Miata Mailing List: January 2000, Message #620

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Matt wrote:

>Are the cars safe overnight? Where do I park my car?Is this the Plaza
parking lot? Secured?
My insurance agent wants to know.

>>>Unlike any hotel on the strip, the Plaza provides security in the form of 
a roped-off area of the parking lot.  Theoretically only POCA convention 
attendees are allowed inside.  The lot is not restricted to Panteras only, 
but there is a certain convention--Panteras get preferential parking, while 
tow rigs etc. are off in the furthest corner, and daily drivers occupy the 
outermost fringe.

There is a 24-hour guard on site that controls entry and exit into this area.

>Have there been any incidents(vandalism,theft,steamy windows)in the past
that owners should know about? 

>>>Nope.  At least, not that I'm aware of.  We got nailed by a massive dust 
storm one year that just covered ALL the cars.  That's about it.

>Just to be aware of,I just watched Gone
in 60 seconds again!

>>>While nowadays I think it's possible for folks off the street to wander 
into our parking lot, the presence of a pretense of security seems to prevent 
that from happening too much.  THus the cars seem to be fairly safe to me.  
That said, I think it's fairly clear that if some Bad Guy did manage to break 
into and start up a Pantera, the guard would smile and wave as he drove out 
of the lot.  The guard is there to keep people OUT, not to check people who 
are leaving.

Basically, if you drive up to the guard in a Pantera he'll wave you in or 
out, button or not.  If you're in a beater VW, you'll have to prove that you 
have the right to be inside in order to get in.

All things considered, I think the cars are about as safe as they can be.  
Personally I'd like it if security was beefed up somewhat, and EVERYBODY had 
to show their button to a guard to get into/out of the area, and I'd also 
like it if the barriers between the POCA parking area and general parking 
were more substantial and less philosophical in nature.

But the overriding fact remains--there's been no history of problems as far 
as I know.

No matter what, I think it's safe to say that your Pantera is MUCH safer 
parked with the others at the Plaza than it is just left in a random stall in 
a multi-story parking facility at the Mirage or wherever...if nothing else, 
you can feel fairly confident that the drivers on either side of you will be 
concerned about door dings, etc.  The same can't be said of some of the 
reprobates who ooze into Las Vegas from the four corners of the earth and can 
easily wind up parked next to your Pantera elsewhere...

Just my .02...

Mike