K.J. Jalali’s Honda turned up three days later, abandoned in Kansas City, Kan., with no signs of forced entry.

The same thing happened to Kate Esterling, who thinks the thieves might have a master key.

Dane Johnson’s disappeared from in front of his house, and he hasn’t seen it since.

In the past month, thieves have been picking off Hondas left and right from Lawrence streets. According to a tally from police reports, 10 of the 17 cars reported stolen since Jan. 18 were Hondas, and another was an Acura, which is made by the same company.

“The amount of cars that are being taken is not necessarily unusual,” said Sgt. Mike Pattrick, a Lawrence Police Department spokesman. “They do, however, recently tend to be the Hondas and the Acuras.”

It’s not just in Lawrence, either. The New Haven (Conn.) Register reported that half the cars stolen during January in that city were Hondas. Also last month, police busted a Honda chop shop in a Phoenix suburb, The Arizona Republic reported. Other news reports show Hondas are topping stolen-car lists in and around Houston and many California cities.

Why Hondas? Some people say it’s because they’re easy to steal. Others say it’s related to the cars’ popularity, boosted by movies like “The Fast and the Furious,” in which Hondas are modified into street-racing machines.

“Most likely, these cars are being stolen for parts,” said Amanda Millard, a spokeswoman for AAA Kansas.

All of the cars taken recently in Lawrence were several years old, between 1992 and 2000 models. Millard said because warranties had expired for many of those models on the road nationwide, it’s possible there’s a high demand for used parts, either to dress up or repair other Hondas.

At least 10 Hondas of a variety of makes and models have been reported stolen in Lawrence since mid-January. The reasons suggested for the thefts range from the car's popularity to a high demand for used Honda parts.

Then there’s the street-racing theory. John Ellena, president of Ellena Honda in Lawrence, said he had heard that customized Civics had become “the ’57 Chevy of the current hot-rod generation.”

Jalali, owner of Star Auto, 1001 N. Third St., said he thought hot rodders might be to blame for his stolen car.

“Those who steal these cars, apparently they change them to race cars or low-ride them or this or that,” he said.

But Jalali said he thought Hondas were easier to steal than other models because of the way the power-lock button was situated.

Esterling, a KU student whose car disappeared early Tuesday from the parking lot of her apartment complex in the 1700 block of West 19th Street, said her car was found later that morning, wrecked in a Kansas City, Kan., ditch.

An officer told her the thieves may have had a master key.

Lawrence Police Department

“They didn’t hot-wire it or break the steering panel or anything,” she said.

Johnson, former owner of a 1996 Prelude valued at $15,000, said he went outside in the morning to find his car missing from the 1500 block of West 22nd Terrace.

“I’m just waiting to see what happens — to see if it’s found stripped or not found,” he said. “I’m not optimistic.”