STOLEN from my driveway this morning! New Jeeps are crazy easy to steal apparently...

[joeym7]

900,000 F150s sold each year...

40,000 Gladiators sold each year.

Well, would anyone not think F150s get stolen way more?

Numbers matter.

I'm going to try to find # stolen for each to see who does better % wise.

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[Angler3]

? I guess I know now what to do with one of my extra aux switches. Anyone know what color the starter wire is?

That’s a great idea ..
if you do it …. Post a thread

 

[am1978]

900,000 F150s sold each year...

40,000 Gladiators sold each year.

Well, would anyone not think F150s get stolen way more?

Numbers matter.

I'm going to try to find # stolen for each to see who does better % wise.

Good luck with that since the FBI has the only national reporting system and they clearly state they don’t “collect” make/model. Looking forward to your new thread.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Do you have a nation wide statistic for Gladiators? I'd love to see it. And because they are a niche vehicle (mostly) that would have to be the number stolen vs the number of Gladiator owners per say. I doubt it exists...Just comparing the number stolen vs all stolen cars is meaningless because relatively there isn't that many gladiators. Using the 150's to compare doesn't hold water, everyone and their brothers have one so more will be stolen. Only a relatively few have a gladiator...

In statistics choosing the right sample set is the most important thing.

Until someone produces a better, or more targeted (eg to gladiators) study the FBI statistic is all we have and is much more meaningful than opinions and anecdotal evidence.

I'm routing for folks to come up with a better study!!! If it tells me to draw a different conclusion and it is sound study I would sure consider it. I try to base my conclusions on the facts at hand, not the facts I hope. Not always easy, because all the facts aren't always available. Still better that the other options.

I may have earlier quoted a bit from a magazine where they said that the instances of Jeeps (Wrangler, etc.) being stolen was way under all of the top vehicles. So if you have 500 vehicles total stolen in a given area, the vast majority- top 3, are Chevy and Ford TRUCKS. Then some of the most popular cars. Several have said that Jeeps such as Wranglers are below the top 10 because it's such a niche market.. Jeep people love 'em, but not most others.
When I was taking other security training, the thing was always "most bang for the buck" or "most results for the effort or time spent". They'll steal what they know will be easily fenced or passed up the chain. You won't take something you don't have a huge market for, a big demand. Why take something with low demand, spend that effort and not unload if really fast. It applies to computer crimes, auto theft, and most other things.

From another magazine -

Do Jeeps Get Stolen Often?
Jeep vehicles do not seem to be stolen any more often than any other vehicles. You can find them towards the bottom of various statistical lists about “Which Car Gets Stolen the Most”.

Some car thieves will target pickup trucks due to the high premiums they can sell them for on the black market. Jeep vehicles could provide a nice target to car thieves, however, it does not seem like they are being stolen any more than a multitude of other vehicles.

If you hear about a lot of stories about a Jeep getting broken into or stolen, it may anecdotal in the sense that you have a lot of friends that own a Jeep or maybe you own one yourself, so you could be hearing about them more often.

OK, so the Gladiator is a pickup - but again, look at sales, demand, etc. and how they are used. People want Ford and Chevy full size pickups, and even among the mid-size trucks, Jeep isn't making any real lists.
I love the last paragraph from that magazine......

 

[ShadowsPapa]

900,000 F150s sold each year...

40,000 Gladiators sold each year.

Well, would anyone not think F150s get stolen way more?

Numbers matter.

I'm going to try to find # stolen for each to see who does better % wise.

Uh, no - again, you need to dig beyond naked numbers. It's demand. It's marketability. It's not "because there are more of them" it's because truck people are paying for trucks.
I have already done some research on this - on most lists, Jeeps are well down the list. Even if a Wrangler, for example, was at #20, by the time you take totals into account, it's a pretty small percentage of all vehicles stolen.
It's demand, marketability, taking raw numbers like that is wow, good thing you don't work for any insurance company on their tables and stats.
It's not how many are there, it's how much will it bring and how popular are they on the bad guy list of most desired vehicle - what can I unload fastest and for the most money, return on my investment in time and risk.
You obviously failed probability and statistics.............

One reason Gladiators may get stolen - PARTS. Think about it - someone swipes your panels, you start looking for replacements and find them aplenty.
Parts on these interchange so easily and most are simple to take off. How long does it take to remove a fender, roof, bumper, door, seats, dash panels, that mega-dollar radio, and more..... and the parts interchange like legos.

But trucks get stolen because the demand is actually FOR Chevy and Ford trucks. Not because there are more of them. Demand.

Ya think the other cars and trucks in the top 5 or 6 are there because there's MORE of them? Hardly. Some of the top stolen vehicles are some there are the fewest of out there so the argument of numbers doesn't wash.

Nissan Altima is among the top 5 in some lists - not many of them around here.
Jeep Grand Cherokee is a commonly stolen new vehicle.
Honda CRV is in the top 10 - there's a few around here but not common - no more than anything else. So - it's in demand, apparently.

