Who stole my car?

According to figures given out by Panama’s Judicial Investigation Administration, through March of this year, the Nissan B13 and Toyota’s Corolla, RAV4, and Tercel were the most stolen models. And not just any color will do. Our crafty miscreants want vehicles that are easy to repaint, that’s why white and gray vehicles are the most popular colors.

Besides Nissan and Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Mazda, Ford, Chevolet, and Daihatsu models are also at the top of the stolen car ‘hit parade’ in Panama. Interestingly, Detroit’s Big Three auto-makers’ products don’t interest thieves any more than they interest shoppers. The one big surprise is that popular Hyundai and Kia models aren’t stolen that frequently.

Panama City neighborhoods with the most auto thefts: Betania, Juan Diaz, and Bella Vista. Like bankers, thieves also have their favorite working day and hours: Friday night, from 6:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Generally, car thefts are done by amateurs, although some individuals have formed into small bands that prowl our street on the weekend. They are looking for cars and SUVs that can be easily hidden and will fetch a high price when exported out of the country. Other vehicles like the BMW and top-of-the-line- Toyota SUVs are taken for their parts, and other vehicles are stolen to be later used as a getaway car.

ANTI-THEFT SYSTEMS. You’d be a fool not to buy an anti-theft system, including a lockable fuel cap, for your much-coveted-by-thieves Japanese compact or sports car.

Since amateurs are responsible for stealing most vehicles, the best theft deterrent is a visible device that complicates the job while immobilizing the vehicle and sounding an alarm. For less than $150, you can install both a steering-wheel lock and a hidden remote-controlled ignition disabler that will work fine with a keyless entry system combined.

FUEL FANTASIES. Once again, Panama fuel prices are headed toward the $3 a gallon mark and scammers are selling all sorts of fuel saving devices that promise you miraculous fuel-economy.

Be skeptical. Be VERY skeptical. In forty years of testing fuel-saving gadgets and pouring ‘secret’ formulas into fuel tanks, neither I nor my government colleagues have found ONE gas-saving gadget that works.

In their brochures, these companies promise fuel savings of 30 to 50 percent. But when you complain that your vehicle is just as fuel-thirsty as ever, after having used the product, your driving habits are blamed. That’s why it’s a good idea before paying a dime, to check with Consumer Reports online for its rating of the product, or to scour the Internet to see what others have experienced.

A 100 m.p.g. CARBURETOR? Finally, let’s not leave the subject of fuel economy fantasies without mentioning the Pogue Carburetor, a fuel economy urban legend that all fuel-saving sellers like to bring up. In 1935, Canadian inventor Charles Nelson Pogue tried to patent a “miracle” carburetor that he said produced fuel economy in the range of 200-plus mpg (1.18 L/100 km). This claim was supported in the May 1936 issue of CANADIAN AUTO TRADE MAGAZINE, which reported that a 3,024 km trip used only 14.5 gallons of fuel. Pogue later denied the story.

On Snopes.com, the Pogue carburetor’s performance is further debunked: No one reputable was allowed to see the mechanical miracle in action, let alone have a chance to measure its results.

Faced with the choice of believing that Pogue had made false claims about his invention or that the oil companies had bought up the technology to forever keep it off the market, credulous people chose to believe the conspiracy/ suppression theory. Too bad. They’re wasting their money.