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Honda Civics still the hottest cars

The Canadian Press

Latest comment posted at 11:05 AM EST 28/12/07

Head list of Canada's top 10 stolen vehicles for third year in row, Insurance Bureau of Canada says ...Read the full article

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  1. Anthony B from Sydney, NS, Canada writes: Interesting but where's the investigative journalism?

    Did these cars make the top-ten list because they are the top sellers or because they are the easiest to steal? Instead of just regurgitating Insurance Bureau statistics, how about some details.

    Very sloppy, G&M.
  2. Rollo Tomasi from Belgium writes: A little research, very little:

    The sheer numbers of the cars and their lack of theft deterrent systems make them thieves' preferred choices.

    1999 and 2000 Honda Civics do not come with an electronic immobilizer, however all Hondas from 2001 and onward are equiped with an immobilizer. Immobilizers will be mandatory on all new cars sold beginning September 2007. The devices enable an engine computer to recognize an electronic code in the key. If the code in the key and the engine don't match exactly, the vehicle can't be started.

    Once stolen, the cars are most often sold to "chop shops" where thieves completely dismantle the vehicles. The automobile's individual parts are worth more than the entire car.
  3. Robert Dryburgh from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada writes: There isn’t a lot of information in this article. Were the ignition interlocks defeated for joy riding or did the thieves tow them away to be chopped for parts? There is a big difference here as an immobilizer will not hinder the vehicle being stolen if it is towed away, broken down and sold as parts.
  4. Paul Bunyan from Northern forest, Canada writes: Who wants to steal a Caravan? More likely someone wanted a new vehicle, and "got rid" of the old one............
  5. Robert Dryburgh from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada writes: Paul Bunyan from Northern forest, Canada writes: Who wants to steal a Caravan? ... Paul, Moron young offenders who are well aware that LITTLE or NOTHING will be imposed as punishment for criminal activities. Governments are just finding out what everybody has always known. I'm sure that a few thefts of onvenience .
  6. globe reader from Toronto, Canada writes: I second Anthony's comment - how about trying to show % of cars stolen by model?
  7. Ian St. John from Canada writes: "Anthony B from Sydney, NS, Canada writes: Did these cars make the top-ten list because they are the top sellers or because they are the easiest to steal?"

    Or hardest to trace (what chance of spotting a stolen civic vs a stolen Lamborghini..). Or easiest to modify as a street racer. Or more in demand in other countries where gas is expensive. And stolen as a joy ride or for profit?

    Investigative journalism is something they do when they run out of news stories. You can't complain that they are just reporting the 'news'.
  8. andy c from Canada writes: Paul Bunyan; i dont think people want to really steal a caravan for the ride but possibly for whatever goodies are inside the van.
  9. gilles monenemie from Montreal, Canada writes: I have civic, the only problem is the honda warranty is worthless, they always stick it to the driver. the bottomline with honda is that the owner is always at fault. Thats not what they tell you in the showroom but thats the reality at the service desk.
  10. Comments are Closed from Toronto, Canada writes: Just go to newswire.ca and read the IBC release. Broaden your horizons. Release was issued at 6 AM. Maybe the Globe will finish theirs for the weekend auto section.

    I still remember the Honda exec interviewed on the corpse (Marketplace?) about their high theft rates who basically said, S-happens. What do you want us to do about it?
  11. Lance Uppercut from Canada writes: There's a bit more detail on the Insurance Bureau of Canada's website:
    http://www.ibc.ca/en/MediaCentre/NewsReleases/2007/19-12-2007.asp
  12. Brian W from Burlington, Canada writes: Anything Dodge or Chrysler is stolen because it's so easy to do. A simple screwdriver can pop open a door and ignition lock in seconds. They are most stolen for 'joy rides' and then trashed or abandoned. Subaru's and Honda's are stolen for their parts. The fact that it's easy to steal is secondary to the value of the components. Parts from a Civic that's 10 years old will fit into a car that is almost current. I don't know what the fascination is with the Audi, probably easy to steal too.

    As for the immobilizer, well, social engineering or break and enter will result in the loss of your keys. I had a friend who had a Land Rover stolen (towed away) from in front of his house. They will steal higher-end cars and ditch them a couple of km's away and wait for a few days to see if the cops show up. If not, the car probably doesn't have a GPS tracker and can be hauled to a chop-shop. If someone wants your car badly enough, you will lose it.
  13. Sylvester McMonkey McBean from Ottawa, Canada writes: But where is the Buick Allure? I can only assume the advanced theft-prevention systems in the car prevent this most desirable vehicle from topping the list.
  14. Claude Carriere from Canada writes: Makes me happy I bought a Hyundai Elantra with standard immobilizer built in instead.

    Almost as good as the Civic but cheaper and less likely to be stolen.
  15. Michael Craine from Calgary, Canada writes: Buick Allure?...Who would want one? The thieves of today want something small, fast and profitable in the aftermarket, whether it be as a complete unit or piecemeal. The Allure fails in all three categories.
  16. Go Oilers Go! from Canada writes: Paul Bunyan from Northern forest, Canada writes: Who wants to steal a Caravan? More likely someone wanted a new vehicle, and "got rid" of the old one............

    Paul...some punks actually stole my '93 Ford Probe...in 2003. I'm not kidding.

    What's funny is the thieves were multiple offenders so they went to jail.

