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ok a few realities about alarms:
the LED and the alarm are both deterrants, not guarantees.
The purpose of the LED is to ward off potential amateur thieves. They will gravitate toward easy (read:unalarmed) targets. If they see the LED, and you have an impact sensor, that's enough to scare off most of the kids.
The alarm itself, once it's set off isn't there to scare off a thief. It's there to attract looks from people around the car, which it does. People look over, and if someone is breaking into a car, they get IDed and reported when police do arrive, or better yet the alarm gets YOUR attention at night outside your house, and a porch light scares off whomever is breaking into the car.

Any step toward better security is one more chance of saving your car and belongings, be that an alarm, a secure garage, a stealthily installed system, or whatever.

that is the best thing about a sq car, the sound stays in the car, even if I roll down the windows, you can't tell unless I really have it cranked up to maximum

Same here. The last few alarms of my own I've put in I've left out the LEDs. I guess I'm garanteeing I'll loose a window, but hopefully it helps ensure I keep my equipment. I can't stand parimiter sensors either. Every cloud, cat and strong wind gust seems to set the damn things off. I like multiple shock sensors.

Turning down the tunes is always an excellent idea. At home, school, mall, wherever you leave your car unattended.

I'm torn on the LED idea though...
I can't decide whats better, surprise them with an alarm, or give them a heads up that its there, by way of blinking LED.

I understand your point (gonz) about people not doing shit once they hear an alarm go off, but I think it's more of a mental game with the thief. I know I'd sure as hell be a lot more comfortable breaking into a car without a flashing LED inside, than a car I knew had an alarm.

Certainly, regardless of the bystanders, the heart rate of a thief is gonna speed up relative to the length of time the backup siren is going off!

All that aside, I forced myself to spend the extra money on a 2way. It doesn't help me at school, it doesn't help me at the mall, or if I'm at some sort of event, concert, sports, etc. But at home, friends' house, restaurants, virtually anything that isn't a HUGE complex, I feel secure.

Now in schools/big cities/big events/malls? I have my windows tinted, I have stock 15" Honda rims, that's it. My little blinking LED is as pimped out as my car gets lol. The only other way I keep safe is by not being a dipshit. The tunes go down a mile from the hot spot, and are turned all the way down once in the parking lot etc.

Aside from all that, I'm still not ignorant, I know if they really want my stuff they will get it, my hope is just that they have no idea/interest. My current project is relocating my HU to my glove box

Hate to say this, but colleges in good areas are the most hit from what I hear. 9 out of 10 times the people on forums were hit "at school". Young people are the best targets, college kids generally have nicer stuff than high school kids, so there you have it... like a recipe for thieving success.

It would be great if I had a garage... but I don't even have a driveway. Hopefully I'll be moving soon.

screw the idea of "bad areas" iti can happen anywhere, anytime, any place, to anyone....

Aftet my car's faceplate got jacked. I've just learned to take more caution, ALWAYS take the faceplate out, when I can, I take it with me. If not I lock it in the glovebox.

I also garage park. After I get my amp and subwoofer, it might be kind of scarier though. I might need to invest in an alarm before I pick up a subwoofer.

I'm not too worried about getting jacked at school because my school is in a nice neighborhood and theres almost always people outside and I dont think a thief would do it in front of people. I don't go to many bad areas very often. But I just never know.

I like the fact that the DRZ doesn't have a detachable faceplate. I get tired of all that crap. Less to worry about, better performance.

If theft were really a priority, companies would stop making HUs look like a freak christmas tree and just make a plain looking head unit. Something like a Nak CD700 is an example of a high performance deck that looks stock. It's just unreliable . The Clarion DRZ isn't too flashy, but it's just shiny enough so that it doesn't quite integrate in most vehicles from that aspect.

Nothing will stop them completly. My friend got his radio and 6x9s (thats all he had) stolen without any boken windows. They just used a slide hammer and yanked out his door and trunk lock. And that was an ordinary everyday 84' thunderbird, nothin special to look at. Almost better to have a trunk release button in sight, less damage done.

I dove around for a few years in a red firbird with a "look at me" loud exhust and a boomin system all on display in the back window. And nothin ever happened. I was really stupid and lucky back then.

Now my silver malibu doesnt even have a key for the trunk. Not that anyone would notice that car anyway. Heck I have a hard time finding it in the parking lots.