Targeted Cars
As you would expect, there are some cars which become targeted by criminals more than others, but largely these aren’t the cars you would automatically think of as being targets. Which car largely depends on the type of theft and they reasons the criminal has for the theft. The different types of theft can be seen in our ‘Theft Methods’ section.
The first criminal type is the Opportunist. The type of car targeted by this particular breed of criminal is almost irrelevant, they target more a particular type of owner - the careless one, rather than selected car types. A lapse in concentration is all it takes, such a forgetting to lock the car or put on any security devices, leaving items on display in the car that could easily be stolen with a smashed window, or simply leaving the car unattended with the keys in or ignition running while you pop into a gas station or a convenience store. In these instances it doesn’t matter whether you are running a Ferrari or a Toyota if the opportunity is there. Thankfully these thieves are the easiest to stop.
Joyriders, or any criminals generally who want your car to get somewhere, rather than for the value of the car itself, will target cars that are simply the easiest to steal, and these tend to be older cars. Their main concern is getting into the car and getting it started quickly, and with the electronic immobilisers fitted to newer cars that are now required by law, this means older autos are the simplest and easiest choice. Take a look at these figures from 2002, 2004 and 2006 to see the trends for the most popular cars stolen in the US:
(source: National Insurance Crime Bureau)
2002
1) 1989 Toyota Camry
2) 1994 Honda Accord
3) 2000 Honda Civic
4) 1992 Chevrolet Full Size C/K Pickup
5) 1997 Ford Full Size Pickup (150/250/350)
6) 1993 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
7) 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
8) 1994 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
9) 1996 Ford Taurus
10) 2001 Toyota Corolla
2004
1) 1995 Honda Civic
2) 1989 Toyota Camry
3) 1991 Honda Accord
4) 1994 Dodge Caravan
5) 1994 Chevrolet Full Size C/K 1500 Pickup
6) 1997 Ford F150 Series
7) 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup
8) 1990 Acura Integra
9) 1988 Toyota Pickup
10) 1991 Nissan Sentra
2006
1) 1995 Honda Civic
2) 1991 Honda Accord
3) 1989 Toyota Camry
4) 1997 Ford F150 Serues
5) 2005 Dodge Ram P/UP
6) 1994 Chevy 1500 P/UP
7) 1994 Nissan Sentra
8) 1994 Dodge Caravan
9) 1994 Saturn SL
10) 1990 Acura Integra
These numbers show the prevalence of earlier cars to be taken, and also highlight specific models like the 1995 Honda Civic which was well known as being easily steal-able. A large amount of older Japanese cars make the higher sports in the crime listings, partly due to their popularity as cars and high sales figures, but also due to the difference in culture of the manufacturers. In Japan, car theft was almost non existent – it was considered incredibly dishonourable, so Japanese manufacturers did not put many resources into vehicle security at the time, but this has now changed completely.
High performance and sports cars are generally a stolen in a very small percentage of overall car thefts. If you look at the official US figures, theft rates of 2007 model year cars stolen within 2007, the theft rate per 1000 vehicles produced on several new Ferraris, Jaguars, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, and even one particular Saab and Volvo are all 0.0%, just follow the link here for the full breakdown of figures: Motor Vehicle Theft Data 2007 from NHTSA
When more expensive newer cars are stolen, it is usually by a professional thief stolen to order, usually by taking the car keys via burglary, theft or carjacking. The cars are usually stripped for their parts, or are reassigned a new fake identity by removing the VIN plates and registration numbers. Some are taken to other countries for resale. In the UK, it is said that nearly 40% of all the high value cars stolen are taken out of the country within 48 hours, stored where they can’t be found in cargo containers on ships.
The UK also compiles data called the Car Theft Index, which gives information on the most popular car targets, you can find the latest figures by following this link: UK Car Theft Index.
Finally a big thank you to the guys at Orangewheels.co.uk who supply new Toyota Cars who gave up their time for free to help us put together this information site.