There are so many car alarms out there that i'm not sure which one will best fit my needs w/o overkill or breaking the bank.

Here are a few features i would like to have:

- 2 way remote (1/4 mile or more distance)
- Vibration sensor
- Siren/Horn & Flashing lights alert
- Starter kill

That's pretty much all i really need......so anyone have any good suggestions?

 

Hi,

I just saw your post and wanted to suggest Ravelco. I just had it installed in my Vette and it is a system that will prevent your car from ever being stolen. No alarm or bells and whistles only a plug that you remove when you leave your car that prevents anyone from hot wiring the car, period. The install is done in 3 hours right at your house and I was impressed by the system and the logic. If you go to their web-site you can read and make your own decision. It cost $349 with tax for everything, that was the price in the Northeast, might be different elsewhere. This just made so much sense to me over any type of alarm system that is on the market. Even Lojack, because LoJack is after the fact. Thought I would just throw it out to you.

http://ravelco.com

 

Interior motion sensor and back up battery is a must have as well. Especially with how easy it is to get inside a corvette without opening the door.

 

or you could pull your ignition fuse for free

 

Clifford Alarm..... has everything you asked for. And yes, backup battery, in-cabin piezo horn (pain generators), proximity detectors are a must have... Don't forget to get your insurance discount for having an alarm system...

Stay away from Audiovox, Viper, etc...

 

Did you know that Clifford and Viper are the same.

Two of many, many alarms made by Directed Electronics.

CAn't go wrong with anything from Directed.

 

Someone lied to you in a big way. There is NO way possible to prevent your car being stolen. How does that car alarm stop someone from taking your keys and driving off or how does it stop a tow truck from picking your car up and towing it away? It can't..not possible..not going to happen. The only thing you can hope for in a car alarm is that it will deter annoying thieves who break your window to get some change from the glove box. A car alarm is deterent not a theft stopping device.

As for what alarm to get as Kale said anything from DEI is really the way to go. They have been in the business longer then anyone, they have a killer product, excellent tech support, and you can find a dealer anywhere you go.

But here is the BEST advice you will ever get on car alarms. DO NOT shop for a car alarm....shop for a security system installer. Any car alarm installed correctly is nothing more then a high dollar whistle blower. Find a highly experienced installer who make sure that your security system is installed properly...you want a security system not a car alarm.

 

There are essentially 2 things a security system is supposed to deter (or at least inhbit) :

- Theft of parts
- Theft of car

the ravleco thingy is supposedly designed to prevent the engine from starting. (making theft by hot wire much more of a PITA) It's a nice idea, but only protects against one type of theft (sombody drivign off with your car) ...unfortionatly...it adds another big chunky thing to your keychain.

There's no such thing as a security system that will completely protect your car against theft. Here's why: any noob can tow your car with a flatbed or repo truck. Security is part system/part common sense.

Back to the alarm search: most alarm systems feature the basics you're looking for. Some audiovox systems offer more advanced features like remote start and auxillary functions. And my two new favriotes: sattilite uplink (call you car from your cell phone) and this bad boy:

http://sonicelectronix.com/item_7504...00+VS8000.html

custom security features to prevent equipment/parts theft can be seen here (some are pretty radical)

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=146326

I went so far as to hook up my alarm to a 180W 120dB police siren.
it all depends on what you're asking of your security system.

 

Save your money. The VATS system works fine. If someone wants the car, they will tow it away.

Now as for content theft you can get an alarm with a tilt sensor, motion sensor, glass sensor and the starter kill.

The VATS system takes a long time to defeat. Most Vettes that are stolen are towed away.

 

So does that mean that GM's products are all rated the same? I'm just talking from experience, some things turn out better than others, even if they have the same mfg.

 

It's like the Camaro and Firebird, only even more similar than that.



All the circuit boards come off the same assembly line, then its fate as to where it ends up.

 

All I can say is that the company (Ravelco.com) claims that that in over 30 years not one vehicle has been stolen. (Maybe they only installed it in two cars??) Anyway kidding aside, I know someone can come with a tow truck and no one stands a chance, but by pulling the plug there is no way to hot wire the car. The plug has over 100,000 different combo's that someone has to try and come up with before the car can start. No matter what they can't jump the starter or hot wire it, cause the feed to computer, fuel pump and starter are inter-connected with the external plug they installed. If I don't put the plug in the car just continually cranks over. The guy who installed it says they come with the 20 wire cable marked with tags and after the install, the tags are removed and all the wires are black that he put in. According to him it would take him about 2 to 3 hours for him to trace the wires he put in and try to start the car. All I can say is that if the web-site is full of baloney then they did a good job of convincing me. I guess to each his own in how we feel protected. Hope this helps with some further info.
P.S. What made me even think about security was when my son lock his keys in his car. AAA came and had some trouble because he had a former police car. So it took him about 5 minutes to break in. AAA then told me he worked on Vettes, Porsches, new Benz's, etc and gets in quicker then this. After I saw how he got into my sons car, it look like it was useless to lock the car and trying to stop someone from getting in wasn't going to help me. Except maybe deter a first time crook or not to seasoned of one. But I guess if a professional thief wants what he wants there is probably no way to stop him. Just make sure our insurance is paid up.

 

Do yourself a favor and spend some time researching and speaking with a rep @ RAVELCO...I'm not going to carry on for an hour on why you should, but I had it installed in my C5 and from there had numerous friends do the same and not one of us have had a problem nor do we regret using this company. We all live in the Boston area which is high in crime as it is so we obviously want the best.

 

Just so that everyone knows.....the alarm is intended for my '08 F250. So i'm not to worried about someone hauling it off or trying to hot wire it because i'm rarely that far from it. My biggest concerns however are theft of parts and break-ins.

Having said that...REVELCO is out of the question. And as far as alarms go i know DEI products are the best. My main question is which product/model would be best suited for my needs without over-kill.