cut down on unwanted cop stops, it's also safer.
While you are still young and out at 3 am, you will be stopped more often and will have your stuff stolen, because you will be in questionable places at odd hours. You are young, and it is the price that you must pay for not being an old guy at home asleep with the car in a garage.

[scandmx5]

greatest question i ever got from a cop...as he leans on the roll bar
"you think this is a goddamn race track son"
long story short i got a warning
other than that, i just get glances and nods from COPS
if i get pulled over then i know i did something wrong
and dont ***** about like the majority
hence- the other day i got a 69 in a 55mph, instead of the 80 in a 55mph ticket that i was actually doing
bc im not anti-cop nor a whiner

[Acro]

I have quite the opposite experiences :p They pose for pics XD Back when it was still mostly yellow... I might go back to that.. It's only spray painted silver..

[FooSchnickens]

But in their defense, I was pretty shady looking... White dude driving a white Mustang coupe with tinted windows leaving a hospital... Who knows what sort of shenanigans I was up to that night??

There's a story there. Spill it.

[miata5620]

chris i think your real problem is simple when you had the protege it was loud and fast but my the time the cops saw you they just couldnt figure out what in the hell was making all that noise because it couldnt be grandmas little red car. Now you are in a sports car even if it is a 95 hp one plus while you might have stock exhaust its louder than mine since its rusted out. As far as stuff getting stolen you just got bad luck and need to move maybe closer to me so you can help me work on my car more often. i just dont have it in me to stay up till 3am working on it anymore, especialy since i am still out working at 3am most nights.

[MoD_Scotty]

Before I ever bought my Miata, I decided I would get a hard top, so that I wouldn't have to worry about people slashing the soft top to steal whatever cheap head unit I was going to have in it. I think I picked up my hard top about a month after I bought the car. It hasn't been off the car for more than 24hrs since then!

As far as getting pulled over....Augusta is a little weird. I can go for years without any run-ins, but then I'll get pulled over twice in a week. I've actually gotten pulled over here for TINT more than for speeding....back when I was driving Nissans (both my SpecV and 240SX had 5% tint on the back windows).

[Bernie]

There's a story there. Spill it.

No real good story. I was just out of the Marine Corps, living in Birmingham on the Southside (area similar to Buckhead in amount of bars). At the time I had a '93 LX Coupe, white with tinted windows, all stock. Helped to confuse the state troopers while driving back and forth from NC to AL while I was in (didn't work with SC though) because it looked like an unmarked trooper car.

Anyways, I was headed home from a date's house and passing all the hospitals and get pulled by Bham's finest due to both my tag lights being out. Cop comes up on the driver side all cool and stuff, his partner is sneaking up my passenger side with a drawn pistol all commando style.

Knowing I wasn't doing anything really wrong, I says "Good evening officer, is there something I did wrong?" To which he replies "Sir, your tag lights aren't working and I'm going to have to write you a fix-it ticket." To which I reply "Wow, are blown tag lights such a major offense that Barney Fife over there needs to sneak up with his pistol drawn?" Apparently the cop on the driver side hadn't noticed his partner's shenanigans... he waved the guy off in a "dumbass put that ish away" manner and laughed it off... Guy was really pretty cool in the end, wrote me a fix-it ticket. I repaired the wiring the next day, dipped by the fuzz-hut and got it checked and all was well in the world.

But I second Frog's advice... check your lights, get a buddy to help, or use all those big chrome Ford bumpers in your rear view to spot check at red lights. Not only for safety, but you don't look like a dumbass riding around with only 1 working brake light.

[mustangtomiata]

I've been surprisingly lucky with the Miata. There was a time, albeit short, when I was running a 2.5" catless straight pipe and had to pull away from a redlight going up hill with a lawrenceville cop, didnt even look at me...they just don't really notice this car. Better yet now it's pretty quiet, still a little bark though and I just get a blind eye.