Toyota Prius on LA Craigslist Has a Catalytic Converter Cage Like a Prison
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Re: Toyota Prius on LA Craigslist Has a Catalytic Converter Cage Like a Prison
#2This is rebar. It's just as easy to saw/grind through rebar as it is exhaust piping. Sure, your car is less likely to get picked on than someone elses if they have this issue, but it really shouldn't take that much longer to saw through the rebar pieces with a recip saw if this was encountered in the wild.
Re: Toyota Prius on LA Craigslist Has a Catalytic Converter Cage Like a Prison
#3Catalytic converter theft is so common in Southern California, it happened to my mom twice. It's so upsetting because she doesn't have very much money and it's expensive to get a new one. It really hurts to be hit with a random bill for a few thousand dollars.
Re: Toyota Prius on LA Craigslist Has a Catalytic Converter Cage Like a Prison
#4This is rebar. It's just as easy to saw/grind through rebar as it is exhaust piping. Sure, your car is less likely to get picked on than someone elses if they have this issue, but it really shouldn't take that much longer to saw through the rebar pieces with a recip saw if this was encountered in the wild.
It is to slow an attacker down and discourage them. The only absolute prevention is a vehicle without a catalytic converter.
Re: Toyota Prius on LA Craigslist Has a Catalytic Converter Cage Like a Prison
#5I'm planning on moving back to LA within the next few months after having moved away in 2007, and the plan is to not own a car, at least, for the first few months. Instead, I'll take Ubers or the Metro train for cross-town trips, and walk for local trips (grocery store, etc). If I want to take a roadtrip or something, I'll use Getaround or a similar service.
I have no idea how realistic this will be, but my previous experience of living and driving in LA caused a level of stress that I have no interest in repeating. I already hated car ownership before the spike in catalytic converter thefts, due to gas prices, sitting in traffic, dealing with road rage from other drivers, insurance costs, the risk of your car getting keyed / stolen / broken into, etc. I've decided I'd rather pay a premium to Uber / Doordash in order to avoid all that.
I'm giving this plan 3 months to play out. If the lack of a car proves unrealistic, I'll probably relocate to NYC, where I know I won't need one. That's how much I dislike owning a car.
EDIT- I'll be living in East Hollywood, near Barnsdall Art Park. Looks like there are grocery stores, bars, restaurants, etc. nearby. I work remote, so I'm thankfully able to avoid daily commutes.
Re: Toyota Prius on LA Craigslist Has a Catalytic Converter Cage Like a Prison
#6I'm planning on moving back to LA within the next few months after having moved away in 2007, and the plan is to not own a car, at least, for the first few months. Instead, I'll take Ubers or the Metro train for cross-town trips, and walk for local trips (grocery store, etc). If I want to take a roadtrip or something, I'll use Getaround or a similar service. I have no idea how realistic this will be, but my previous…
Very viable in fact especially if you are fine with taking the whole lane while biking. Biking in LA rush hour is actually faster than driving on surface streets at that time thanks to being able to lane split.
Re: Toyota Prius on LA Craigslist Has a Catalytic Converter Cage Like a Prison
#7Catalytic converter theft is so common in Southern California, it happened to my mom twice. It's so upsetting because she doesn't have very much money and it's expensive to get a new one. It really hurts to be hit with a random bill for a few thousand dollars.
A "friend of a friend" basically got their car totaled this way. At the time their converter was stolen, there was a several-month waiting list for a new one. They could get a temporary car, but could not afford a second parking spot. They had to buy a new car.
Re: Toyota Prius on LA Craigslist Has a Catalytic Converter Cage Like a Prison
#8I'm planning on moving back to LA within the next few months after having moved away in 2007, and the plan is to not own a car, at least, for the first few months. Instead, I'll take Ubers or the Metro train for cross-town trips, and walk for local trips (grocery store, etc). If I want to take a roadtrip or something, I'll use Getaround or a similar service. I have no idea how realistic this will be, but my previous…
Depends where you are, if you live in one of the hubs where you have shopping etc nearby it can be workable but still not very convenient. LA is too sprawley so if you used to spend enough time in a car to aggravate you, expect to spend way more time and something like $2k/month on ubers.
Re: Toyota Prius on LA Craigslist Has a Catalytic Converter Cage Like a Prison
#9I'm planning on moving back to LA within the next few months after having moved away in 2007, and the plan is to not own a car, at least, for the first few months. Instead, I'll take Ubers or the Metro train for cross-town trips, and walk for local trips (grocery store, etc). If I want to take a roadtrip or something, I'll use Getaround or a similar service. I have no idea how realistic this will be, but my previous…
I lived in Venice and just never went anywhere east of Lincoln. That worked pretty well for not needing a car.
Re: Toyota Prius on LA Craigslist Has a Catalytic Converter Cage Like a Prison
#10This is rebar. It's just as easy to saw/grind through rebar as it is exhaust piping. Sure, your car is less likely to get picked on than someone elses if they have this issue, but it really shouldn't take that much longer to saw through the rebar pieces with a recip saw if this was encountered in the wild.
It is to slow an attacker down and discourage them. The only absolute prevention is a vehicle without a catalytic converter.
Indeed. You can find videos of catalytic converters being cut out in under a minute.