THE HOLDEN COMMODORE, the best-selling large sedan in Australia, is officially the most popular car for Australian thieves. That’s not according to any thieving spokesperson, of course, but new insurance claims data released by AAMI shows that the numbers don’t lie.
An analysis of claims figures, undertaken by the insurer, shows that various generations of the Commodore accounted for 62 percent of the top 15 vehicles stolen from AAMI customers in 2008 - with three Commodore models in the top five.
The VT Commodore proved to be the most popular, with four of the nine models listed being different trim levels of the VT model.
One Ford model made the list - the 1999 AU Falcon Forte - along with three Hyundai Excel Sprint models (1996, 97, 99), the 2002 Toyota Rav 4 Cruiser and the 1999 Nissan Pulsar SS.
AAMI Corporate Affairs Manage Mike Sopinski said it wasn’t surprising that 1990s makes and models featured so prominently on the list, nor was the prevalence of Holden Commodores.
“Vehicle theft has dropped remarkably over the past 10 years, primarily because of advances in technology and theft deterrents such as engine immobilisers increasingly a standard feature on new cars,” Sopinski said.
“Commodores are not the vehicle of choice for car thieves because they’re easier to steal - if anything they are a victim of their own popularity with professional thieves seeking to cash in on strong demand for spare parts.”
Mr Sopinski said that efforts to make cars harder to steal, through active and passive theft deterrents, was paying dividends with insurance, police and other industry statistics showing a dramatic decline in car theft.
“National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council figures suggest car theft in Australia has almost halved in the past five years.”
“At a very basic level, drivers can be doing a lot more to keep their car safe and secure, such as parking in well-lit visible places, always locking doors and windows, and keeping personal items like sunglasses, handbags and portable music devices hidden from view,” Mr Sopinski said.
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They say that it isn’t because Commodores are easy to steal, but because of it’s popularity. Now I’m not a car thief, but I remember VN days when they were incredibly easy to steal and people were installing metal jackets on the ignition barrel.
The key has been the same from VN-VZ so I would imagine they are all fundamentally easy to knock the ignition over, but perhaps Holden put better security measures in the VX-on models.
When Ford released the EB (?) they brought out SmartLock and Tibbe keys which at the time made the Falcon nigh-on impossible to steal. So I’d imagine that’s why there are less Falcons on the list. If I were a thief and I were looking for a car to smash into things with and go fast in, I’d choose any EF-on Falcon compared with a Commodore, more power/torque and a stronger motor. It’s common sense! But then again I suppose that’s why they’re stealing cars…
Yep, it’s not surprising. When your car is popular, especially with young “hoons” who like to crash them, there’s a big market for cheap spare parts. Their source is irrelevant if the price is right.
All these fancy locks etc things are a waste of time. If someone wants to steal your car, they’ll just tow it away. The most advanced locks in the world aren’t going to stop that from happening.
Especially if they’re stealing the car for parts, rather than for joyriding, which seems to be more the trend.
As for stealing a car to smash into things and go fast in, an old AWD turbo (Lancer GSR, WRX, Liberty RS Turbo) is still the best option.