National Crime Bureau reports Honda and Toyota as the most popular stolen vehicles.
Nonsense I say.
Read between the lines and the reality is far from a negative for these two major brands, regardless of how this story reads.
1994 Honda Accord, 1995 Honda Civic and 1991 Camry and a 1995 Acura Integra were the oldest most popular stolen cars.
But wait, consider how many other car manufacturers have any significant number of twenty year old models still on the road, to BE STOLEN!
The obvious enticement to be stolen is the value of the parts, which are hard to find after all these years. We all understand the value of your old Honda or Toyota is higher to you when considering the replacement of a perfectly well running car, but the thieves are just as interested from the higher value in the sum of the parts, not the total value of the car. Since these models often lacked internal security, electronic keys and starter dis-ablers, it makes theft easy. I suggest investing in a starter interrupt system for a few hundred dollars to protect your car from being stolen.
The other models on the stolen car report were also older cars, including domestic manufacturers: FORD, Chevy, Dodge and CHRYSLER, with a 1999 Taurus, 1997-2004 mini-vans and pick-up trucks.
10. 1999
Ford Taurus
9. 2002
Ford Explorer
8. 1995
Acura Integra
7. 2000
Dodge Caravan
6. 2004
Dodge Ram
5. 1997
Ford F-150 pickup
4. 1999 full-sized
Chevy pickups
3. 1991
Toyota Camry
2. 1995
Honda Civic
1. 1994
Honda Accord
The truth is car thefts are actually dropped over 7% since 2009, as push-buttion start, smart-key-less entry, are keeping new model cars from being stolen. Popular vehicles are also sporting GPS systems like LoJack and OnSTAR, to easily track the stolen ride within minutes of being reported.
Install an anti-theft device if you own a 1991-1997 Honda, Toyota.
SO take this report as caution for those driving their gently-worn junkers with abandon, get an starter dis-abler, or kill-switch device to protect your investment…
…and for those of you considering a new or pre-owned car, take note: Honda and Toyota had more cars on the road TO BE STOLEN, 15-20 years later.
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Sarah Lee Marks is MyCarlady. She has over 22+ years of experience.
She writes about cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects.
MyCarlady offers private, auto-related services to help you maintain your personal or commercial vehicles.
Call Sarah Lee for more information: 702-788-3868
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