The mid-late 90s Civics and Del Sols are highly sought after among Honda fans! The ones with B18 VTEC motors even more so. That's why your cars were stolen despite having a stick shift.
It's even worse for the Honda CRX.
It's even worse for the Honda CRX.
That being said the last del Sol I had stolen had a B20A(x) block and B16A3 head, the LS-VTEC hybrid. I'm well aware of their reputation for being stolen and hot parts, so much so that my last one had an alarm and a removable steering wheel and I parked it under a street lamp in front of my house. That did not work.
EDIT: The 1997 Civic I had stolen here was a junked, twice totaled, complete piece of crap with a D16 (probably actually a D15) motor, SOHC no VTEC. They still stole it. It was recovered with projector headlamps and a straight pipe installed, with the cold air intake piping removed.
Yeah, I don't understand either. But thanks for the free upgrade.
I used to own an Acura Integra. The rear spoiler was ripped off several times (carefully, so it could be re-attached to another car), and the car itself was stolen twice - the first time it was recovered in one piece, the second time it was a bare chassis without even wheels.
The Integra motor had a 10,000 rpm redline and had a cult following among Honda enthusiasts. It could be retrofitted into any Civic.
Any D-series motor bolts directly into any car with D-series engine mounts, and same is true for B/K series cars. Putting a B-series engine into a D-series chassis is pretty simple too, just requires some drilling and new engine mounts. Not a direct bolt-in but not difficult either.
I recall my insurance company ended up paying more than the car was worth (before the theft) in impound fees, before even they could get it out.
Other enthusiast models don't suffer from similar theft rates.