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Cadillac Escalade Tops With Thieves

June 7, 2006
The most stolen vehicle in the U.S. is the Cadillac Escalade. Least likely to attract a car thief is the humble Ford Taurus station wagon.

The theft data is based on an analysis of theft insurance claims for vehicles sold between 2003 and 2005 by the Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Rounding out the top three on the most stolen list are the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab pickup truck.

The least stolen list also includes the Pontiac Vibe AWD, the Buick LeSabre and the Buick Park Avenue.

The top three most stolen vehicles, according to the insurance data, have a theft rate four to five times the average for all vehicles.

The Escalade led the list for the fourth year in a row. Insurance companies paid an average of $17,910 on every theft claim involving a Cadillac Escalade model, both its SUV and pickup body styles.

Almost 25 percent of the theft claims for the Escalade were for $40,000 or more which means that thieves are often going after the entire vehicle even though the Escalade is sold with an ignition cut-off system that keeps the engine from starting without a specific electronic key.

The Lancer Evolution is a high performance all-wheel-drive sports car. Most cars and trucks are stolen for parts that thieves can strip and sell Thieves were probably targeting the Lancer Evo for parts to modify everyday Lancers.

The Dodge Ram leads all pickups but is followed closely on the most stolen list by the Ford F-250 and F-350 large pickups. An average loss claim on pickups is up with payments on the Ford pickups averaging $17,702.

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