cop magnet?

[phillyb]

this term gets thrown around by a lot of people on this site and elsewhere.

i have a red ms3 and as soon as people see the color and understand what the car does, they always say, "you're going to get a lot of tickets" or "i bet this things attracts cops."

so i'm curious to know what your thoughts on this subject are. i have not been pulled over in this car and i've had it since june of 07. i drive fast as well.

my only performance mods are the mscai that it came with, but so far, I'VE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH COPS or this car being a COP MAGNET...

 

[mckraut]

I think it's just the old cliche that red sports cars attract cops. No mystery involved.

 

[Speed3Max]

loud exhaust....bright colors....what else would a cop look for? lol

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

I drive fast too. I just don't drive like an a-hole. No tickets yet, although I admit to more than a little blind dumb luck in that department.

 

[TheDoc]

Every time that I've gotten pulled over I've deserved it. I could have been in a 92 beige Camry and I would have gotten pulled over. I think that once you start going with tint and exhausts and all that you're going to attract more attention, but I can never say that I've felt I was pulled over because of the car that I'm driving.

 

[stephani3]

Hah I just got my first ticket in my MS3... not saying that I didn't deserve it but the cop wouldn't budge at ALL... I got clocked at 76 in a 65, on I-81 in VA... there were cars allllll around me, including a red RX-8 in front of me. But the cop picked the little red station wagon to pull over I wasn't very happy.

 

[camrycev6]

I just got pulled over in mine for the first time since driving one since March of 2007. I drive the way you do.

I don't think it was because the car is a cop magnet. I think it was because I was speeding and got caught... First ticket in over 6 years.
;-)

 

[hard2kill]

Red just sticks out more, I notice a red car before other colors so this isn't a surprise to me. I would never own a red car for this reason.

 

[camrycev6]

I really think that depends on a lot more factors than just color. Traffic density, lane choice, vehicle size, and time of day I think are all very important as well. And if you want to talk pure colors, I think those bright yellow cars (Chevy has a few of them) are the most eye catching.

 

[MikeHTally]

I went 28 years without a ticket, then got one in my white Ram in Jan, '06. Got one in my CV 300C in Aug. '06. Aaarrrrggghhhhh! I do believe that cars in bright colors will get more tickets -- presuming they're being bad.

 

[Antoniogut]

i kinda wish i got red but for that reason (standing out) i didnt

 

[phillyb]

I really think that depends on a lot more factors than just color. Traffic density, lane choice, vehicle size, and time of day I think are all very important as well. And if you want to talk pure colors, I think those bright yellow cars (Chevy has a few of them) are the most eye catching.

lane choice i think is a HUGE FACTOR as well as time of day.

i'm really not buying the whole "red attracts cops" thing though. it doesn't add up to me. and like most have been saying in this thread, i deserved all of the tickets i've been given, red car or black car or green car.

being ostentatious can lead to tickets though, which is where exhaust/tint/other factors play more of a role.

but even still, if you break the law and you're caught, you deserve to be ticketed.

tint is actually a good example, there are legal tints and there are illegal tints. i'm probably going to put 70% on driver and passenger front windows just because that's one less thing to worry about being cited for.

 

[camrycev6]

but even still, if you break the law and you're caught, you deserve to be ticketed.

tint is actually a good example, there are legal tints and there are illegal tints. i'm probably going to put 70% on driver and passenger front windows just because that's one less thing to worry about being cited for.

I agree. I sped and I got caught. I am just hoping because I have a pretty clean driving record and no tickets in a long time for a PBJ. I will be pleading "Guilty with an explanation." The cop was just doing his job. I can't fault him for that.

 

[ecniemann]

lane choice i think is a HUGE FACTOR as well as time of day.

i'm really not buying the whole "red attracts cops" thing though. it doesn't add up to me. and like most have been saying in this thread, i deserved all of the tickets i've been given, red car or black car or green car.

being ostentatious can lead to tickets though, which is where exhaust/tint/other factors play more of a role.

but even still, if you break the law and you're caught, you deserve to be ticketed.

tint is actually a good example, there are legal tints and there are illegal tints. i'm probably going to put 70% on driver and passenger front windows just because that's one less thing to worry about being cited for.

Totally agree. The red thing is total BS. If you are being an ass, speeding, whatever (within reason), you will get a ticket or pulled over.

 

[Nismothecat]

I had a yellow 240sx and got pulled over and the cop told me i shouldnt be speeding in a yellow car they are way to easy to spot.

 

[UHATEIT]

it can depend on the cop. If YOU are speeding and the guy next to you is speeding, they may give the ticket to the fancier car, at least thats the stereotype I think they have.

I work with a 35 year retired cop everyday and he told me how it used to go down in Ventura County. If 2 cars are speeding, you have to pick one. It just happens to be the one that stands out more sometimes, like red.

Back wehn I was driving some of my show cars I had cops pull me over to simply check out the ride!

 

[Supermonk61]

I think the whole stigma stems from basic color theory personally. Warm colors like red, yellow, orange, etc naturally stand out more then the rest. Looking at the sales lot my eye instantly caught the red speed three before the gray. If you are speeding and a cop spots you, I think by that point it doesnt matter if your car is red or puke green, to them speeding is speeding. But thats just my .02.

 

[jred321]

other than being red, what about the car would make it a cop magnet? the fact that it's a station wagon? the fact that it looks like tons of other cars on the road? the fact that it's quiet?

 

[SubieKiller3]

just keep it simple on the mods. dont go out a get really dark tints. If you do, just keep your windows down at night. dont put on any crazy anoying loud exaust. when i had my civic i had a exaust that wasnt even that loud and i got two tickets for just for the fact that i had a "modified exaust". it just so happened to be both from state troopers that had nothing better to do because i wasnt even going fast or anything. ******* haters! Also keep your radio down, stay away from any cars that might be trying to race you. that is pretty much all the advice that i can give you.

 

[CoolWhip]

Its a give/take.

Luckily I have white and not red.

At times I feel like a cop would never suspect my mini-van (as my friend calls it).

I could peel out and drive a few blocks and a cop would never suspect my station wagon.