These days, vehicle manufacturers go to great lengths to make their cars more difficult to steal. However, motorcycles, cars more than about ten to fifteen years old and some more recent light commercial vehicles are still prime theft targets because of their limited security features.

Such vehicles are popular with car thieves looking for easy short term transport, or to make a quick dollar. They are relatively easy to steal and older vehicles can be easily disposed of due to demand for used parts, many of which are no longer available through legitimate sources. Older vehicles are also relatively easy to re-identify and sell, and even apparently low value vehicles can offer car thieves reasonable returns for little effort.

But if you think that your car isn’t worth anything or wouldn’t be attractive to a car thief, consider that a very high proportion of stolen vehicles are simply used for transport before being dumped, and often set on fire. Consider also that many older vehicles are not insured for this type of act, and even if they are, the payout is unlikely to cover the costs of replacing the vehicle or the inconvenience that results.
If you own an older vehicle, or one that doesn’t have a high level of security, regardless of its value, there are a few precautions you need to take to make it less attractive to car thieves.