Vehicle thieves fall into two general groups, professionals and opportunists.
Professional thieves do steal older cars for parts, or expensive classic cars.
Professional thieves only account for a quarter of Maryland's vehicle theft problem. Most stolen vehicles are taken by opportunists, who choose the easiest vehicle to take. Chief on their list is any car with the keys left in the ignition. A quarter of our cars stolen in Maryland are taken with the keys in the ignition. The remaining vehicles are usually those taken because the ignition systems installed by the manufacturer are easy to defeat.