Last year, while you were on this site posting about your Chevrolet Silverado with love in your heart, crooks were in parking lots and neighborhoods looking at Chevy’s full-size trucks with thievery in their eyes.
In fact, they made the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado the 4th most stolen vehicle in the U.S. in 2015. Silverados were driven away by someone with sticky fingers 27,771 times. The 2008 Impala took the #10 spot on the list, being swiped 9,225 times.
In Texas, a huge state for truck sales, full-size trucks occupied four of the top five spots. The 2004 Silverado and 2015 Sierra came in #2 and #5, respectively. The 2004 Tahoe made the list, too – at #7. The 2007 Impala rounded out the list at #10.
If you look at the top 10 list of 2015 model year vehicles stolen in 2015, the Silverado’s not there, but a total of four GM vehicles are: the GMC Sierra (#5), Chevrolet Malibu (#8), Chevrolet Impala (#9), and Chevrolet Cruze (#10).
Nationwide and in the Lone Star State, full-size 2006 Ford pickups were more popular, but that’s a contest we’re sure you all aren’t upset about losing.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
