Chris Kasson / ASSOCIATED PRESS

1994 Honda Accord

By Jessica Mintz, msnbc.com contributor

Reading the 2010 top stolen cars report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau got me to wondering: What is it about the 1994 Honda Accord that thieves find so irresistible?

Certain Accords and Honda Civics from the 1990s, along with the 1989 Toyota Camry, have dominated the list for the past eight years. For the sake of variety, the NICB cuts duplicates from its top-10 lists, says public affairs director Frank Scafidi. It’s possible, then, that another vintage of Accord could have bumped another contender from the list. (The 1996 version was also a very popular target in 2010.)

The 1994 Accord was special, however. That year, Honda revamped the design of the Accord and changed details under the hood. That kind of full model change, as it’s called, would have been accompanied by a big publicity push, said Chris Martin, a Honda spokesman, in an interview.

Thieves are likely interested in mid-90s Accords simply because there are so many of them still on the roads, Martin said. Demand for replacement parts may be keeping shady actors in business.

 “I think a lot of vehicles are stolen to tear them apart,” Martin said.

Honda hasn’t stopped selling Accords, but it has made them a lot harder to steal. In 1997, Honda started putting tiny microchips into car keys. If someone tried to hot-wire a car without the key, the car simply wouldn’t start. (Hot-wiring may be obsolete, but other methods, such as driving up with a tilt-bed tow truck, still work, notes Scafidi.)

The NICB report breaks thefts down by state, offering an abundance of opportunities to draw ties between car thieves’ preferences and the way we live today. For example:

• Texas is the only state where the full-size Chevy Tahoe makes the list, and five of the remaining nine vehicles on the list are pick-up trucks;
• In Michigan, the top-10 list was comprised exclusively of American cars;
• Minivans — mostly Dodge Caravans — were among the most frequently stolen cars in Delaware, Kansas, North Carolina, North Dakota and Vermont. In Missouri, the Caravan was the No. 1 choice for thieves.
• 1990s Subaru Legacy wagons are prized primarily by thieves in Montana, Oregon, Maine and Vermont;
• New York’s claim to fame: it’s the only state with the Ford Econoline E350 passenger van on its list.
• In Maryland, the 1999 Ford Crown Victoria — the iconic law enforcement vehicle — made the list.

Oh, ick. Human beings have always been capable of some pretty slimy behavior, but a recent story out of New York is seriously disheartening -- in part because of the kinds of people who are being so slimy.

The New York Post just highlighted numerous accounts of older, well-heeled patrons -- including at least one millionaire -- who brazenly skip out on their restaurant checks. They’ve become highly skilled in the art of “dine and dash” -- also known, according to the article, as “lick and split” and “chew and screw.”

The number of people getting busted doing this has jumped nearly 20 percent in the past year, according to the New York Police Department. Of course, that statistic doesn’t include all the people who get away with it.

The ruses being used by well-dressed, professional-looking people know no bounds. Some step outside to smoke and then saunter off. Others pretend to be taking unruly children outside for a moment. Still others say with embarrassment that they’ve forgotten their wallets at home and promise to return right away -- and never do.

Especially slick patrons leave cell phones, purses, coats and credit cards at their tables -- but the items in question are often stolen, dead, maxed out or generally worthless. Another move: Disputing a whopping credit-card charge -- often over $1,000 or so -- after the fact. Restaurants often lose such battles and have to eat the bills.

The 50-something millionaire referenced in the article justified his actions thusly: “You know what? When I’m done with my meal and I’m ready to go, I walk out. And if the server isn’t paying attention, I walk away. If they’re interested in me or my money, they’ll pay attention.”

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. But here’s a quick question for you, millionaire: Where’s your moral compass?

Skipping out on a restaurant check may seem convenient, even clever, to some, but the consequences are painful for hardworking waiters and other restaurant employees who hustle and toil hour after hour on their feet. Most waiters rely on tips to supplement very low hourly wages, and they have to tip out hosts, bussers, runners and bartenders from the tip money they receive.

Read the full story for yourself and see what you think. If you have the stomach for it, that is.