ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 27, 1996 TAG: 9604290013
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Associated Press
The growing popularity of sport-utility vehicles apparently extends to crooks.
The two 1993-95 model vehicles with the highest theft loss are the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Mitsubishi Montero, the Highway Loss Data Institute reported Friday.
It's the second year sport-utility vehicles have led the list, taking over from high-priced sports cars, said Kim Hazelbaker, institute vice president.
The loss ratings are a combination of frequency of a vehicle being stolen and the cost to insurance companies to pay the claims, Hazelbaker explained.
On a scale with an average rating of 100, the Land Cruiser rated 2,340 and the Montero 1,894.
At the other end of the scale, the Chevrolet Lumina had the lowest theft-loss rating, 11.
The frequency of thefts has declined over the years, but the losses to insurance companies have increased, Hazelbaker said, because there has been a drop in joyriders. Now the trend is toward vehicles being taken in their entirety, Hazelbaker said.
Sport utility vehicles ``are very popular vehicles to export to destinations in Latin America, South America, all over the globe,'' he said.
After the Land Cruiser and Montero, the top 10 vehicles for theft loss were Mercedes S-Class, 1,533; Acura Legend 2-door, 1,347; BMW 300i convertible, 1,051; Mercedes SL convertible, 972; Acura Legend 4-door, 665; Lexus GS 300, 620; Nissan 300ZX, 597; and BMW 300i 2-door, 555.
The 10 cars with the lowest loss rate were Lumina; Saab 900 4-door, 15; Buick Skylark 4-door, 15; Buick Park Avenue 4-door, 17; Saturn SW station wagon, 19; Buick LeSabre 4-door, 19; Subaru Impreza 4-door, 19; Buick Regal 4-door, 20; Ford Aerostar, 21; and Ford E-150 Club Wagon, 22.
LENGTH: Short : 42 linesby CNB