Something the experts are saying, and I found in industry news - (what have I been saying about lazy owners? The last sentence here....... you don't need to take extraordinary, stressful, earthshaking actions in most cases............

Auto thefts saw a dramatic increase in 2020 versus 2019 in part due to the pandemic, an economic downturn, law enforcement realignment, depleted social and schooling programs, and, in still too many cases, owner complacency.

 

[joeym7]

I may have earlier quoted a bit from a magazine where they said that the instances of Jeeps (Wrangler, etc.) being stolen was way under all of the top vehicles. So if you have 500 vehicles total stolen in a given area, the vast majority- top 3, are Chevy and Ford TRUCKS. Then some of the most popular cars. Several have said that Jeeps such as Wranglers are below the top 10 because it's such a niche market.. Jeep people love 'em, but not most others.
When I was taking other security training, the thing was always "most bang for the buck" or "most results for the effort or time spent". They'll steal what they know will be easily fenced or passed up the chain. You won't take something you don't have a huge market for, a big demand. Why take something with low demand, spend that effort and not unload if really fast. It applies to computer crimes, auto theft, and most other things.

From another magazine -

Do Jeeps Get Stolen Often?
Jeep vehicles do not seem to be stolen any more often than any other vehicles. You can find them towards the bottom of various statistical lists about “Which Car Gets Stolen the Most”.

Some car thieves will target pickup trucks due to the high premiums they can sell them for on the black market. Jeep vehicles could provide a nice target to car thieves, however, it does not seem like they are being stolen any more than a multitude of other vehicles.

If you hear about a lot of stories about a Jeep getting broken into or stolen, it may anecdotal in the sense that you have a lot of friends that own a Jeep or maybe you own one yourself, so you could be hearing about them more often.

OK, so the Gladiator is a pickup - but again, look at sales, demand, etc. and how they are used. People want Ford and Chevy full size pickups, and even among the mid-size trucks, Jeep isn't making any real lists.
I love the last paragraph from that magazine......

Trouble is if these stats are provided in total #'s stolen they are not very helpful because like the F150 900,000 of them are produced a year vs 40,000 gladiators. Of course many more 150s will be stolen...We need data that shows % (percent) stolen. We can derive it approximately if we can find out the # stolen a year. I found it for 150, can't find it for Gladiator.

 

[joeym7]

Trouble is if these stats are provided in total #'s stolen they are not very helpful because like the F150 900,000 of them are produced a year vs 40,000 gladiators. Of course many more 150s will be stolen...We need data that shows % (percent) stolen. We can derive it approximately if we can find out the # stolen a year. I found it for 150, can't find it for Gladiator.

PS but if all we have is what you posted we can just assume for now they are stolen at the same rate as everything else.

 

[joeym7]

Uh, no - again, you need to dig beyond naked numbers. It's demand. It's marketability. It's not "because there are more of them" it's because truck people are paying for trucks.
I have already done some research on this - on most lists, Jeeps are well down the list. Even if a Wrangler, for example, was at #20, by the time you take totals into account, it's a pretty small percentage of all vehicles stolen.
It's demand, marketability, taking raw numbers like that is wow, good thing you don't work for any insurance company on their tables and stats.
It's not how many are there, it's how much will it bring and how popular are they on the bad guy list of most desired vehicle - what can I unload fastest and for the most money, return on my investment in time and risk.
You obviously failed probability and statistics.............

One reason Gladiators may get stolen - PARTS. Think about it - someone swipes your panels, you start looking for replacements and find them aplenty.
Parts on these interchange so easily and most are simple to take off. How long does it take to remove a fender, roof, bumper, door, seats, dash panels, that mega-dollar radio, and more..... and the parts interchange like legos.

But trucks get stolen because the demand is actually FOR Chevy and Ford trucks. Not because there are more of them. Demand.

Ya think the other cars and trucks in the top 5 or 6 are there because there's MORE of them? Hardly. Some of the top stolen vehicles are some there are the fewest of out there so the argument of numbers doesn't wash.

Nissan Altima is among the top 5 in some lists - not many of them around here.
Jeep Grand Cherokee is a commonly stolen new vehicle.
Honda CRV is in the top 10 - there's a few around here but not common - no more than anything else. So - it's in demand, apparently.

Something the experts are saying, and I found in industry news - (what have I been saying about lazy owners? The last sentence here....... you don't need to take extraordinary, stressful, earthshaking actions in most cases............

Auto thefts saw a dramatic increase in 2020 versus 2019 in part due to the pandemic, an economic downturn, law enforcement realignment, depleted social and schooling programs, and, in still too many cases, owner complacency.

Your doing a lot of speculation and hand waving again, providing anecdotal evidence again. Yep, demand plays a part but so does "opportunity" all other things equal a higher runner will have higher stolen vehicles. These both play a part. You need to consider both. From the top 10 lists I see of most stolen they all seem like high-runners to me. And they compile the list in absolute numbers not %. So hard to compare to Gladiator which barley registers on the volume produce charts. In the context of us Gladiator owners those list using absolute #'s is pretty worthless.

