10 Of The Worst Pimp My Ride Cars The Show Ever Produced

If you grew up with MTV music videos on in the background while you got ready for school and remember playing "Need For Speed Underground," then you were likely a fan of the television series "Pimp My Ride." For those of you who missed out, the show was hosted by Xhibit, a then-prominent rap artist. At the time, we were led to believe that folks would submit videos that showed just how raggedy their vehicles were and how badly they needed their rides to be pimped. If chosen, Xhibit would show up at their door and drive their vehicle to a shop for an extensive makeover. For the first four seasons, the modifications were performed by West Coast Customs.

Unfortunately, the magic of the show has since evaporated. It wasn't exactly shocking for fans to find out that much of the show was staged: Reporters from various outlets interviewed contestants and discovered that, in addition to some of the antics, a lot of the hardware was removed from the vehicles after the show was recorded. Given the ridiculousness of some of the modifications, we're sure most of the owners weren't too upset.

Still, knowing that "Pimp My Ride" actually kind of sucked behind the scenes has caused the reruns to age like milk. Moreover, the outlandish designs might've been mad cool back in the day, but today they're downright cringe. With that in mind, we put together a list of some of the worst "Pimp My Ride" cars the show ever produced. Sure, we could've taken this in the other direction, but highlighting the downfall of Y2K trends is a bit cathartic. And unlike metallic running sneakers, we think it's best if most of these design elements were left in the past. 

West Coast Customs (WCC) was responsible for the automotive creations we saw during the first four seasons, so for Seasons 5 and 6, Xhibit drove the vehicles to Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) for pimpification. In other words, we can't pin all the blame on WCC, which just so happened to make a one-off Lucid Air coupe so Shaquille O'Neal could fit in it. Specifically, this brightly modified Mercedes-Benz 300SD was featured in Episode 5 of Season 6, which means it was put together by the guys at GAS.

Cosmetically, the two-tone light pink and dark pink finish on Spechelle's 1981 Mercedes-Benz 300SD isn't all that bad when compared to other pimped-out rides. That said, the tribal graphic, gaudy chrome wheels, and "Spechelle-edition" hood ornament aren't doing it any favors. The faux-beaver-fur-lined interior, however, is some real nasty work. 

What really put the pink Benz on this list, though, would have to be the downright dangerous hydraulic trunk setup. This thing looks like it's ready to take someone's arms off, and we have to imagine that it was one of the modifications the shop removed before releasing the vehicle back to the owner. In this case, we certainly think that's a good thing.

As we mentioned in our TV Flashback to when "Pimp My Ride" put a satellite dish on top of a Range Rover, the shops reportedly didn't make any mechanical repairs to the rides. However, if a vehicle was too far gone, they would swap it out for something else. In the case of Laila's 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager Expresso, the fellas decided to replace it with a nearly identical Dodge Grand Caravan, though this wasn't disclosed in the episode itself.

Now, we've all seen our fair share of modified minivans. Some are tastefully done, like a Honda Odyssey with a subtle drop and aftermarket wheels that fit in rather than stand out. More often than not, though, they're outfitted with the AutoZone special: fake vents galore. Laila's Plymouth-turned-Dodge unfortunately falls in with the latter. The flamboyant two-tone purple-and-pink paint scheme manages to make Spechelle's Mercedes-Benz look good. Luis's original plan to paint it jet black with flames and skulls might've actually been an improvement. The paint-matched pink wheels with chrome lips could look cool on something like a Dodge Neon SRT-4, but we're not so sure about how they look when bolted to the hubs of this minivan. 

Yeah, we sound like haters. And sure, Diggity did manage to find an aftermarket body kit that was built for it. But none of that is going to change our opinion. Mad Mike's decision to add in a vroom box for artificial engine sounds is also corny, but we'll give credit where credit is due. Given the current trajectory of the automotive industry, Mad Mike may very well have been ahead of his time with this idea.

Lawanna nicknamed her 1968 Volkswagen Bug "the turtle shell" because it was rusty and slow. After its makeover, we think Dory would be a more appropriate nickname, and anyone who's seen "Finding Nemo" would likely agree. Funky doesn't always mean bad when it comes to modified Volkswagen Bug creations, but it does in this case. 

In all fairness, this thing doesn't look half bad from certain angles. But the bookshelf of a front bumper, dorsal fin, and loud paint scheme made it easy to put it on this list. We know now that the owners were forced to do some acting, but there are a couple of Freudian slips if you pay attention. "That's not my car!" Lawanna yells upon first seeing the VW, as if she is really struggling to believe that she now has to drive this thing to and from work. "My windows are tinted... with some limo tint," she says, as if she's relieved to know that people won't see her in it when they pass by. 

Speculative jokes aside, we're serious when we say we'd prefer the rustic charm it conveyed prior to its transformation. We think most purists would agree, but we can see where those with a penchant for aquamarine life might prefer the blue-yellow makeover.

Oh boy, another pimped out minivan! Tin's 1988 Dodge Caravan was featured in Episode 4 of Season 4, and looks like something straight out of "Super Fast!," the parody movie based on the "Fast and Furious" franchise. To the credit of the crew at West Coast Customs, it's at least not as bad as Laila's pink and purple minivan. The two-tone orange and gray finish on this square-bodied Voyager is easier on the eyes, but the chrome wheels and chrome treatment to the front grille and headlights are anything but. 

