Mercedes C-Class, BMW 3-Series top most stolen luxury cars

In some parts of the country, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3-Series are as common as old Civics and Accords.

Car thieves must see them in exactly the same way, as the two compact German models have been the most stolen luxury cars in America, according to a new report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The nonprofit group, which collects theft data for insurance companies, ranked the 1994 Honda Accord and 1998 Honda Civic as the most stolen car models in the country, spots these low-cost models take nearly every year.

Among the 4,384 luxury cars reported stolen from 2009 to 2012, 485 were late-model C-Class cars and an additional 471 were 3-Series. The Infiniti G wasn't far behind at 405 cars. The NICB looked at stolen vehicle reports with valid vehicle identification numbers (VINs) sent to insurance companies for model years 2010-2012.

Two other Mercedes models, the E-Class and S-Class, ranked fourth and last on the NICB's top 10 list of stolen luxury cars. The BMW 5-Series ranked sixth. Other big theft targets included the Cadillac CTS, Lincoln MKZ, Acura TSX and the Lexus IS. California racked up nearly a quarter of all thefts, followed by Florida, New York and New Jersey. But among metro areas, the New York, northern New Jersey and Long Island region recorded the highest number of luxury car thefts -- about 60 percent higher than the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Santa Ana region -- and the most stolen cars that were never found.

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Thieves won out on the Infiniti G, three Mercedes models (C-, E- and S-Class) and three BMW models (3-, 5- and 7-Series). Those cars had the highest rates of what the insurance industry classifies as "unrecovered thefts."

Nearly 20,000 late-model SUVs and crossovers were stolen in the United States from 2008 to the first half of 2012. Non-luxury brands such as the Ford Escape and Chevrolet Tahoe were the most stolen, according to the NICB. And despite New York and New Jersey getting a bad rap, another recent NICB study based on population and FBI reports showed that California and Washington have the highest per-capita auto theft rates in the country.

We'd say garage your vehicles and lock your doors, but in reality, if someone really wants your car, they're just going to take it.

[Source: NICB]


Source: MSN