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Drivers and thieves love those 4WDs

Submitted: Saturday, Sep 04, 2004 at 03:38

Wazza (Vic)

From
Courier Mail Article

Grrrrrr ..... more and more media usage of the term "SUV's" .... anyway, here is the atricle......

Drivers and thieves love those 4WDs
Mark Hinchliffe

04sep04

THE boom in sales of off-road vehicles could also lead to a boom in vehicle theft.

Off-road vehicles are being stolen at a higher rate than any other category, particularly in Queensland where they are being used in mines and on rural properties.

In the first half of this year, sports utility vehicle sales were 99,987, up 13 per cent on the same period in 2003.

Car theft expert Nola Watson, of NRMA Insurance, said four-wheel-drives were not only popular in car sales but also car theft.

"Organised crime groups steal them and rebirth them because they know they will get a good price for them, so there is a lot of profit in them," the national fraud and security risk chief for NRMA Insurance said.

"It is possible that there is a fair trade in the parts market as well, and there is some evidence that those sorts of vehicle are being shipped offshore."

Ms Watson said a police operation in NSW uncovered a racket in shipping stolen off-road vehicles to Jordan and Lebanon.

"With a lot of 4WDs we suspect that some are being used in mines or on farms where they are not being registered, so there isn't a lot of potential for them to be found again," she said. According to the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council, the recovery rate for 4WDs nationally is 65 per cent, compared with 78 per cent for all vehicles.

Among the biggest theft targets is Toyota's Land Cruiser.

NRMA Insurance research shows the average theft claim for a Land Cruiser costs $20,000, compared with an average of $6000 for regular vehicles.

The theft of Land Cruisers alone cost NRMA $3.5 million last year, with the majority of insurance claims for unrecovered vehicles.

"They are an attractive vehicle and most people can't afford them," Ms Watson said.

The Series 70 Land Cruiser had one of the highest non-recovery rates.

Ms Watson said this was because it was not a luxury model, but a commercial vehicle and was being used on farms or mines where it was not registered. The recovery rate in Queensland for Series 70 Land Cruisers is only 55 per cent, compared with 41 per cent in NSW.

Out of the 100,000-odd vehicles stolen each year in Australia, about 27,000 are not recovered.

Ms Watson said the best measures to prevent a 4WD from being stolen were to hide keys, park in a safe place and not to leave valuables in the vehicles, particularly unsecured in a utility tray. "The obvious measures are the most effective," she said.

"We're also seeing instances of people breaking into homes to steal car keys."

Consumers can check out how easy or hard various 4WD models are to steal with the NRMA Insurance Car Theft Ratings, available at www.nrma.com
ThreadID: 16017 Replies: 4
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AnswerID: 75100   Submitted: Saturday, Sep 04, 2004 at 07:29

Savvas replied:

"An average (theft claim) of $6000 for regular vehicles"

For $6000 to be an average, it would mean most stolen cars would be very very cheap. Sounds suss to me.
Reply 1 of 4
FollowupID: 334907   Submitted: Saturday, Sep 04, 2004 at 08:26

Wazza (Vic) posted:

Yeah, you're right there. If my car was worth $6000, I would not worry about comprehensive insurance.
FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 75121   Submitted: Saturday, Sep 04, 2004 at 11:15

Eric from Cape York Connections replied:

Another news paper artical about nothing.
I dont think I have ever bothered buying or even reading a paper.
Soon they will be blameing 4x4s for cancer just wait and see.

all the best
Eric

www.capeyorkconnections.com.au
Cape York ConnectionsCape York Connections
Member: Lapsed Membership
Reply 2 of 4
AnswerID: 75132   Submitted: Saturday, Sep 04, 2004 at 13:02

Davoe replied:

being a cruiser owner I am not surprised they are stolen for parts. I reckon you could make more from selling a cruiser for spare parts than a field of mary jane anna anyday
Reply 3 of 4
AnswerID: 75294   Submitted: Monday, Sep 06, 2004 at 10:15

Member - Jeff M (WA) replied:

Amazing... Average claims for a $90,000 car for vehicle theft are higher than those of a $30,000 car. Wow, what'ya know... These media type guys are full of interesting facts.

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