    The judge didn't like it much when I laughed at them in court for going to jail for stealing a piece of sh!t car.

    Some people are just stupid Paul...all you can do is sit back and laugh.
  17. Go Oilers Go! from Canada writes: Comments are Closed from Toronto, Canada writes: I still remember the Honda exec interviewed on the corpse (Marketplace?) about their high theft rates who basically said, S-happens. What do you want us to do about it?

    I'm not disputing that is what the Honda exec said; however Honda has done quite a bit to curb theft of their vehicles.

    The engine immobilizer for one. All windows have serial numbers etched into them plus several other anti-theft features.

    Honda knows their cars are targeted and regardless of what they say publically they want to address the issue so it doesn't affect sales.
  18. mike t from niagara falls, Canada writes: The reason why the 99-00 Civic SiR is so popular to be stolen is that it came with a 160 hp, 1.6 L DOHC VTEC motor as opposed to the other models that had 106 and 127 hp. It also had a sport tuned suspension. These features in combination with no theft immobilizer system has made it a favourite of thieves.

    Four years ago I owned one of these vehicles, only to have my wife destroy it in an accident. I still remember that when it was sitting, all mashed up, in the lot behind the Honda dealership, (where they initially tried to repair it before writing it off), several of the mechanics there were eyeing it for the motor!
  19. Mike Mike from Canada writes: Honda Civic was my car of choice for 8 years. Never had any major problems, looked slick and drove like a champ. I would not buy a new honda now though. Is anybody in their right mind going to pay almost 30K for a civic (that is if you want decent options)?! It's crazy! Honda used to be an economical, beautiful and most importantly affordable car. Now they are just like saab's, audi's, VW's etc. Nice buy way too expensive to buy or maintain. Come to think of it, I will probably never buy a new car again. Just not worth the money.
  20. Master T from Burlington, Canada writes: Dodge Caravans get stolen not necessarily for what's inside, but more commonly, theives will steal a Caravan to go and rob a house. They have a large cargo capacity, are easy to break into, and disappear in crowds (becuase there are millions of them on the road)

    "...the suspect escaped in a gray Dodge Caravan". Yeah, let's pull them all over and see which one is hauling stuff that looks like it came out of a house...

    That's why they're so high on the list.
  21. B Z from Canada writes: I had a caravan stolen a few years ago, and the police told me that those vans are stolen so often because they are easy to get into, and have tinted back windows. Most of the thieves steal them to do a series of home/business robberies, and then dump the van after a few weeks. Their size, and tinted windows make them ideal for hiding lots of stolen goods. I did get the van back a few months later (although all my stuff was stolen)...
  22. Some Guy from Ottawa, Canada writes: I agree with Mike Mike. My 6.5 year old Civic is still running well but once it dies I'll never buy new again. Who pays $350 in car payments? For what purpose?

    I am skeptical - insurance companies are simply jacking the rates on a vehicle that is commonly owned. It's not really about the rate of theft, it's much more about the insurance company tricking the average joe into higher premiums on an entire model having everyone fooled into thinking it's due to high theft rates and the cost is unavoidable. Appealing to the human nature of middle class. I despise my insurance company and constantly pester them with questions.
  23. Broken Record from Victoria, B.C., Canada writes: Vehicles make the "most stolen" list primarily because they are easier to break into. Japanese and North American vehicles tend to have locks that are easier to defeat whilst European car locks are more sophisticated. The numbers are also skewed by the relatively few European cars sold here compared with Asian and North American marques.
  24. Tony . from Waterloo, Canada writes: mike t from niagara falls, Canada writes: "The reason why the 99-00 Civic SiR is so popular to be stolen is that it came with a 160 hp, 1.6 L DOHC VTEC motor"

    Mike's hitting the nail on the head with this one. Look at the list of cars, almost all of them have high performance parts that can be stripped from the car and sold easily as parts.

    The Acura Integra's are another obvious example here, and I imagine you'll find the GSR and Type-R's trims of these are the most common choices. These Civic SiR and Acura's have performance parts (including the engines) that are nearly drop-in replacements to almost all smaller and cheaper Honda vehicles. The Subaru WRX and Audi are also full of performance parts that can probably be dropped into other Subaru and Audi/VW cars respectively.

    I don't quite know why the Dodge Caravan made the list though. Only thing I can think of is that there's lots of them out there and therefore a bit market for spare parts?
  25. Jack Knight from Canada writes: It would be interesting to know what the hottest car means. I will never purchase another Honda product as its warranty stinks. It would appear the dealership personnel are a pack of liars but in any event that is Honda's problem and the latter could care less. At Honda the customer is a bother!
  26. Dan Thomas from Peterborough, Canada writes: Since everyone is asking why the caravan, I'll tell you what I think. Back in the 90's I accidentally used the key to my mom's caravan to drive my mother in-law's caravan. After I realized what I had done, I tried the same in a few other caravans and found it worked most of the time, the only issue was the door locks were less accepting of other caravan keys. My assumption is that with better ignition locks now, the caravan isn't as easy to steal.
  27. bill johnson from quebec, Canada writes: I think the caravans get stolen for their looks, especially the ones with the wood paneling.
  28. Rumon Fastaker from United States Outlying writes: Mike Mike - the new Honda of the future is - HYUNDAI! Fantastic cars these days without the Honda price.

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