There’s nothing like that rock-in-the-bottom-of-your-stomach feeling when you’re standing in the middle of the mall parking lot and NOT finding your car. Unfortunately for those whose beloved rides are Honda Accords and Honda Civics, that feeling is an all-too-common one, according to LoJack Corp., a top provider of tracking and recovery systems.
Turns out that Honda’s Accord and Civic models are enduring favorites among both law-abiding citizens and lowdown thieves alike. They’ve been upper-level regulars on most-stolen lists released by companies and agencies like LoJack and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) multiple times over the past several years.
“Year after year, the Honda Accord continues to be a top seller at car dealerships throughout the United States for a variety of reasons, including their reliability,” Patrick Clancy, LoJack’s vice president of law enforcement told reporters. “That means year after year there are more Accords on the road, getting into car accidents or needing parts for repair.”
Car parts are often interchangeable over multiple model years, which makes them hot commodities among thieves. In fact, chop shop crooks can net up to three times the value of a stolen vehicle by selling it for parts. That’s a major reason that the Accord has topped LoJack’s most-stolen list for the fifth consecutive year.
Here’s the full list of LoJack’s most stolen cars over the past year:
- Honda Accord
- Honda Civic
- Toyota Camry
- Toyota Corolla
- Chevrolet Silverado.
- Acura Integra
- Cadillac Escalade
- Ford F-350
- Nissan Altima
- Chevrolet Tahoe
The oldest LoJack-equipped car recovered last year was a 1963 Cadillac convertible, which the company helped locate just 22 minutes after its owner reported it missing from Los Angeles. LoJack has a tracking system designed specifically for classic and collectible vehicles that won’t drain power or change the appearance or value. The company’s priciest recovery recently was a 2011 Porsche Panamera valued at $103,400.
By the way, the most common color of stolen cars is black – Not much of a surprise, as it’s also one of the most common colors of vehicles anyway. The least stolen color: Turquoise.
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