When my good friend Randy asked me to contribute to his new project I asked myself, “Is it my good looks? My grasp of the English language? My nunchuck skills?” Not quite.

Even though I took a course in Early American Basket Weaving in college, I could use none of that knowledge. I would be writing about the automotive industry and culture he said. How could I say no? I couldn’t. Even though I spend my days as a mild mannered communications manager at one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers, I’ll now be sharing some of my experiences and opinions with the readers of EasyAutoSales.com. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the site, and know that we’ll all have some fun.

A little about me: I’ve been writing for the last dozen years or so, getting my start in radio as a host and promotions/marketing director. I moved into automotive journalism a few years later, and after several years as a writer and editor for such publications as Sports Car Market, Hemming’s and quite a few others, I was snagged by one of the oldest and largest tire manufacturers in the world to be their North American PR Manager.

I’ve had the pleasure of driving everything from a Beetle to a Bugatti Veyron, and have a soft spot in my heart for European classics such as Bristol, BMW and Mercedes Benz.

Please be sure to check back often for news, commentary and reviews of some of the most powerful, exotic and advanced automobiles available. We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s go!

Joe

vs.

Lock up your GMs! Seem as if criminals have it out for you this year. Between Cadillacs and Hummers, GM hold 4 of the top 8 spots on this list. In fact, if you have any large American car, you might want to think about building a small shed to house it.

Car: Claims Per 1,000/Average Loss Payment Per Claim

10. Honda S2000 Convertible: 8.1/$13,624
9. 2005-2007 Dodge Durango: 8.1/$9,682
8. 2005-2007 Hummer H2: 8.7/$18,791
7. 2005-2007 Dodge Magnum: 9.9/$8,926
6. 2005-2007 Hummer H2 SUT: 10.0/$23,771
5. 2005-2007 Ford F-350 SuperCrew: 10.7/$20,138
4. 2006-2007 Dodge Charger: 11/$7,047
3. 2007 Cadillac Escalade: 11.3/$14,657
2. 2005-2007 Ford F-250 SuperCrew: 13.1/$19,250
1. 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV: 15.0/$13,060

For the same reason American car makers love to sell large SUVs and truck, thieves are seeking these behemoths out. They are large, cheap ways to get a nice car that will allow you to put expensive stereos, large rims and other accessories on that are easy to steal and resell without too much worry. Dropping 24s on your Hummer may say, “You’re ballin’” to your friends, but it says, “Come steal me” to every car criminal out there.

On the other hand, should be you be looking for the most inconspicuous (boring) cars on the road to protect your insurance premiums and pimped car stereos, you might want to check out the list below. To be honest, not all of them are boring or lame. Some of them just have excellent security systems and car-jackers know that it’s not worth the time to steal the car or there will be no way to re-sell the expensive parts off the car. As you can see, most of the cars are people carriers though with a preponderance of SUVs. The interesting thing is that whereas some of the cars are rather popular (Ford Focus, VW Beetle, Toyota Prius) some of the cars are the most obscure models available (Buick Terraza, Saturn Relay).

10. 2005-2007 Ford Freestyle
9. 2005-2007 Saturn Relay
8. 2005-2007 Toyota Prius
7. 2005-2007 Volvo V70
6. 2005-2007 Ford Focus
5. 2005-2007 Volkswagen (New) Beetle
4. 2005-2007 Buick Terraza
3. 2005-2007 Subaru Forrester
2. 2005-2007 Buick Rainier
1. 2005-2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Source: Highway Safety and Highway Loss Data Institute