Muscle cars stolen from NH dealership recovered in Boston (2024)

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Muscle cars stolen from NH dealership recovered in Boston? ›

EXETER, N.H. —

The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is the most stolen car in the United States, according to a new report that found the US muscle car is 60 times more likely to be stolen than any other vehicle on the road.

It's then considered a salvage title car. A car that has been stolen with a salvage or total loss title is usually worth 20% to 40% less than the price of an unsalvaged car with a clean title. If a car dealership puts a "theft-recovered" stamp or decal on the car window, the price tag of the car can drop significantly.

The consistent top stolen car model year after year is the Ford Fiesta. As one of Britain's highest selling cars, Fiestas offer thieves abundant targets and strong demand for sold parts. Most lack sophisticated anti-theft systems beyond basic alarms and immobilisers, making them easy to steal for quick resale.

Of all the vehicles at the dealership, experts say there's a reason Dodge Challenger Hellcats were the ones to go. “They're special, these cars are worth something, they're high performance, and they're in limited supply,” said Brian Moody, executive editor at Autotrader.

Dealers make money on “Theft Recovery” vehicles by making cheap repairs, hiding damage, or selling the vehicle with missing parts. Never buy a Salvage/Junk/Rebuilt vehicle, even if it was a “Theft Recovery.” Many insurance companies will refuse to insure a Salvage/Junk/Rebuilt vehicle.

Actual cash value (ACV)

It is determined by the replacement cost of your vehicle minus depreciation, which considers things like age and wear and tear. Most insurance policies cover the actual cash value of your car in the event of a claim and will use a third party to determine the ACV of your vehicle.

Of the 198,538 vehicles stolen statewide in 2022, 86.7 percent were successfully recovered, representing 172,083 recovered vehicles.

Car thieves tend to steer clear of highly-visible areas, especially if there are security cameras or nosy neighbors around. This is especially important at night between 2 and 5 a.m. Since most people are asleep, that's the most common time for cars to be stolen.

For 2020-22 Charger SRT Hellcat models, there were 25 whole-vehicle theft claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years, up from about 18 for 2019-21 models. For comparison, the most-stolen 2017-19 model, the Infiniti Q60, had only 2 thefts per 1,000 insured vehicle years.

How likely is a Dodge Challenger to be stolen? ›

Infiniti is still high on the list today, but for the 2020-2022 model years, it's the Q50 that is the third most-stolen vehicle in America, and is eight times more likely to be stolen than the average vehicle. The Dodge Challenger (7.6 times more likely) and the Range Rover (6.1 times) round out the top five.

The Ford Fiesta holds the unwanted title of being the most stolen car, with almost 6,000 being taken last year, according to the DVLA. Telegraph Money delves into why keyless cars are an easy target, and the eight steps you can take to beef up security on your vehicle.

Thieves favor the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat the most, stealing it about 60 times more frequently than the average car, IIHS said, landing it a relative claim frequency of more than 6,000.

While they can certainly produce a lot of horsepower, the downside is they can also attract a lot of negative attention, which can result in them being stolen and sold for a high asking price on the black market.