Top Ten Stolen Vehicles of 2008
by Sam Abuelsamid on Aug 31st 2009 at 7:58PM 
Thanks to modern technologies like ignition keys with embedded chips and factory installed security immobilizers, it's getting harder and harder to steal new cars. As a result, the number of cars and trucks stolen in the United States dropped by 13.1 percent in 2008 compared to 2007, a trend that has been continuing for five years. Total thefts for the year could actually end up under 1 million for the first time in 20 years.
Owners of older cars on the other hand aren't so lucky. One of the main driving factors behind car thefts is to strip the vehicles and sell the parts. The main market for those parts is older, high volume vehicles, so the same vehicles are the ones that tend to get stolen. The top ten stolen vehicles for 2008 includes a couple of surprises and a bunch of perennial hits. Check out the whole list by clicking the image above.
[Source: SmartBrief | Photo by stephenyeargin | CC 2.0]
press release
Hot Wheels: Vehicle Theft Continuing to Decline
DES PLAINES, Ill., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hot Wheels 2009, the National Insurance Crime Bureau's (NICB) companion study to its popular Hot Spots auto theft report, examines data reported to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and determines the vehicle make, model, and model year most reported stolen in 2008. See the full report at www.nicb.org.
For 2008, the most stolen vehicles* in the nation were:
1. 1994 Honda Accord
2. 1995 Honda Civic
3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1997 Ford F-150 Pickup
5. 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup
6. 2000 Dodge Caravan
7. 1996 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
8. 1994 Acura Integra
9. 1999 Ford Taurus
10. 2002 Ford Explorer
Certain models of older cars and trucks are popular with thieves because of the value of their parts. Frequently, the parts can be stripped from a car at a chop shop and sold for at least twice as much as the value of the vehicle on the used car market. Newer models are also more difficult, but not impossible to steal thanks to anti-theft technology incorporated by the manufacturers.
Although the final numbers have not yet been released, the preliminary 2008 FBI Uniform Crime Report (UCR) shows that vehicle theft is on pace to record a decrease of 13.1 percent from 2007 numbers. That would make 2008 the fifth consecutive year of declining vehicle thefts. Moreover, if the preliminary figures hold total thefts for 2008 would be below 1 million vehicles--the lowest annual total in over 20 years.
"This is great news for vehicle owners, law enforcement and the insurance industry," said Joe Wehrle, NICB's president and chief executive officer. "It takes years of sustained effort to deliver the kinds of reductions that we are enjoying today. NICB joins with our member companies in acknowledging the great work performed by law enforcement and our investigators in the fight against vehicle theft.
"Comprehensive legislation, aggressive enforcement and rigorous prosecution are the three essential components to a winning crime control program. NICB is proud to contribute to each of those areas through our national legislative affairs program and our network of experienced investigators," Wehrle said.
NICB provides law enforcement with local resources for identifying and recovering stolen vehicles as well as training and information analysis in the detection and prevention of vehicle theft and insurance crime.
As good as this news is, however, vehicle theft is still a costly drain on our economy and a tremendous hassle for victims. To protect their investment, vehicle owners are urged to follow NICB's "layered approach" to auto theft prevention by employing simple, low-cost suggestions to make their vehicles less attractive to thieves.
NICB's four layers of protection are:
Common Sense: Lock your car and take your keys. It's simple enough but many thefts occur because owners make it easy for thieves to steal their cars.
Warning Device: Having and using a visible or audible warning device is another item that can ensure that your car remains where you left it.
Immobilizing Device: Generally speaking, if your car won't start, it won't get stolen. "Kill" switches, fuel cut-offs and smart keys are among the devices which are extremely effective.
Tracking Device: A tracking device emits a signal to the police or to a monitoring station when the vehicle is stolen. Tracking devices are very effective in helping authorities recover stolen vehicles. Some systems employ "telematics," which combine GPS and wireless technologies to allow remote monitoring of a vehicle. If the vehicle is moved the system will alert the owner and the vehicle can be tracked via computer.
Considering a used vehicle purchase? Don't buy a headache, check in with VINCheck(SM), NICB's free vehicle history service at www.nicb.org.
You can help stop this criminal activity by reporting suspected insurance fraud and vehicle theft to NICB at 1-800-TEL-NICB (1-800-835-6422) or by texting to TIP411 keyword "Fraud." You may also report fraud and theft by visiting our Web site www.nicb.org. All tips can be anonymous.
