RCMP in Surrey, B.C., are warning Nissan owners in the Lower Mainland that thieves could be targeting their vehicles.

Twenty-one Nissans have been stolen throughout the region since early June and then left in the residential area of Newton in south Surrey, Cpl. Roger Morrow told CBC News on Wednesday.

Seven of the vehicles had been stolen from other places in the Lower Mainland including Richmond, Burnaby and Vancouver, Morrow said.

Investigators don't know what the cars were being used for, but the vehicles were turning up with no visible damage, he said.

"The cars are being stolen but they are being dumped and left for recovery," Morrow said.

"We're finding them a relatively short period of time later. So at least for the time being they are not being used for recycling or being used by a chop shop," he said.

Morrow said the thieves were specifically targeting Nissan cars from the 1980s to the 1990s — including such models as Pathfinder, Sentra, Altima and Maxima — as well as pickup trucks and SUVs.

He said police believe most vehicles were being taken between 8:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

Police are advising the public to use anti-theft devices to deter thieves.