how to find space to safely store a van (so it doesn't get vandalized, stolen, etc when on-street parking near stix n brix)

[doublegregg]

just wondering... i live in a sort of ok, gentrified area of the bay area, oakland, and with the price of gas, the price of vans, etc --- and general craziness, i am fed up with having my van vandalized over and over. it's a chevy express, pretty new, so i guess it is a magnet for thieves. just went out friday --- someone had tried to pick the lock, unsuccessfully. but now i'll have to have it repaired.
so - any suggestions on how to start to look for places to park/store it? i'd imagine it could be expensive... yes, my van is insured. this is a real downer.
thank you.
happy travels and stay safe

 

[user 423]

Well the obvious would be to check self-storage businesses in your area. Even with outside storage you'd risk vandalism,theft though. Inside storage in any big city would be expensive.

You might be able to find something on craigslist.

 

[maki2]

Sometimes people in condos rent out their parking spaces. Not all city dwellers want or need to own a car. Or take a night shift job at a business that has a secure parking lot.

 

[bullfrog]

Maybe check the internet for areas within the area with the least vehicle crime reports and park near the local police station.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Make your van less desirable to steal or vandalize. Take a hammer and add some dents. Strap on pieces of random duct tape. Spray paint some graffiti on it so nobody else will!

 

[doublegregg]

thanks all... i'll check cl, price out storage... these seem like desperate times. my van is pretty new, though, and i wouldn't want to start bashing it up... i do that to stuff IN the van, like my battleborn. it looks like a POS, but it's just stuff taped to it, etc... so it looks like a semi-ordinary battery...
my friend's honda constantly gets busted into. vehicles on the street are sort of at the mercy of the random thieves, lock pickers, catalytic stealers, etc... i'm assuming many many areas of the country are like this now.
unless you're in a gated community.

 

[Freelander]

I think the more rural areas are a lot safer. I try to stay out of high crime areas. I have a cousin in the LA area and I was planning on seeing her, but I don't think I want to get that far into Cali.

 

[doublegregg]

yeah ---- i think it's pretty bad in the sf bay area... kind of all over that area. i assume la is quite similar. for sf, a friend lives in a very quiet area in noe valley. people break in there too. i was surprised. he and his neighbor share video footage of security cams.
called urban living.........

 

[RonDean]

RE: " I don't think I want to get that far into Cali." - I really don't understand the California bashing I see here from time to time. I have lived in just about every state in the west and see little difference in this regard between the states. I see much more difference between urban and rural areas of whichever state I am in.

Anyway... as others have suggested, if you are going to park in any urban area, you need to be a lot more situationally aware than the typical rural area. Make yourself into a "hard target" by staying away from high crime rates, poorly lit, low traffic, etc. areas.

But sometimes you just have to be willing and able to pay for secure storage or accept occasional losses. I once had my van broken into in the parking lot for a baseball game. Bright lit, high traffic, etc. and I was still a victim.

 

[Freelander]

You made my point for me, "But sometimes you just have to be willing and able to pay for secure storage or accept occasional losses."

Why should I have to be willing to pay for secure storage, when I can just say out of the state??

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Statistically, you have a much higher chance of being a victim in CA. San Fransisco is the grand theft auto capital. CA has some beautiful places, it's a shame it has so many problems.

 

[rruff]

Statistically, you have a much higher chance of being a victim in CA. San Fransisco is the grand theft auto capital. CA has some beautiful places, it's a shame it has so many problems.

According to these people, SF is 14th in the country.

 

[dhuff]

RE: " I don't think I want to get that far into Cali." - I really don't understand the California bashing I see here from time to time.

Yeah, getting kind of tired of that myself. And heck, I'm from Texas where we have a lot of pride in our own state.

I get the impression that a majority of the "Calif. bashing" is basically a dog whistle for a certain set of political viewpoints. I've spent time over the years in Calif. and it has its pros & cons like any other place. And remember that it's a big place. California's economy is the largest in the U.S. ($3 trillion gross state product in 2020) and if it was its own country, it'd be the 5th largest economy in the world.

Best to think of it as kind of its own country (with apologies to the slogan Texas puts on our tourist publications). Things aren't the same from one part of the state to another.

 

[Freelander]

There are several reasons why I don't want to get that far into California.
1. I will be carrying firearms with me and I have magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. I actually had to special order a 10 round mag for my 9mm.
2. Traffic, I don't like driving in heavy traffic. People don't respect you when you drive something as big as an RV.
3. Bigger cites mean more crime, this is not just California, this is true all over the country. I lived in the Tulsa area and didn't like going into Tulsa after dark.
4. Less places to overnight park, I prefer free overnight parking.
5. California has a 55 mph limit when towing, I tow my car behind me, it's a long way across the state.

I do have a cousin that lives on the east side of the state and I will go see her, my cousin in the LA lives about 3 miles from the ocean in an upscale neighborhood. I would have to find an RV park to stay at.

I also have the same problems with going into the New England area, I have a trip to go to New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
I have found a place in PA where I can store my guns until I return.

I have Texas tags on both vehicles, and I don't want any problems with Law Enforcement while on my trip.

 

[rruff]

I have Texas tags on both vehicles, and I don't want any problems with Law Enforcement while on my trip.

You think CA cops give TX drivers special treatment... compared to other states?

 

[Freelander]

Since TX is a Constitutional Carry State and Open Carry State, yes that may give them enough reason to stop me. That is the same reason I will lock my guns up in PA before going into New York and Massachusetts.

 

[rruff]

It wouldn't be probable cause to stop you and they would also would need a warrant to search your vehicle.

I know first hand that some cops don't follow the law. But it still seems odd that they'd pull you over for that reason.

 

[Freelander]

I don't need to take any chances, I have been pulled over before for no reason. Sometimes they don't need a reason to stop you.

Are you sure about the warrant?

My other cousin lives in Bishop CA not far from the Nevada line. I will go see her, I can get in and out without a lot of traffic.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

According to these people, SF is 14th in the country.

I apologize, it's Bakersfield, CA not SF. But now that you mention it, of the top 20 places with the most car thefts, half of those are in CA. Definetely not going to be parking anywhere in CA.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Police profile people all the time. It sucks, but most of the time it pays off for them. If a cop pulls me over for a broken turn signal bulb and asks if I have any weapons or drugs in the car. Being the good law abiding citizen I am, I tell them about the gun. It's always fine. In certain jurisdictions, that gun can land me in prison. It's safer for me to avoid these areas, so yes, CA is out for sure.