What do you do to protect your cobra at hotels?

[slithering]

We will be traveling with the cobra soon. What do you do to protect your cobra when staying over night at a hotel? Have you had a bad experience?

Chris

[rdorman]

I usually try and park it in front of the office and/or find the night time security gaurd and tip him well! I will often take the coil wire as well so if they want it they will have to tow it.
Rick

[PatBuckley]

So far so good - I don't cover it or anything. No problems.

[mikiec]

I cover it and forget it.

The only time I did not cover my car someone threw a rasberry slurpie all over it.

Mike

[ItBites]

Mikiec,

How do you know it was rasberry and not strawberry or cherry?

[mikiec]

Boy oh boy...

Harrasment from a guy who has his motor in backwards.

Actually it could have been any of the three. I know it took about 3 hours to get the car clean.

Mike

P.S. Brian Williams is moving to your part of town in the very near future. You guys should get together.

[Double Venom]

What to you do when you have over 300 Cobras parked at a motel? You hire a couple of Columbus' finest, that's what you do!

DV ... actually when the Mrs. and I are traveling, I too just throw a cover over it. Never had a problem

P.S. They do make alarm systems for covers/tarps. If someone moves it, the alarm will sound! Don't know how they work out the "wind thing".

[casaleenie]

Battery cut off and a cover...

Never ever worried about it... and I don't know why????

[Jamo]

Never a problem...cover it usually. I do try to make sure I park in a well lighted area.

[MidOHasp]

Pat, don't you just shine a really bright light on it and most people are so blind by the time they get close they can't do much?

Seems like with an aluminum body you could electrify it. That would be fun.

[MAXVELO]

Hell, That would be like leaving my wife outside the room naked. Someone would not be able to resist molesting it! Seriously, I dont think I could sleep!

[Jamo]

Where is she parked?

[mj_duell]

Cover it, Trunk and Dash battery cut-offs and an integrated alarm with door and tremor sensors........

O.K. so I'm paranoid!



--Mike

[RallySnake]

Good one, Jamo!

With the trips I've made and the rallies I've run, I have parked my Cobra at lots of motels and hotels. I pick motels where I can park right in front of my room. I have an alarm with a very loud siren and a pager. I put the car cover on it and try not to worry.

In a hotel lot, I look for the attendent and give him a tip to keep an eye on the car.

I have only had two unusual occurances over the years. In Roswell, NM, last February, on the way to Texas Cobra Club meet, we came out in the morning to find two inches of snow on the car cover. What a mess to pack up!

At the Palace Station Hotel in Las Vegas, after a Starlite Rally, I parked on the roof of the parking garage next to the hotel. I got a room overlooking the parking garage. In the middle of the night, the wind started blowing really hard. I looked out the window to see the parking attendant struggling to pull the cover back over the car after it had blown off (even though it had a bungee cord across under the car). Best $10 bucks I've ever spent!

Paul

[Lowell W]

I REALLY like the electricity idea...

The first time I took an out of town, overnight trip in the Cobra, I put a Club on the steering wheel. Then I wrapped a chain around the club and the clutch pedal and padlocked them together. Then I put a cover over the car with the top up. With the car parked outside the room, I felt pretty secure. After a few nights of that, I began to think perhaps I was being a bit paranoid, so I omitted the chain. Then the Club.

At a Cobra gathering, ie. SF or SSR, I like to cover the car unless it's already wet, and I always try to park in the most easily-watched location. Anywhere else, I try to park as close to the room as possible and leave the room window open a bit. I remove the battery cut-off key and cover the car. Haven't used the Club or chain in awhile, but I would if the place looked suspicious or I had to park away from the room.

Remember, the purpose of locks, chains, alarms and all that stuff isn't to make the car impossible to steal; it's to make the theft so time-consuming and/or attention-attracting that it becomes unreasonably risky. My guess is that anyone other than a casual joy rider who's looking to steal a car like this either will have a trailer or flatbed to carry the car or will plan to roll it away and fool with it somewhere else. Not being steer the car in a straight line will be more problematic than not being able to start it. And the car cover will protect it from pink slurpees.

Lowell

[MidOHasp]

My thing is...

With my luck, while it seems like no matter how nice I am starting the car late at night for a night-time cruise, my neighbors 7 houses up the street moan about it. But if I parked it right outside my hotel room, some bumbling thief would probably rev the engine up so high in an attempt to start it that you'd think I'd wake up. But I'd be dreaming of my honeymoon with Catherine Zeta-Jones and wouldn't wake up.

[Tinker51]

I turn off the fuel pump, remove the battery disconnect key, lock the trunk and hood latches and put the cover on it. And yes I try and park it near me or near the office in a well lighted area.

[kountzecobra]

I write a check to State Farm every 6 months.

[uncltodd]

Had an interesting conversation with my insurance agent of 25 years today...

He said, "Todd, if somebody was stupid enough to steal it, what the hell is he going to do with it? There ain't that many Cobra replicas out there! It ain't like it was a new Lexus or Mercedes or something!

I think I will go with the car cover, if I can find one.

My insurance guy is restoring a '68 Camaro, dropping in a lightly-massaged 427. He's using a tweaked 350 turbo trannie, told him he needs to look at a turbo 400.

Thank you, Lord, my insurance agent knows "specialty cars."

Farmers Insurance Group, BTW, seems to be, so far,... fairly flexible. Seems to depend on the Agent/Underwriter relationship.

Can you make that stupid freighter put on a few more knots? My BDR is still 10 days out of Miami.

UT

[Dangerous Doug]

Valet park, but make sure the car doesn't end up in the parking garage with all the Buicks and Chevy's.

I was at a nice place down in Santa Barbara last weekend ("Fess Parker's Doubletree" --- quite nice) and saw a Lamborghini Diablo parked right smack in the front of the entrance to the hotel. I'm sure the owner tipped the Valet generously to get that parking spot. I decided that when my currently fictional Cobra establishes some basis in reality, THAT is what I'm going to do...along with some of the other semi-paranoid tactics outlined here.