Thumbs Down: Car Thief Magnets

Deterrence:

If you drive a luxury car, you maythink thieves have it in their sights.Actually, because cars typically arestolen for profit, thieves usually targetpopular, more mundane models, suchas the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord,and Honda Civic. These three lead thelist of the most commonly stolen vehicles,according to the NationalInsurance Crime Bureau (www.nicb.org). The study also reflected thegrowing popularity of pickups, minivans,and sport utility vehicles, whichaccounted for 10 of the 25 most frequentlystolen vehicles. Etching car windows with the vehicleidentification number is a relativelycheap way to deter theft because thethieves must replace the glass beforeresale, which cuts into their profits.