Car Thieves Increasingly Looting for Oddball Parts

Leave it to a criminal to find a cruel way to make a profit off of someone else's misfortune.  As if stealing  someone's car is not bad enough, now car owners possessing all makes and models have to be aware of thieves not just taking your car, but also possibly just taking the car parts.  

There was a time when only the most expensive or most popular cars where being taken and resold on the black market, but this is not the only thing for owners to keep their eyes open regarding their automobiles.  Now auto owners need to keep in mind that every part of their car is on the list to be stole.  

This can range from airbags and catalytic converters containing precious metals which can be sold on the automotive black market.  According to a blog on MSN.com along with catalytic converters and airbags, thieves have recently begun coveting auto parts such as tires, rims  and navigation systems and hawking them on the black market.

Also, according to Detroit's CBS affiliate, the culprits responsible for stealing these oddball car parts are increasingly turning to Craigslist and other online sales outlets to unload them. Buyer and others who frequent the site for deals will have to be more careful than ever that they are not purchasing stolen items.

There is a theory currently which is that one possible reason for this burst in car-part-stealing creativity is that technology has made it more difficult to make off with an entire car. So, instead, thieves simply target individual parts. A catalytic converter, for instance, can be jacked in a few minutes by thieves who roll beneath a vehicle with a battery-powered saw and make a few cuts.