Who drives your car
 

When the local gossip news services report number of stolen cars, they report the number stolen - not a percentage. Theives could steal every Corvette and it still would not appear in a list reported by local gossips such as Liza Thomas Laurie.

However the Highway Loss Data Institute reports car thefts as a percentage of cars out there. Once honest reporting is performed, then Honda and Toyota no longer appear on the list:
Cadillac Escalade 4WD Large SUV 10.3
Dodge Stratus Midsize 4-door car 8.7
Mitsubishi Mirage Small 2-door car 7.2
Jeep Wrangler 4WD Small SUV 7.2
Lincoln Navigator 2WD Large SUV 6.6
Dodge Intrepid Large 4-door car 5.8
Lincoln Navigator 4WD Large SUV 5.7
Dodge Ram 1500 series Large pickup 5.6
Ford Expedition 2WD Large SUV 5.6
Chrysler Sebring 4-door car 5.5

Theft rates are driven, in part, by failure rates. Just demonstrates which vehicles are most likely to be stolen - or break down. Cadallic is most interesting. Insurance for theft on the average car is about $15 per year. For the Cadallic - $167 per year.

I'm rather surprised that the Jeep Grand Cherokee is not on the list. And based upon a review in NY Times, the new, redesigned Pontiac Grand Prix still belongs on that list.

So this means I'm safe w/ my '03 Chevy Truck?

You make a good point tw but is it possible you underestimate desirability? The first rig on your list is the hideous Escalade, which has Chevy and GMC counterparts which are not listed. Over all Cadillac did have the highest custumer satisfaction rating over the last year, but I don't know if Escalade trails the rest of the brand. [rascist]I would speculate that Escalade is very popular in certain demographics which may also align with car thief demographics.[/rascist] The security question is interesting we had a child seat bound kid trapped in an auto locking vehicle locally. The police couldn't open it and a locksmith was unavailable so a fireman had to break a window... I guess if you're a car thief you developed specialized skills.

The "$167 per year, $15 per year" numbers are the average claim per vehicle insured IIRC.

I always remember tw pointing out that the theft numbers were driven by the parts market... but I bet Griff is right. The Escalade and Navigator are just plain high visibility vehicles in high demand overall. And I do know that almost every one of the Eagles players drives either one or the other.

Failure rates causing parts demands are but one major reasons for car theft. Lesser reasons are many who drive stolen cars with VIN removed or modified. This is more common in towns that don't have law enforcement such as many parts of Philly - especially now that terrorists exist on every city block and police have no time or money for criminal investigations.. Also driving those theft rates are access to port cities. Places such as Port Newak and Chattanooga TN are international port towns where vehicles are put into containers and shipped to places where more cars are most often stolen - ie Belize in Central America.

But then GMC and Chevy versions of the same vehicle do not have all those additional expensive parts (those so many options that make the vehicle about 50K) that make the Excalade a better theft. Which would you steal? The stripped down model of the one full of so many additional peripherals - more parts to sell?

BTW, investigators are also confused by this. Cadillac is suppose to have one of the best theft deterent systems among all cars. Why then are theives finding this car so easy to steal?

Escalades and other expensive rides are worth the trouble to containerize and export. But the more of any particular make/model on the road the more are stolen. Partly because there are more targets of opportunity but mostly there is a bigger demand for repair parts. The mechanicals are always available at the junk yard or Pep Boys but body and trim parts are always at a premium. If a car costs $30K then to buy that car in new parts would be at least $170K and assembly is extra.
I remember a couple years ago reading about a guy that had a brand new car stolen. The car was recovered in perfect condition except the seats and seat belts were missing. Since this was a new model from Toyota and replacement seats were not available, the insurance company totaled the $ 20odd K car.
It seems stupid until you realize the Ins co will part out that car and at least break even.;)

What is "rascist," a combination of racist and fascist? :D

In western MN, I see a lot of Native Americans driving Escalades through casino-land. I'm going to start paying attention to who's driving them in the Twin Cities. Whoever they are, I hate them. :rar:

Re: Who drives your car
 

Just me. Rho has not yet driven it...and I might keep it that way. :)

Damn, Syc. Do you sleep with one eye open?:eek:

I keep meaning to let Rho drive it, but then I forget. And it's not like she needs to anyway...that's why she has her own car.

He said...and then, do you know who's going to tie my tie and press my shirt?
She said...the undertaker.
;)

I tie a fine Windsor knot, and do all the ironing in the house.

For 20 years Pierre, he does zee ironing.
Zen he burns just one little hanky.
I swear, no biggger zen a poc-ket.
And sacre bleu, zay call heem zee beeg hanky burner.
:D

Hot Damn!! I'm safe! I've got an '03 Hyundai Elantra and a 1977 Fiat Spider. Always knew the Spider was safe, though. No one steals a spider if there's anything else around, including a Pinto or a Yugo. Those actually start when you turn the key and don't have to idle for 15 minutes until the engine decides it's warm enough to run. Maybe I should start putting expresso in my tank

Good plan, Syc. I let the Mrs. drive the Explorer, and after having derided it for a couple of days (too big, too tall to get into, bouncy ride), once she drove it, she decided that she *likes* it a lot. I think its that whole "I could run over that asshole in the Toyota if I wanted to" feeling you get in a 4 x 4.

Anyway, now she snatches the keys from my hands half the time when we go somewhere and smiles maniacally while zooming down the highway.