Car Theft: Is Your Vehicle at Risk? 5 of the Top Stolen Rides

There are plenty of statistics to be found about car theft. But no matter where your data comes from, one number stands out above the rest: having your car stolen has a 100% chance of raining on your parade.

An Undeserved Reputation

Films like Gone in Sixty Seconds make car theft look downright sexy. A young Angelina Jolie doing burnouts in a boosted Porsche on downtown streets paints these thieves in a pretty glorious light. Million-dollar sports cars are sold in bulk to conscience-free royalty in some oil-rich nation. For impressionable children and stupid people, this line of work comes off as a noble career path—a job for the most discerning automobile aficionados, right?

This portrayal could not be further from the truth. In reality, some junkie with a neck beard and a food-stained hoodie is breaking into your late ’90s beater with a coat hanger and a screwdriver simply because it looks like an easy mark. He is then taking anything of value inside it, and ditching the car on some back road. Or, he’s selling it to an unscrupulous chop shop to be sold off for parts at a severe discount. (Did you know parts like airbags and catalytic converters can fetch a pretty penny, and are near impossible to hunt down?) Perhaps he’s then buying crystal methamphetamine and Mountain Dew with the proceeds, who knows.

What Can We Do To Prevent Car Theft?

Car theft will unquestionably ruin your day. Can it be prevented? Not entirely. But you can prepare yourself. Make sure your insurance is always up to date and covers such occurrences. And if you’re the proud owner of anything on this list, a car alarm would be a sound investment. And for the love of Henry Ford, Lock. Your. Damn. Doors. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

What follows is the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s list of most stolen used cars. And while it might be a little disconcerting to see your vehicle on here, remember that car theft has been on a steady decline since the late 1960s. Always a silver lining, right?

Honda Accord

While technological advances have made it a lot trickier to steal a newer Honda, models from last century continue to top this list. And that’s due, in large part, to the fact that there are so many of them on the road. So, needless to say, models made before anti-theft technology advancements will remain at risk. For example, the “smart key” was not used in Hondas until 1998. Hence, it should come as no surprise that 1997 Accords are still the most likely model year to be swiped.

Honda Civic

Similar to the Accord, there are just so many Civics on the road that sheer volume keeps them atop the list. On the bright side, these cars run forever. Unfortunately, many of them are around long enough to have their archaic technology preyed upon. However, advancements have come a long way, and the 2016 Honda Civic didn’t even make the countdown of the 25 Most Stolen 2016 models. Honda hopes to relinquish its reign atop this list in the very near future.

Ford F-Series

A great many of these trucks are out there, making them a frequent target. Police often cite the most obvious explanation for these thefts: leaving trucks unlocked with keys in them (or even running), valuable technology or tools in the cab, and parking in unsavory areas are still the primary reasons a ride will come up missing. It isn’t so much that the F-Series is easier to steal than other pickups. It’s simply that the mighty king F-Series is the easiest truck to find. Naturally, some of them are bound to be unlocked or in a vulnerable area.

Chevrolet Silverado

Another popular truck model with a booming black market for resold parts is the Silverado. As America’s love of trucks and SUVs has grown over the years, so has those vehicles’ stature on this list. While overall auto theft has cut drastically since anti-theft technology got serious in the late 1990s, an increased national obsession with bigger vehicles has seen them taking up a much larger portion of this rundown in recent years. As one of the most beloved trucks on the market, the Silverado’s high ranking in theft tally seems to be a matter of course.

Toyota Camry

Unlike many of the other entries on this list, Toyota’s theft headaches are continuing into present day. The Camry tops the 2016 list of the most frequently stolen new vehicles. Buyer popularity contributes to its bad luck, but oddly, so does its unremarkable appearance. If a witness is present for a Camry theft, what are the odds they’ll be able to accurately identify the make and model? “Well, Officer, it looked like a car.” Plus, the Toyota Camry has been one of the best-selling vehicles for decades, meaning thieves have had a lot of time to perfect the art of jiggling locks and reproducing master keys.

Other Frequently Stolen Vehicles include the Nissan Altima, RAM pickups, Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Impala, and Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee. So, if you think your vehicle might be at risk, or you live in a city frequented by car thieves, maybe it’s time to look into some anti-theft tech. Or heck, even just an alarm sticker.

 

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