According to CCC Information Services's 2003 most stolen vehicle report, one of every 200 registered 1995 Saturn SL's were stolen last year, making it 2003's most stolen vehicle. The 1998 Acura Integra and 1994 Saturn SL ranked as the second and third most stolen vehicles respectively.

CCC, a technology provider to the automotive claims and collision repair industry, identifies the most-stolen vehicles by analyzing total loss claims it receives from more than 350 property and casualty insurers in North America. This year, CCC compared its stolen-vehicle data against vehicle registration volume information provided by R. L. Polk & Co. to determine the rate of theft as a percentage of registered vehicles. The vehicle with the highest theft percentage is deemed the year's most stolen vehicle.

"We process approximately 1 million claims-related transactions each day, giving us extensive vehicle information," said Mary Jo Prigge, CCC's president of sales and service. "We cannot determine the exact reason thieves prefer some vehicles over others, but our data suggests some cars are stolen for the value of their parts, which may explain why we often see a 'clustering' effect with same make and model vehicles from sequential model years."

"Clustering" most frequently occurs with upper midsize cars, such as the Acura Integra and Honda Accord. The 2003 most stolen vehicle list provides multiple examples of this phenomenon. Six Acura Integras with consecutive model years (1994-1999) account for six of the top eight spots. There are signs of clustering among Honda Accords and Honda Civics as well. Our data identifies four Accords (model years 1993-1996) and five Civics (model years 1993-1995,1999 and 2000) in the top 25.

"Some manufactures retain the same part-type from model year to model year, so a part from a 1993 model may fit a car manufactured three years later," said Prigge. "This practice may lead to the 'clustering' phenomenon."

Information on Make, Age and Segment of vehicle:

• Vehicles made in 1997 were the most susceptible to theft, followed by model years 1996, 1995, 1994 and 1998.
• The average age of registered vehicles is 9.1 years; the average age of a stolen vehicle was 6.64 years.
• The high number of stolen Integras made Acura the most stolen make of 2003, followed by Suzuki, Honda, Mitsubishi and Infiniti.
• The vehicle segment with the highest rate of theft for 2003 was heavy-duty station wagons (e.g. - Chevrolet Suburban), which includes vehicles such as the Chevrolet C1500 4x2 and Chevrolet K1500 4x4.
• Full-size utility vehicles were the second-most stolen segment, populated by models such as the Chevrolet Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade and the GMC Yukon. These vehicle segments rank as the most impacted by theft because they encompass fewer vehicle models to share the theft-burden than other segments.

The most stolen vehicle report is based on total losses identified as stolen and not recovered. CCC does not include temporary auto-related thefts such as "joy-rides" or theft of car items such as stereos. Vehicles from model year 2004 were not included on this report.

Top 25 Most Stolen Vehicles

1. 1995 Saturn SL
2. 1998 Acura Integra
3. 1994 Saturn SL
4. 1999 Acura Integra
5. 1995 Acura Integra
6. 1997 Acura Integra
7. 1996 Acura Integra
8. 1994 Acura Integra
9. 2002 Mitsubishi Montero
10. 2000 Honda Civic
11. 1991 ACcura Legend
12. 1999 Honda Civic
13. 1994 Honda Civic
14. 1994 Honda Accord
15. 1996 Honda Accord
16. 1991 Toyota Camry
17. 1995 Honda Accord
18. 1993 Honda Civic
19. 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe
20. 2001 Mitsubishi Montero
21. 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe
22. 1995 Honda Civic
23. 1990 Toyota Camry
24. 1989 Toyota Camry
25. 1993 Honda Accord

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Source: CCC Information Services Inc.