We explain why thieves like the Proton Wira.
On sale for more than a decade and having almost every middle and lower middle class Malaysian wanting to buy a new one from 1993 to 2009, the humble Proton Wira has been a low priced favorite for many Malaysians looking for their first car or even a 3rd car for the family garage.
The Wira was produced a number of variants and engine sizes over its 16 year production cycle and in the last decade it has become a used car favorite for lower middle class Malaysians and also middle class Malaysians looking for a 3rd or 4th car in their garage.
In the last decade it has become a car thieves favorite and has quickly moved up the stolen charts to become a number 1 stolen car for 4 years running. Yes, 4 years in a row it has taken the top spot and this information comes from insurance providers in the country.
Next on the popular with thieves list is the Proton Iswara which is a lesser sibling to the Wira. Next comes the Perodua Myvi which is a used car favorite and now a car thief favorite.
Next comes the Toyota Hilux pickup truck which will probably end up being sold in Northern Thailand or taken right into Burma for sale.
In between the top 4 popular stolen vehicles mentioned above we still have many Mercedes-Benz and also Toyota sedans being stolen and this is all mostly for spare parts or even for illegal use with cloned number plates.
So, why is the Proton Wira and Iswara a favorite? Well over the decade or so that these two models were on sale, thousands were sold and as the years passed, most of them found their way to rural Malaysia as used cars. Low prices meant easy sale and 3rd or even 6th hand owners want to keep these cars running.
However, spare parts car be a little pricey as Proton vendors for vehicle parts are mostly former high level ‘friends’ and these parts can be expensive when new.
So, a stolen Wira or Iswara will be dismantled and sold for parts very quickly and sometimes the total income from parts can be higher than buying a used unit.
For the Toyota Hilux, the high demand in rural Thailand and Burma where enforcement is low makes it very popular and thieves can take a Hilux from its Malaysian owner to its new owner in less than 2 days.
Mercedes-Benz and Toyota vehicles mostly end of being dismantled for parts and the workshops involved might also use these parts for the repair of accident cars.
Many will be tagged a ‘used car parts’ and today many ‘simple’ parts like wheel fenders, doors, side view mirrors, tail-lights, headlamps, bumpers and even original alloy wheels can cost more than a thousand Ringgit a piece.
So, a complete Mercedes sedan will be sold for around RM10k or so and the parts alone can be sold for double, with the engine and gearbox being kept separately for further parts breakdown. (Vehicle engines have a number which means it cannot be sold whole easily).
So, if you are driving one of the above mentioned cars, please take extra care in keeping the car safe with a GPS tracker and one or two deterrents to make it hard to steal. Steering lock and a gear lock is a cheap and some what effective deterrent.
