In light of the recent smash-and-grab done on my car, im thinking about investing in a new alarm system. This would be the first time i look into new alarms, so do it would really help if anyone knew of any good systems or features i should look for. im not really sure how much they run, what could i get for like $200? i want something thatll be really loud and hard to disable, maybe a remote start feature would be pretty cool too... so what do you guys suggest?

ps
-car got broken into last friday. smashed in the passenger window and snatched a video camera and a digital camera... luckily they didnt spot my easily spottable iPod.... never again!

 

any comments on the Viper 790XV, price is around 250 and viper seems a reputable name...

 

I would recommend putting the money towards replacing your stuff, and just get in the habit of not leaving anything in plain view inside the car.

But if you really want an alarm, DEI(Viper) is just as good as any of them and common at most shops, an effective alarm is all about the install...

 

This system is a great system and might be what you were talking about - dunno about the pricing though alot of the people on my car audio forum rave about it.

http://www.autopageusa.com/Products/2Way/rs850.htm

 

yeah, im gonna replace my stuff, and eventually im gonna finish my system... dont want anyone running away with that.
also, my alarm didnt go off when they smashed in the window, so im doubting the factory one...
my 2cents earned the hardway

ps
items werent in plain view, they were under a towel against the 'foot rest' in front seat

 

looks like a good system... 150 off most sites im lookin at too, so id be under budget. def. be keepin this one on the list, thanx!

 

Its not the price of the system sometimes - its the quality of the installation. You want to find a good installer in your area - good luck and sorry to hear about your car.

 

Please, please, please read these:

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12879

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12878

Every single DEI alarm box has a patent number on the bottom with my name on the paperwork. I helped develop over a hundered products during my time there. Here's what I told Architect:

Please see my alarm articles in the Audio Video section... but here's my recommendation:

INSTALLATION. The hardware is not what makes a car alarm hard to get around - the installation is the key. Consumer Reports says that 80% of the effectiveness of an alarm is the installation, and they're right.

Backup battery to keep alarm running even if battery cable cut.

Siren hidden in wheel well or otherwise made impossible to reach, cut, or freeze with cold spray.

Horn honk too (not air horns, too easy to disable).

Piezo sirens hidden in vents to make being in car painful (gives burglars headaches).
Use an impact sensor (set low), glass break sensor, and DEI 507T digital tilt/motion (proximity sensors suck).

Brain and wiring totally concealed, harness made to look like factory wiring, major disassembly to get to it.

Do all this stuff and it doesn't matter if you have a Viper 300 or a Viper 800... the add-ons are the security.

This is NOT cheap and most shops can't even do it.

You want three things from the car alarm hardware:

1) Not to break. The big brands gerenally fit that bill - Viper, Clifford/Viper, Python/Viper, Alpine.

2) Not to off when they shouldn't. This is 95% install and system design.

3) Go off when they should. This is also 95% install and system design.

You need to go to Tampa and see Andy at Buzz Off alarms. He's the best alarm shop in the entire state of Florida. 7212 North Dale Mabry Hwy. Tampa, FL. 33614 (813) 882-VIPR (8477) Tell him Ken (formerly) from DEI sent you.

 

thanks so much for the info eldude, i can always count on you for my A/V & alarm advice... ill be sure to check out the installers and ill try to get up to tampa to see if i can talk to your friend.

 

some of the things i want for my alarm... impact sensor, glass break sensor, horn honk + siren alarm, the inside sirens sound very good, perhaps a backup battery or something like that to keep the siren going, a remote start would be nice, i dont know about the beepers/pagers, they seem kinda big and dont know how much help itll really do... but i just wanna keep my iPod, system and entire car safe

 

I know Andy! Actually, I don't "know" Andy...He's the owner right? I met him a LONG time ago, he's been there forever. He used to come to some of the shows to promote Buzz-Off, but back then he was known as being very good, but very expensive.(he catered to the higher end cars).. At least that was the image.

I think he's an NSX guy, too?

 

He used to have one, I know that.

Good guy. Used to call us at Directed and tell us what we didn't know about new cars. He'll treat you right.

He used to install metal truss brackets from Home Depot around the siren mounts so you couldn't rip the siren off the firewall. Stern installer.

 

Sounds like a good system design... but remember, no alarm is much of a deterrent from smashing a window and grabbing a visible, reachable iPod, and running down the street.

The alarms such as you describe that we used to install at my shop (w/o remote start, but with starter kill, extra disable, horn and siren, piezo in vent, b/u battery, glass break, and impact sensor, and door lock control) ran about $600 installed using a DEI or Ungo. Don't use Ungo any more, they dropped the LogicSensor that detected impact and motion. That was almost 10 years ago in Oregon... I won't try to predict Florida prices.

I would use a Directed piece, maybe a CompuStar if you like it (I've never touched one but I hear some good things). The cool Alpines are all gone. Audiovox and CodeAlarm are the same crappy thing now. Clifford is the same qc level as Directed, but has slightly different features on the high-end stuff... but not very different.

I've been collecting late 90's Alpine alarms on eBay. I have a used 8080, a used 8048, an 8047 new in the box, and some accessories.

 

I used to have a brand new, unused, Alpine 8080 keyfob... I wonder if I still do...hmmm