Yea, owner complacency, they didn't have a hood lock! LOL.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The sad thing is there are lots of people who are even far worse off - and many dont have the support of the va or insurance....

One of my wife's sisters - she has a nice Hemi-powered Dodge truck. How'd she get that, working in a can and bottle redemption center for less than minimum wage? Well, she's had a very rough life of abuse, bad luck, husbands and such and her last husband died - he loved that truck. It was his. She's got to keep it and take care of it to the best of her ability, otherwise it's down to a moped or begging rides.
She lives in a tiny rental house - about 700 square feet, no basement, no garage. She keeps up the yards and grounds of the owners rental property in exchange for rent - and the owner is just a nice guy anyway.
So there she is, with that nice Dodge truck even I wouldn't mind owning (it's not new - it's several years old but nice) and no garage. She's got a cheap small garden shed she keeps a moped and her push lawn mower in (I may see if my wife would agree to buying her sister a new lawn mower)

I guess she'll have to get rid of that truck.

On the other hand, another neighbor on a lot to the rear put up a security camera that covers the back of their house - he aimed it just right so it catches Jean's Dodge truck. So she tries to keep her truck parked in the camera view even though it's not totally on her own lot.
Neighbors can either be real jerks - or really nice people who understand.............
She's lucky that way, so are we.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

All logic, all proper use of number and statistics, all use of logic and taking in what police have actually said, and including my own security training, has left the building. There's no further point because someone is right and can't accept other possible explanations, even if they come from law enforcement or former security people.

People can dig, look up facts, take stats in context - or not - and make choices or decisions based on their own location, the probability of theft based on location, history, vehicle type and so on - and make their decisions.
It's their decision to make - telling them they are "on the wrong side of an argument" is still making me laugh when there isn't a factual right or wrong here, it's probabilities, and a person's individual ability to handle risk. Do your own risk assessment, don't let others tell you you are wrong if you don't take drastic measures.

My experience over the years, again, impounding, towing, work with IHP and other law enforcement, studying what goes on where I live and shop has told me - logical means will protect my vehicles. No drastic measures needed.
For many reasons I will be talking to a person or two here who have certain security devices but that's as much to protect our lawn tractor, and other stuff - including the cats and house and such. That's not drastic, that's reasonable. And it's not stressful. Lock the doors, protect the fob, keep windows up and don't leave it running without you in it for even "just a minute" - that's all it takes.

 

[am1978]

Let’s not forget that the FBI counts more than cars & trucks as vehicles.

A motor vehicle is defined in the UCR Program as a self-propelled vehicle that runs on land surfaces and not on rails. Examples of motor vehicles include sport utility vehicles, automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, motor scooters, all-terrain vehicles, and snowmobiles. Motor vehicle theft does not include farm equipment, bulldozers, airplanes, construction equipment, or watercraft such as motorboats, sailboats, houseboats, or jet skis.

https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/topic-pages/motor-vehicle-theft

For 2019, there were 616,754 total vehicle thefts collected.

• 9.2% were motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, and scooters
• 16.2% were trucks or buses
• 74.4% were cars (assuming they include SUVs here)

https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/tables/table-19

 

[joeym7]

All logic, all proper use of number and statistics, all use of logic and taking in what police have actually said, and including my own security training, has left the building. There's no further point because someone is right and can't accept other possible explanations, even if they come from law enforcement or former security people.

People can dig, look up facts, take stats in context - or not - and make choices or decisions based on their own location, the probability of theft based on location, history, vehicle type and so on - and make their decisions.
It's their decision to make - telling them they are "on the wrong side of an argument" is still making me laugh when there isn't a factual right or wrong here, it's probabilities, and a person's individual ability to handle risk. Do your own risk assessment, don't let others tell you you are wrong if you don't take drastic measures.

My experience over the years, again, impounding, towing, work with IHP and other law enforcement, studying what goes on where I live and shop has told me - logical means will protect my vehicles. No drastic measures needed.
For many reasons I will be talking to a person or two here who have certain security devices but that's as much to protect our lawn tractor, and other stuff - including the cats and house and such. That's not drastic, that's reasonable. And it's not stressful. Lock the doors, protect the fob, keep windows up and don't leave it running without you in it for even "just a minute" - that's all it takes.

Sorry my friend, it is all anecdotal. You're statistically on the wrong side of this. But at least your dropped your initial assertion of 1 in millions. That is an improvement! lol.

 

[am1978]

PS but if all we have is what you posted we can just assume for now they are stolen at the same rate as everything else.

I wouldn’t assume anything.

 

[abe57]

Wow this thread has gone every way that anyone can imagine ! How is the recovery of your truck going ? Any leads yet ?

 

[joeym7]

In my township the scum would need to work long and hard to find a gladiator, there are maybe 3 of them around here. So if I were to draw any conclusions about gladiators nationally based on my situation they would be very faulty...That is why Big Boys don't use anecdotal data in statistical studies.

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