Antitheft measures?

Many of the stolen cars/trucks get exported to Eastern Block countries or South to Cartels.

Authorities are not equipped to inspect every container traversing through the ports. Some vehicles are being driven across the US/Mexio border.

Thieves collect $3-5,000/vehicle. This profit coupled with the misdemeanor laws is pushing car theft up. Big $$, low chance of getting pinched, minor consequence.

Until Insurance Co and the public get fed up......this trend will continue.

In truth, there is little that can be done to prevent the theft by the owner. Yes, there are actions which will slow the theft and make another vehicle an easier target.

 

It’s my limited understanding that professional thieves usually do not go for exotics. Those types of cars stick out due to limited production numbers and the buyers are usually dudes who only want to track them. I guess they could go overseas, but who would buy them? Parts are less risky and worth a ton.

 

Insurance companies just raise our premiums. So every Tacoma or 4Runner or Lexus owner gets dunked on because local/federal law enforcement can't figure out how to stage a sting operation. They literally know the port these things sail out of. Stakeouts, under cover work, bait cars, something. It's police work 101 but there's either no budget or interest for it.

The arrests they make are almost always the low level guys who either get off easy or are easily replaced by the Tony Soprano types masterminding this.

So then you figure the consumers should pressure Toyota right? Well I'm not boycotting Toyota and depriving myself just to make a stand that won't make any difference. Again, doesn't help that all of Toyota's competitors have basically given up on every challenging Toyota in any meaningful way, they are all allergic to making reliable body-on-frame 4x4s or something. This circles back to why thieves target Toyotas to begin with, no one overseas would want a POS Ram 1500, Tahoe or Colorado. Those things would last all of two weeks in the bush and are hardly worth the freight costs to send them over. It's a miracle GM and Dodge sell these things as it is.

So you got a perfect storm. Toyota is the only manufacturer who makes highly desirable sub-exotic vehicles, they are also one of the worst manufacturers for security measures, Canadian law enforcement and border control are either uninterested or unmotivated to do anything about this and insurance companies just pull their weight with consumers, who have no real alternative but to punish themselves by buying a Chevy.

At minimum Toyota could just export the Tacomas/4Runners and Lexus SUVs to Africa themselves and undercut the thieves. Apparently these trucks are so coveted because they are North American market only, which allows the thieves to ask stupid prices for them.

 

I'd ask my wife to consider rotational night watches but she already thinks I'm crazy. if I wake her up in the middle of the night with "hey pssst, can you watch the Tacoma? gonna get some shut eye..nighty night" I'm pretty sure I'd be driving a used Corolla the week after.