How difficult is it to steel a car?

Steeling cars was much simpler before engine immobilizers were introduced. Some of the most common cars stolen were Mazda 323, 626 and The Ford badged Japanese cars.
These cars were easy to steal because bypassing the locking system was easy. The cars were basic (no computers) and information on stealing them was easy to come by.
Even if you couldn't bypass the locking system getting the engine to run wasn't that hard. All you needed was Fuel, Spark, and power to the starter motor. This was not hard and it was what was commonly known as 'Hot-wiring a car'.
Somewhere around 1996/97 most car manufacturers started to include an engine immobilizer in their cars. The Mazda 323,626, etc also recieved an engine immobilizer. After the engine immobilizer was fitted in the Mazda the number of thefts of these vehicles (and most immobilized cars) dropped dramatically. Hot-wiring a car became quite complicated. The Mazda 323 for example had the immobilizer integrated into the car's ECU. The ECU controls all the engines electrical processes, including Fuel & Spark. So in order to hot-wire a Mazda 323 you had to bypass the ECU or Hack the ECU.
The average car thief dosent want to be hanging around for very long rewiring a car or hacking a car's security computer/wiring. Also the average car thief isn't that smart. If you were that smart why would you steal a 323 in the first place, and if you were really that smart why would you be stealing cars at all?
While many early model immobilized cars require a high degree of information and time to hack the security systems there are many cars that are vulnerable to hacking methods.
I am not sure on the real statistics of cars being stolen, but there is an underlying problem that exists with all security systems. The problem is that if you have enough time to work out a process of how to bypass, hack, pick the lock on a particular model of car, then that process would work on every car of the same model, due to the fact that they are mass produced and all exactly the same.
To sum up most modern cars are more secure due to the introduction of immobilizer systems. There are some cars that have easily exploitable flaws and could be stolen very quickly. Just watch a locksmith. Hopefully it will take the thieves more time and expense to learn the art of bypassing these security systems.

Lost Car Keys

Ever wondered how a locksmith can make keys to a car when all keys have been lost?
Ok so probably have never really thought about it, but its not all as easy as you might think.
First of all the locksmith needs to make the actual physical key that will turn in the lock. That is assuming that the car has a key. Some cars don't even have a key in the traditional sense anymore.
The locksmith will firstly try to obtain a code to cut the key. The code can be obtained from 1, a log book 2, the car dealer or 3 off a door lock. Once the key code is obtained the locksmith will look up the code and cut the key.
If no code is available the locksmith may either pull a door or boot lock out of the car and take the lock apart and decode it, or read the combination through the keyhole. In many cars a door lock only has a part of the code. The code will have to be entered into a computer to obtain the complete code for the car.
In older cars this is all that is necessary to make a key.
Newer cars also have an electronic immobilizer system. The Immobilizer system usually consists of a Reader around the lock, A transponder chip that is embedded in the head of the key and an immobilizer box or ECU that contains the computer to decipher the code.
For a locksmith to be able to make a key to start the car he must also be able to add the transponder chip into the key with the correct code.
One way to do this is to place the correct Chip into the head of the key and to reset the car using the car's diagnostic port. A special programmer is used to reset the car immobilizer system to accept the new chip and code.
Not all cars can be reset and programmed through the diagnostic port. Many cars need to have the immobilizer computer replaced or have the box removed for reprogramming. The Locksmith has to take out the immobilizer and read the code off a chip with an EEPROM reader. That code can then be used to program a new transponder chip that will start the car. A locksmith that can perform this task will be able to make a key to a car much cheaper then a car dealer who can only replace parts. Many Toyota cars can only have keys made by using this process.
Once the transponder chip has been successfully programmed and the key cut the car is ready to go.