U.S. Ranks Car Popularity by Theft Rate; Buick at Top

WASHINGTON —  Popular sports and luxury automobiles are the most frequent target of car thieves, who show little interest in either more ordinary models or a variety of rare vehicles, the government said today.

A list ranking 130 cars shows the Buick Riviera, a top-of-the-line specialty sedan, as the most likely car to be stolen. It had a theft rate in 1983-84 of just over 16 cars per 1,000 vehicles produced.

Toward the bottom of the list are such cars as the Renault Fuego, various Volvo models, the Honda Civic and Accord, GM mid-sized cars such as the Pontiac Phoenix, Chevrolet Cavalier and Oldsmobile Firenza, and an array of relatively rare vehicles, including three versions of the Rolls-Royce.

The chances of these cars being stolen ranged from zero for the Rolls-Royce, since none was reported stolen during the two years, to just over 1.7 per 1,000 vehicles for the Cavalier.

The likelihood of a car being stolen was better than 10 times greater among the dozen cars at the top of the list than among those toward the bottom.

“The thieves are going to steal what the general public wants,” explains Lt. Richard McQuown, a member of the Kentucky State Police and recently president of the International Assn. of Auto Theft Investigators. He said a scan of the ranking indicates no surprises to law enforcement officials.

What thieves want, according to the government ranking and to car-theft experts, are automobiles that have a high dollar value and great demand either as complete cars or as parts.

In addition to the Riviera, the top 10 cars in popularity among auto thieves in 1983 and 1984 were the Toyota Celica Supra, 14.9 thefts per 1,000 cars produced; Cadillac Eldorado, 13.5; Chevrolet Corvette, 13.3; Pontiac Firebird, 12.4; Chevrolet Camaro, 11.7; Mazda RX-7, 11.6; Porsche 911, 10.9; Oldsmobile Toronado, 10.5; and Pontiac Grand Prix, 10.4.

Fourteen of the top 20 cars came from General Motors Corp. “We have over half of the market. People like our cars,” said GM spokesman David Hudgens.

The list assembled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is based on car theft statistics from the FBI’s National Crime Information Center.