ARLINGTON, Va., May 15 (UPI) -- While the Toyota Camry remains the favorite of car thieves for the fifth straight year, the sportier Acura Integra had the worst overall insurance theft losses, an insurance industry group said Wednesday.
There were 21.7 theft claims for every 1,000 small Acura sedans and coupes on the road -- eight times higher than the average for all cars -- and more than twice the claims for the Jeep Wrangler, which had the second-highest theft claims frequency.
The average loss on claims involving all insured Integras was $205 per vehicle compared to an average $15 loss for all 1999-2001 passenger cars.
The Acura Integra has appeared on the Highway Loss Data Institute's "10 worst" list for theft since 1997. Honda began equipping the Integra with passive immobilizing anti-theft devices in the 2000 model year.
"Immoblizers are thought to be more effective in deterring amateur thieves than the professionals," says Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute. "Theft investigators believe that Integras are targeted by professional thieves for their parts and that many of those parts, like the more powerful engine, end up on modified Honda Civics.
The $12,810 Civic was built on the same platform as the $20,000 Integra, which was succeeded by the 2002 Acura RSX, a more upscale sporty 2-door hatchback.
Other vehicles with high insurance theft claims include the Jeep Cherokee 4WD, Honda Prelude, Mitsubishi Mirage, Chrysler 300M, Hyundai Tiburon, Dodge Intrepid and Chrysler LHS.
Toyotas and Hondas accounted for 16 of the 20 most-stolen vehicles in 2001, according to CCC Information Services Inc., with the Honda Accord the most stolen regardless of model year.
The only domestic vehicle on the top of the most-stolen list was the 1994 Chevrolet C1500 4X2 truck. The Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro failed to make the list, reflecting the fading popularity of American "muscle cars."
