Prowler

It's late, but I'm pissed and I have to write this.
A prowler came to our complex Saturday night. I won't even mention how, because we live in a gated community. (Okay, the gate was WIDE open. Why? Because our dumbass management can't seem to keep it fixed or bother to replace it.) Fine, whatever. Point is, he stole the faceplate out of our Celebrity (not to mention everything in the glove box, which included a registration and our maintenance records). Now I had warned Justin when we first moved here to take out that damn faceplate but he refused. He knows he was stupid and I've told him I'm not going to replace it. But, that's not the point of this story. The point is surely the question you are asking right now.
Why weren't the doors locked?
The answer to this question lies in my experience. Let me give you a little back story.
I used to own a Reliant K, long before I met Justin. This was back when I was living with Josh. Back then, they didn't really have "removable faceplates" for car stereos. Or at least, they weren't that prevalent yet. Now, even though my car didn't have auto locks, I made sure to lock the doors each night. Although I've never lived in slum town, I wasn't really in a "good" neighborhood either. The cops woke us up one night as our Reliant's window had been smashed and the CD player had attempted to have been stolen. The idiot that tried to take it probably didn't realize it wasn't just a faceplate. I had to laugh in a way, because if he would have managed to jack it, it probably would have saved me some money, as I was going to replace it soon anyway because that one was broken. What wasn't funny however, was that my window cost me $150 to replace.

Adorable, isn't it? This one isn't mine. Mine

was totally cooler, cuz it was blue.

So, in the meantime, I get myself a new stereo with a removable faceplate. And I diligently take it out each night. But, I no longer lock my doors. Why? Well, the car isn't worth stealing, that's for sure. There's nothing IN the car worth stealing, and I don't want them breaking my window again.
At this place I lived, my car was "broken into" 3 times in two years. How do I know? They leave the door open just a crack. Plus, my papers are strung around everywhere because they're - guess what - looking for my faceplate. That's all they care about. And they're not going to find it, because I'm not stupid enough to leave it in my glove box. So, let them rummage around my car. It's better than breaking my window in an attempt to steal something that's not even there.
Later on, I get a different car: a Mystique. Piece of shit. Anyway, of course the first thing I do is get a new stereo. And, I'm living in a new place, not very far away from my old stomping grounds. This time though, I'm parked right off a main drag and I think to myself: "No way someone would break into my car when so many people are around. I'm safe." Plus, I lock my doors because I have auto locks so it's easy.
Yeah, okay.
This time, I come home with my parents after seeing a movie, and the window is busted and the faceplate is stolen. Oh joy. SO, after buying a new stereo and replacing the window for another $150, I stop fucking locking my car again. Sick of this shit. No one is going to steal a damn Mystique anyway.

What a vision of loveliness. That thing'll never sell, dude.

And again, during the course of my time living at this new place, thieves were again riffling through my car looking for the damn faceplate. One time, someone was kind enough to take the lotion from my glove box and spray it all over the seats, thanking me for not having the faceplate available to steal. But again, it beats having my window busted for no reason.
So by this time, I have learned my lesson. Had *I* been driving the Celebrity, I would be taking out the faceplate each night, regardless of whether or not I am in a safe neighborhood. And back when it was my main car, I sure as hell did. But, I never locked the doors.
Now, I'm not saying that people shouldn't lock their doors. It's not like I own a damn Viper or something. If I owned something worth stealing, you bet I'd be locking them. Also, I would have full coverage insurance that would PAY for the damn broken window. I lock my Malibu. But then again, you can't steal my stereo. But even if it did have a removable faceplate, I'd lock them anyways because I'm forced to have full coverage on it as I don't outright own it yet, so a broken window is paid for. These other cars weren't worth full coverage insurance; most definitely not my Reliant. Someone rear-ended me once. It would have cost $500 to straighten the bumper, so that totaled my vehicle. I bought it back from the impound for $100 and got $400 in my pocket. Sweet day. Anyway, I digress.
For me, it works. Just because someone hasn't had the experience I've had, doesn't make me wrong, or stupid. I do what fucking WORKS. I'm tired of paying for broken windows. Had Justin been in the habit of locking the doors and leaving the faceplate, we'd probably be out $150 right now. At least we're only out the stereo. Not that I condone what he did at all. He was an idiot for leaving in the car, thinking it's safe. Like I thought I was safe living on a main drag with a locked car. You're not safe anywhere, period.
But, I'd like people's thoughts and opinions on this. Please leave me a comment about it. What has been your experience?