About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness. The NICB is supported by more than 1,000 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote nearly $343 billion in insurance premiums in 2008, or more than 82 percent of the nation's property/casualty insurance. To learn more visit www.nicb.org.
* This report reflects only stolen vehicle data reported to NCIC in 2008. No further filtering of information is conducted, i.e., determining the total number of a particular make and model currently registered in the U.S. for comparison purposes.
SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Banilejo 8:05PM (8/31/2009)
You couldn't find a picture of an 89 Camry? Maybe those got stolen too :-)
Reply
G-Daddy 8:07PM (8/31/2009)
I was thinking the same thing; isn't that a Cressida?
Sam Abuelsamid 8:30PM (8/31/2009)
Sorry about that, when I searched Toyota's media site that photo was labeled as an 89 Camry and it's been a long time since I saw a Cressida. I've replaced the photo.
Dan 8:47PM (8/31/2009)
Yep, it's replaced... with a Lexus ES! (Same car, just twice as expensive and 3 times as ugly!)
Here's a real '89 Camry - http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-hy-topstolen89camry,0,3716255.photo
JDM Life 8:59PM (8/31/2009)
Dan.
Your a Corn ball.
Al 9:27PM (8/31/2009)
Dan the Cressida was rwd the ES was fwd not the same car.
jpm100 7:41AM (9/01/2009)
@click
And that means what? This is a model by model ranking scheme which different companies have different strategies. Especially in the 80's & 90's. In fact the US models on the list tend not to have a rebadged versions or one that didn't sell very well. The old Sierra + Silverado sales are larger than F-150 sales, but individually they are do not situation.
Dan 8:52AM (9/01/2009)
What I was saying was that Sam replaced the Cressida pic with a Lexus ES pic. The ES was based on the Camry, therefore it was the same car.
And I stand by my expensive and ugly comments!
Honestly, I would have preferred seeing the Cressida over the Lexus. At least it was a decent looking vehicle.
2004m3driver 8:06PM (8/31/2009)
Haha not surprising at all. I use to own a 94 Honda accord and it wasn't stolen, but broken into a couple of times. Not sure if I should advertise this, but you can just unlock the door by bending the window to the side with a key. It was helpful when I forgot my keys in the car a couple of times.
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Brian 8:08PM (8/31/2009)
Are these Model years, or actual years? Because if that's the model year 1995 honda civic, its the wrong image as well.
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Jim 8:14PM (8/31/2009)
as for the Camry and Accord, I guess they are "still abundant on the road" if you're not in the rust belt. I'm hard pressed to see any more than, say, 8 years old where I live.
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Leclerc 8:40PM (8/31/2009)
You live in the rust belt and fail again Jim. I live in Buffalo (I think this qualifies as the rust belt), and see a ton of older Camry/Accords on the road to this day. Maybe where you live in your version of the rust belt (Arizona?) doesn't qualify. Your such a tool.
Jim 9:17PM (8/31/2009)
do I know you?
Pokey 9:22PM (8/31/2009)
I live in the rust belt too (Northern Indiana), and they do not last long around here either.
the4thheat 2:02AM (9/01/2009)
I don't see *that* many around anymore but I definitely see a lot more 1989 Camry's and Accords than 1989 Tauruses. And the Taurus outsold them back then.
You can't really compare family sedans to trucks and similar vehicles because they're not really built to the same level of toughness but for a 1989 car to even manage to show up on the most stolen list that means there's gotta be a lot of them left to steal.
longbowmkii 8:18PM (8/31/2009)
which 2 of these 10 are supposed to be surprising?
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sitruc 8:30PM (8/31/2009)
That was one of my first thoughts as well.
Jakesnake1294 2:54AM (9/01/2009)
They are all surprising. You could not pay me to drive any one of them.
Why don't people steal nice cars?
I had a girlfriend who's mother had her 79 Corolla stolen, which had over 300k on the clock. Their whole family acted as though the thief had not done them a huge favor.
Frank 8:05AM (9/01/2009)
"Why don't people steal nice cars?"
Well, beauty as they say is in the eye of the beholder. But the real reason they don't steal the cars you think they should steal is becuase they are not stealing rides for themselves. They are running a business, albit an illegal one, and they need to make money. Those cars in the list make them money, especially when they chop them up for parts.
Serge 9:23AM (9/01/2009)
@Jakesnake1294
Well... nice cars have GPS and anti-theft built in. I guess that's part of the reason they are harder to steal and keep concealed... or maybe because people who drive nice cars won't buy used parts from a junk yard.