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Most stolen cars in America

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,938
13,133
Portland, OR
About 10 or so years ago it was the VW Jetta, until people figured out they weren't worth the effort.
 

Mani_UT

Monkey
Nov 25, 2001
644
0
SLC, UT
1. 1995 Honda Civic
2. 1991 Honda Accord
3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1997 Ford F-150 Series Pickup
5. 1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500 Pickup
6. 1994 Acura Integra
7. 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup
8. 1994 Nissan Sentra
9. 1988 Toyota Pickup
10. 2007 Toyota Corolla

https://www.nicb.org/cps/rde/xchg/nicb/hs.xsl/72.htm
What would it be as a percentage of the numbers of that specific car on the road? As an exemple an F150 is plenty common so wouldnt it make the list just because they are everywhere?
 

ultraNoob

Yoshinoya Destroyer
Jan 20, 2007
4,504
1
Hills of Paradise
dammnit, i have the 1996 version of #6. Hasn't been stolen yet, but it could be due to the fact that I try to camo it up by keeping it dirty and covered in bird droppings.
 

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
I talked to a cop once about this after my Toyota van was stolen (the second time).

Toyotas and Hondas are easy to break into and quick to steal. They are also pretty non-descript so they are a good choice for joy-riding and committing crimes in.

Supposedly the early model Toyota vans were one of the easiest vehicles in the US to break into. (aside from convertibles)
 

Stray_cat

Monkey
Nov 13, 2007
460
0
Providence
My girlfriend and I just had a bunch of camping gear stolen from a 1979 VW camper van in Montreal this past weekend...it was a pretty dumb move to leave all the backpacking equipment in the car. When telling our tale to a mechanic, he just sorrta laughed and said "Man I'm surprised they even had to break the glass." It's a good thing they didn't know how to hotwire a car, seeing as how the dash is slightly broken and various starting wires dangle in a 'steal me fashion.' We now take out the coil wire when parked over night. Lesson learned.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,938
13,133
Portland, OR
I talked to a cop once about this after my Toyota van was stolen (the second time).

Toyotas and Hondas are easy to break into and quick to steal. They are also pretty non-descript so they are a good choice for joy-riding and committing crimes in.

Supposedly the early model Toyota vans were one of the easiest vehicles in the US to break into. (aside from convertibles)
When the cops recovered my '86 Toyota 4x4, I was blown away at how easy it was.

Screwdriver in the doorlock, turn HARD
Pop the plastic piece between the wiper switch and ignition (1/4" wide separator)
Use a screwdriver to pop the ignition cylinder out
Use same screwdriver to start.

With no visible damage to the column, it doesn't look stolen. When I picked it up, they had left the "key" in the ignition for me. I drove it home sitting on a beach chair.

<edit> On the Jetta, you can pry the door handle off, then just open the door with your finger. :rofl:
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,938
13,133
Portland, OR
I don't understand.
When the truck was recovered, it had no seats (I had installed '86 Supra seats). The interior had been gutted, except for the carpet and the upper dash.

When the cops called, they said "I hope you have something to sit on for the ride home".
 

TN

Hey baby, want a hot dog?
Jul 9, 2002
14,301
1,353
Jimtown, CO
Ohhhhh....OK. I see.
When the truck was recovered, it had no seats (I had installed '86 Supra seats). The interior had been gutted, except for the carpet and the upper dash.

When the cops called, they said "I hope you have something to sit on for the ride home".
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,228
20,005
Sleazattle
My brother had his S4 (esspho for you douchebags) stolen from his driveway. Cops think they figured out the key/remote codes, made a key and just drove it away. They stole the headlights and airbags before tossing it into a guardrail and abondoning it on an interstate. I bet they were trying to damage it just enough so it would get totalled by the insurance company so they could pick it back up in auction.
 

dante

Unabomber
Feb 13, 2004
8,807
9
looking for classic NE singletrack
My understanding is that immobilizers are an inconvenience at best.
that '07 Corolla (#10) has one... my tC has one as well, and I figured that as long as it's a momentary inconvenience it's done it's job, since the thief will probably go steal something that doesn't have it. guess I may have to rethink that position. :poster_oops:
 

skinny mike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 24, 2005
6,415
0
here's the list for vermont:
1. 1996 subaru legacy
2. 1994 ford taurus
3. 1997 ford escort
4. 1997 honda civic
5. 2000 jeep cherokee/grand cherokee
6. 1997 chevy cavalier
7. 1996 ford ranger
8. 1994 jeep wrangler
9. 1995 ford f150
10. 1989 chevy 1500 pickup
10. 2005 dodge caravan
10. 1998 bombardier ski doo (snowmobile) :rofl:
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
My understanding is that immobilizers are an inconvenience at best.
Yes and no. An immobilizer in a VW AG car is easy to defeat in about 90 seconds with VAG-COM and a laptop in the OBD2 port. Your run of the mill car thief isn't going to be able to take the car, but someone that knows wtf is going on is going to be able to take it. Or just get a flatbed.

I dunno how tough it is to get past the immobilizer in my E30 (active fuel cutoff, you arm it by setting a code before shutting off the car). Not many car thieves with the ability to get past an immo want 25 y/o BMWs, so I'm not that worried ;)