slo007

By Michael Muskal, LA Times Staff Writer

Acura Integras were the most popular brand of cars stolen last year, claiming eight positions on the list of the 25 vehicles most likely to be taken, according to a survey released today.

The survey by Chicago-based CCC Information Services Inc. showed that one of every 200 registered 1999 Acura Integras was stolen last year, giving it the No. 1 spot. The 2002 BMW M Roadster and the 1998 Acura Integra were the second and third most often stolen vehicles.

Acuras built in every model year from 1994 to 2001 made the list.

CCC Information Services is a technology provider to the automotive claims and collision repair industry. The company said in a statement that it had analyzed loss claims, then compared its stolen-vehicle data against vehicle registrations.

Although there is no way to know why any vehicle is stolen, there are some trends, according to Carole Comstock, vice president of marketing and product management for the company.

"Our data suggests some cars are stolen for the value of their parts, which may explain why we often see a 'clustering' effect with same make and model vehicles from sequential model years," she said. "Some manufacturers retain the same part-type from model year to model year, so a part from a 1995 model may fit a car manufactured three years later."

Clustering most frequently occurs with upper midsized cars, such as the Acura Integra and Honda Accord, according to the company.

Comstock also indicated that the 2004 list includes a high proportion of cars likely stolen because they are speedy.

"There is a growing interest in street car racing and participants seem to gravitate toward the Acura Integra as their vehicle of choice. Other vehicles, including the Mercury Marauder and BMW M Roadster, while not likely to be used in street car racing, have been manufactured with speed in mind," Comstock said in the statement.

According to the company, the most stolen vehicles of 2004 were:
1999 Acura Integra
2002 BMW M Roadster
1998 Acura Integra
1991 GMC V2500
2002 Audi S4
1996 Acura Integra
1995 Acura Integra
2004 Mercury Marauder
1997 Acura Integra
1992 Mercedes-Benz 600
2001 Acura Integra
1989 Chevrolet R25
1993 Cadillac Fleetwood
1994 Acura Integra
1996 Lexus GS
2000 Acura Integra
1999 Mercedes-Benz CL
1996 Lexus SC
2004 Cadillac Escalade
1996 BMW 750
1998 Land Rover Range
1994 Audi Cabriolet
2001 BMW M Roadster
2003 Cadillac Escalade
2000 Honda Civic

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-0...home-headlines

charliemike

Horseshit ... It's all about parts.

Think anyone cared about speed back when Oldsmobiles were the most often stolen?

subtledreamer

GO TEGGY!!!!