NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The numbers are in, and thieves prefer Toyotas.
The 1989 Toyota Camry was the most stolen car during the year 2002, according to a new study released Friday by National Insurance Crime Bureau. The 1994 Honda Accord was the second most-commonly stolen car. The 2000 Honda Civic came in third.
"These vehicles are most often taken for their parts which are no longer manufactured and are too difficult or expensive to obtain," said Robert M. Bryant, president and chief executive officer of NICB. "The individual car components are in high demand with 'tuners' or street racers."
The cars are also stolen to be exported illegally to Central and South America, and Europe, he added.
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The NICB's count of most-stolen vehicles is based on crime data collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The NICB includes model years for the first time this year. Previous NICB auto theft reports had given only the make and model of cars. The top three cars remain unchanged except for the addition of model years, however.
The prominence of Toyota and Honda on "most stolen cars" lists is, to some extent, testament to the popularity and quality of those vehicles, said Teri Vlasak, a spokesperson for the NICB. Many of them have been sold and many of remain on the road, available for thieves to steal, she said.
An estimated 1.2 million vehicles were reported stolen in 2002, according to FBI data, an NICB announcement said. The total value of vehicles stolen was $8.2 billion.
The nation's vehicle theft rate per 100,000 people was up slightly in 2002, making it the third consecutive year of increases in the auto theft rate following a ten-year decline.
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