If you believe, well, TTAC, then minivans are “deeply uncool.” The criminal element in Japan begs to differ. Toyota’s HiAce minivan was the most stolen automobile in Japan in 2011, says The Nikkei [sub]. The next most stolen cars in Japan are from Toyota also: The Celsior sedan and the Land Cruiser SUV take the second and third position on the podium of infamy. Let’s investigate …
Most stolen cars 2011
U.S.A. |
Japan | Germany |
|
| 1 | 1994 Honda Accord | Toyota HiAce | Toyota Lexus RX 400 Hybrid |
| 2 | 1995 Honda Civic | Toyota Celsior | BMW M3 Coupe |
| 3 | 1991 Toyota Camry | Toyota Land Cruiser | VW Caravelle T4 2,5 TDI |
As the table shows, Japanese cars are the stars on Grand Theft Auto the world over. Thieves in the U.S. seem to have a strange attraction to ancient Japanese iron. In Germany, Lexus is not doing so well, except with the Autodiebe, who improve their green creds by purloining disproportionate numbers of the Lexus RX 400 Hybrid. And what’s that in Germany’s #3? Another minivan of sorts.
Meanwhile, back in Japan, the Aichi prefecture, where Toyota’s head office is located, appears to be a hotbed of criminal activity. It is the prefecture with the most auto thefts in Japan.
(Note: The methodologies of these statistics differ, the results should not be directly compared.)
why was it unlocked? goodbye insurance
Why “goodbye insurance?”
I don’t disagree with you that a parked vehicle should be locked, but under most circumstances such a theft is still covered, at least in the U.S.
When I was growing up, a friend’s father used to tell him that “an unlocked car isn’t covered against theft” – and then Dad had to eat his words when his car was stolen from the family garage. Seems that Dad opened the garage door, started the car, forgot something and ran back into the house. Within seconds – in a supposedly safe suburban neighborhood – a young delinquent walking by jumped into the car and sped off.
Car was found a few days later, stripped. Insurance paid in full.
Random thievery mostly happens during moments of opportunity. An iPad left on the passenger seat in plain view, for instance. An unlocked, unattended car left running is a welcome mat for the neighborhood meth head to hop in and just cruise away sipping the Venti mocha you had just put in the cup holder.
What was under ther car? Magnetic key holder? Inside job?
Given that minivans are the best selling cars here in Indonesia, naturally thieves target those too. The Avanza/Xenia and the Innova are the at the top of thieves’ list of cars to procure.
The Toyota Alphard luxury minivan is also popular with thieves here in Indonesia, who were after one parts of the car only: its sideview mirrors. These thieves often snatched them mirrors right off the car while the car (van) is stuck in traffic. Why do these mirrors such in high demand? I suppose because owners of these cars keep losing them to thieves, probably!
Hey,
I recently saw a bunch of Alphard vans in Hong Kong (nice van). What is the little tiny mirror for that is just ahead of the passenger side door? Not like the old-style ones way down on the front of the fender but literally right in front of the door? And obviously not the normal side-view mirror? They all had them.
Thanks.
It’s not that minivans are “cool” it’s that the criminals stealing them can utilize them in other crimes! They blend in anywhere, seats can be removed so you can toss a whole bunch of STUFF (like that mini-ATM you’re stealing) in the back hatch or dual sliding doors, cops are less likely to give a poor, pathetic shmuck driving one a second glance, plus I’m sure there are many, many other reasons.
You nailed it. My friend is a cop in Florida, and minivans always play a part in crimes like smash-n-grabs. The local trash is not totally ignorant when it comes to vehicles either. They know which ones are easily hot wired, which have no top speed governor, etc and the choose accordingly.
Top stolen list in USA always seems to be a look back into what was hot years ago. In the 90’s it was Oldsmobiles, which were red hot in the mid 80’s. The same logic applies to today, the only difference is there is a bigger gap in years, likely due to the fact that the 90’s stuff lasts much longer.
Top stolen list in USA always seems to be a look back into what was hot years ago.
