High Used Car Prices Mean Thieves Are Coming For Your Ride

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But a lack of prosecution for crimes could also be fueling the trend…

A recent article run by NBC News claims the surging prices of used cars is making your personal vehicle a target for thieves. That’s not incorrect since as the rewards for boosting cars increases (i.e., money) the incentives for people to turn to that form or crime or to engage in it more often also rise. However, looking at the problem from one perspective will lead to an incomplete solution, which is why we might not see car theft rates significantly drop for some time.

I personally know the feeling of someone breaking into your car and stealing your property. It’s not a fun situation, even if everything is covered by your insurance policy. As an enthusiast, one of my worst fears is someone will swipe my beloved vehicle which I have spent countless hours upgrading and customizing, only to chop it up and sell the parts, ship it out of the country, or to swap out the vin plates and unload it on some poor sap. That’s a sad fate for a vehicle you feel a strong connection to.

We have no doubt the surge in car theft is connected at least in part to the pandemic, or rather how different governments handled it. Shutting things down not only turned some people mean and selfish as they lost positive outlets, it also created opportunity for those who already were predisposed to steal cars. After all, if they weren’t as busy as before, they had more time to plot and swipe other people’s vehicles. Also, so many cars were just sitting unmoved for days on end in parking lots and even on the street, making them easy targets. Thieves love cars they know nobody will be walking up to for a long time because it gives them an uninterrupted span to get inside and get the engine running.

And while the shortage of new and used cars, which in part has been triggered by the government and voluntary business shutdowns starting in 2020, has contributed to a shortage of used cars and the dramatic spike in values, even with the end of that situation hopefully in sight I seriously doubt the car theft spree will suddenly end.