(author) It was indeed a Hyundai, and I'm guessing its vulnerability is what motivated the thief to steal my cheap car instead of any of my neighbors' six-figure cars parked next to it.
From the second I read the headline I knew that it was going to involve a Kia or Hyundai. It is utterly reprehensible that these companies were selling new cars without immobilizers as recently as last year! No layperson buying a new car would have any reason to suspect that this was the case especially when you consider that my Honda Fit (hardly a luxury ride) was equipped with one way back in 2010. Their choice to save pennies during manufacture has directly led to a staggering amount of damages to people whose only mistake was trusting a car manufacturer to do the right thing. I hope they get sued and I hope that they get taken to the cleaners.
IMO, the best anti-theft device is a clutch. Almost nobody knows how to drive stick anymore.
european enters the chat
Dunno about other countries, but in Poland they steal either total shitboxes (below 2000 PLN - around $500 AFAIR in value) or luxury cars. My friend's parents had their week-old SUV stolen from them. Then they bought another one from insurance money and it was stolen as well. Of course, no traces of the thieves...
I had a recent opportunity to overnight in Warsaw and decided against it on account of many stories like this one. Having a vehicle stolen when you're near your home is bad enough, but whilst on a trip it is on another level entirely.