That makes perfect sense, though…if 20% of all vehicles sold are white, it wouldn’t be too surprising if 20% of stolen vehicles were. Of course, it doesn’t always work that way; for example, some vehicles with vulnerable ignition locks are disproportionately represented.
However, I also wonder if there’s another reason why you see such common, workaday cars on the U.S. list of vehicles most often stolen: If a thief wants to keep a low profile, it’s probably easier to do so in a Honda Accord sedan, versus an Enzo.
Part of it is being stolen for parts also. Back in the early 90s I owned a 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and wouldn’t you know it was on the “most stolen list”. (And was stolen Thanksgiving weekend of 2000, cops found a stripped chassis in an alley in Detroit, I was living in Southfield, MI at the time.) That Cutlass was likely worth double in parts what it was worth sitting on a used car lot.
Now I own a 2004 F150 Heritage (which has the 1996-2003 body) and guess what? That body style of F150 is also on the most stolen list. I’ve owned it since 2006, keeping my fingers crossed.
I’m sure that’s a huge part of it, but early-’90s Honda products have been on the list for years. I suspect the relative ease of slim-jimming the door, if necessary, combined with the ignition often not caring what key is in it (or whether there’s a key at all) after 200k+ of wear, contributes to this, along with (perhaps to a lesser extent) the ‘ricer’ mentality among young joyriders. (BuzzDog touched on the former point without naming names, but I briefly owned a ’91 CB7 that would stay running with the key out, among other hilarious security risks.)
I’d also bet that, as with the Camry, the higher cost of parts and lower junkyard penetration than most other popular models has some impact on their theft rate – and, as PintoFan mentioned below, these cars are also popular in developing countries due to their longevity and existing parts base.
Vans are very kool in Hong Kong. It seems that all the personal vans have body cladding, custom wheels, spoilers and the like. Even stock vans look modified.
Even stock vans look agressive. Nissan Elgrands, Toyota Alphards dot the landscape.
I love the mini mirrors to view the curb. Now that is protecting your dubs!
http://www.topgearrules.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011-Nissan-Elgrand-Front-Angle-View.jpg
“The methodologies of these statistics differ, the results should not be directly compared,” he said as he put them all into one table.
One thing that makes minivans attractive to thieves is the plethora of airbags, which fetch good prices on the black market of stolen car parts. Otherwise, the theft of old Japanese cars in the United States is also fairly logical: they’re comparatively easy to steal, their parts fetch higher prices, and there is a voracious export market for them. Many of those stolen Accords and Camrys will wind up in South America.
In 1977, my 9th grade science teacher was married to the reporter from that news clip! No joke, no lie!
I saw a lot of Toyota Hi-Ace buses in Costa Rica, enough that this might be the single most common vehicle I saw in the touristy areas I visited. I’m surprised at it being called a minivan though, as the ones I saw were as large as a US full-size van with capacity for a dozen passengers plus luggage space. I googled them, and see that they come in two sizes, those I saw in Costa Rica being the longer of the two.
You bloody idiot, Dodge Caravans are one of the most stolen vehicles in Michigan (maybe it was just Detroit) you do not leave your vehicle unlocked in a city because this happens.
My 1995 Voyager was stolen about 6 years ago and luckily we got it back a few weeks later, but now it is locked all the time and I disable it if I am going outside my comfort zone like say overnight to NYC for example.
Japan is usually known as very secure, nearly crime-free country. This list is nice and all, but what are the numbers behind it? Does first place in Japan means that 4 of these buses were stolen?
Many of the “old” 90s Japanese cars get stolen for the purpose of committing crimes, and likely the reason why they are so high on the list is the same car getting stolen over and over!
Case in point: My uncle had a 1989 Camry (same generation as 1991 Camry mentioned above) that first had the trunk vandalized; he fixed it himself with dealer-parts only to have it vandalized again the next day. Later on it was stolen…repeatedly! I believe it was stolen 5 times one year! He thought it was the same guys going back to his car, because the police always found it abandoned in the same area.
He wanted whoever stole it to just keep it! He eventually donated it after it was stolen and crashed. The police towed the front-damaged hulk to his house and dumped it on the driveway.