Prius Rustling?

i think how easy they are to steal will have a say in that question.

won't be taking mine, i LoJack'ed it

 

Lojack doesn't mean it wont be taken, just that, hopefully, it will be recovered.

 

Yeah, I've wondered when (not if) we'd see an increase in the number of Prii being lifted.

 

Fortunately, Toyota made stealing a Prius harder than average.
1) You need the key to drive one off.
2) The very long warranty and high reliability makes the spare part market smaller than average
3) It is not an easy car to easily take parts out of.
4) It is not an easy car to repair by midnight mechanics.
5) Prius buyers and sellers are a little smarter and a little more careful than average.
6) Thieves want to maximize the $$$ they make by crime, not the mpg....so that helps since there are higher value autos out there.

Unfortunately, there are always crooks that don't get the word, so be smart.

 

Often, cars are stolen to facilitate other crimes, and then the value of the car has nothing to do with it. Still, they'll go for the easier mark, so it helps that the Prius is comparatively difficult to steal. Unless of course the thieves are in the parking lot, waiting for the next person with keys in hand...

 

Seems like someone here posted the insurance theft rates and they were very low so far. That's probably because they are pretty hard to steal.

Another two factors might be:
1). A lot of crooks might not even know how to drive one (i.e. how to start, shift, etc)
2). They aren't very ubiquitous - yet. You don't "blend in" in a Prius, you tend to stand out. Not what someone taking one to commit a crime wants.

 

Very good. Never realized all those critics out there dismissing the Prius were actually helping us out.

 

Without a fob, the only way to steal it is to jack it up on a flatbed and carry it off. This is a deterrent in itself.

If you manage to do this, you can't sell the car as is because you don't have a fob to start it. (Let alone the paperwork.)

So you're stuck parting it out. But...there isn't that large a market for parts.

In general, if you're stealing the car because it gets great gas mileage, you are not going to achieve that purpose because you can't drive (or sell) the car.

 

Unfortunately, I speak from experience as a victim (and 2nd hand from speaking with the cops). Cars are usually stolen to be parted out or to be used for a short period of time, usually to commit another crime or just for joy-riding. Thieves look for easy to steal cars that blend in.

Other cars are stolen to be shipped overseas to drug cartels and warlords, and they "order" high-end cars and SUVs. These cars tend to be stolen with the keys, by car-jacking or by breaking into the house to steal the keys.

The Prius doesn't really fit the bill in either case, and someone who steals cars is probably also going to steal gas, so I don't think the high cost of gas is going to have much impact on car thefts.

 

Always leave a dog or kid inside. They tend not to steal those.