What is the best car alarm system at a good price?
Tanner VN said:
I want a car alarm system that is $150 or less that makes cool noises such as "chirping" when you lock and unlock the car and makes cool siren sounds when the alarm goes off.. Any good ideas??
Trust me, unless you have a really nice car and/or live in a bad neighborhood, you do not want a car alarm, especially one like that. There have been many occasions where I have had to go get a friends car parked on the beach or something, and the window has been down or the door unlocked, and when I open it up the alarm goes off. My car alarm right now won’t let the car start if it goes off, and goes off every time I open the door. Plus, it can’t be shut off without the keychain, which is broken. I have to keep it in valet mode at all times.
As a summary, don’t get one, especially one with chirping noises and siren sounds. They are extremely embarassing to whoever sets them off, especially if its not your car and you cant figure out how to turn it off. If you do feel you need one, get one with a simple loud repetitive horn noise, and make sure it turns off easily with a key in the lock or ignition.
First off, $150 isn’t going to get you a decent alarm with the install.
I would go to and look around there for pricing and custom build your own alarm from their site.
A basic alarm will work but you really need to get the battery backup add-on and possibly a second siren with a separate battery back-up. Possibly a tilt sensor so thieves don’t just tow your car away. Each of these add-ons cost $70-80 from Viper.
Chirps and cool sounds aren’t what you should be considering. But Viper alarms do chirp if you set off the alarm accidentally but the siren noise is standard. If you’re into the cool factor, there is a $199 upgrade where the alarm will say “Intruder alert” and other phrases which you may enjoy.
If you really only have $150, don’t get an alarm but get a fuel cutoff switch installed. What that does is turn off the pump that sends fuel to the engine. Kind of difficult to steal a car that can’t move, ya know?
Parts and install for just that will run $80 at a good shop.
With the cutoff switch, a basic alarm with battery back-up, you really can’t go wrong. But you’re looking at maybe $600+ with install. It is a small price to pay, trust me, it’s worth it.
Where I come from:
I’ve had one car stolen (’95 Honda del Sol) and someone attempted to steal my current car (’99 Honda Civic Si) last week. The del Sol had a basic alarm with no battery backup or sensors. The Civic had a cutoff switch with a basic alarm. After doing some more research, battery backup with a second siren AND the tilt sensor added to the alarm with a cutoff switch is really what a basic alarm should come with.