We can appreciate the effort put into the gradient fade featured on both the top and bottom colors. The chrome wheels and chrome treatment to the front grille and headlights are just flat-out ugly. And while we still think the hood and fender vents are out of place on a minivan, at least they're real and not the fake stick-on ones you'd typically see on a vehicle like this.

To be fair, the inside is kind of cool, especially compared to the deplorable condition it was in prior to being pimped. Overall, it's something 13-year-old me probably would've loved to have, but 32-year-old me didn't hesitate to add it to this list.

Esmeralda's 1991 Pontiac Sunbird appears in Episode 13 of Season 6. The guys at GAS gear up to build something befitting of her beach-loving nature, but the gimmicks seem even more far out than usual, which is saying something. 

The color combination of pale yellow with brown accenting isn't to our taste, while the tribal callbacks with the "tiki god" decor on the hood and seatbacks is giving Crash Bandicoot (and not in a good way). However, the paintwork on the hood is creative, and we'll give it credit for that. The body kit and chrome wheels may have been trendy at the time, but in today's world, they just seem supremely tacky. 

The sand floor sounds like an awful experience, as it seems to exacerbate one of the worst parts of going to the beach: all the sand you unwillingly take home with you. Nearly as nonsensical are the coin-operated binoculars that are installed. Even sillier is the inclusion of an Italian ice machine in the trunk that's installed next to amps and subwoofers, which seems like a recipe for disaster. The ideas for this build seemed to be more about making a good episode instead of a good car, but business is business, we suppose.

This 1991 Honda CRX was featured in Episode 10 of Season 6. Jonathan, the owner, was an avid comic book collector, and this was the angle taken by the fellas when they sat down to cook up ideas for its makeover. Overall, the inspiration and creativity that went into this build were more cohesive than most of the things this show produced. However, the execution was rough in some aspects.

The motorized comic book display was a nice touch, and a tidy twist compared to the mess Chamillionaire finds it in, with comic books scattered throughout. Oh yeah, this particular episode was hosted by a special guest, who you probably know as the guy behind "Ridin' Dirty." 

Despite having a pretty penny put into it, the CRX ended up looking uglier than most of the options you'll come across on Facebook Marketplace. Luis's choice to coat the car in mirror-chrome paint was questionable at best, but Diggity's decision to fit it with an Extreme Dimensions Duraflex body kit was disastrous. To be fair, the rear end and side profiles aren't too shabby, but the front end, in our humble opinion, is downright disgusting. Unless you're a die-hard Fantastic Four fanatic, a car that outshines the Silver Surfer would be tough to live with. It's particularly disappointing given the Honda CRX's potential and all of the great builds out there.

Ellyn's 1996 Ford Contour made its appearance in Episode 10 of Season 5. It was in pretty rough shape and had sustained damage from a bear attack. Imagine seeing that on a CarFax report. The guys at GAS took the bear damage and ran with it, which resulted in the claw mark decals. Between that and the color combo, this Ford would be an excellent vehicle for some Memphis Grizzlies marketing. Please, hold your applause. 

Ellyn was an outdoorsy environmental science major who loved hiking, kayaking, and camping, hence the aforementioned bear damage. In keeping with the theme, the crew outfitted the Contour with a salmon egg cannon. The cannon is supposed to be used to distract a bear in case there's another attack, which sounds reasonable enough. However, the seat fabric is made from salmon skin, which seems counterintuitive. We're not sure which scent the bear would prefer, and we hope Ellyn never had to find out. Of course, that's assuming she was even able to keep the cannon. 

The modifications that Quoc-viet had made to his 1989 Nissan 240SX were inspired by the "Need For Speed Underground" video games, modeled after the 240 he built in the game, but he ended up with something that resembles what you might see at a grassroots drifting event. And that's by no means an insult. We found the ratty aesthetic preferable to how it looked after its transformation. 

We'll give the guys at West Coast Customs an A for effort, though, as the build was pretty spot-on compared to what Quoc-viet created in the game. No offense to him, but we don't think the virtual creation is all that nice to begin with, and the real-life version is even worse. There are a couple of disparities, including the color of the wheels and the fitment of the hood and body kit. And while we do think it's quite an ugly car, its looks aren't the only reason it's on this list.

This legendary chassis has loads of potential, as most enthusiasts know, and designing it based on the owner's video game build was a respectable move. However, adding a bling kit to the engine bay without performing any maintenance or mechanical upgrades is deranged. As teens, we were probably like, "Oh wow, look at the shiny parts!" But now that we're older, hearing the words "we couldn't do all of this to your car without touching your engine" and "JCW hooked you up with an engine dress-up kit" just leaves us wondering why. Quoc-viet probably would've preferred new spark plugs or even an oil change. The same goes for the not one, not two, but three X-Box consoles in the trunk, which we're betting the owner didn't get to keep. 

If there's any car that is objectively worse after being pimped, it would have to be Mary's 2006 Ford Mustang GT. To their credit, the producers of the show decided to bless Mary with a brand-new Mustang GT, as her 1988 Nissan Pulsar was in such poor shape that it was deemed unpimpable. Compared to the end result, we're thinking Mary would've preferred the Mustang as it was off the showroom floor, but that would've been too short of an episode. 

Instead, the guys at GAS decided to get rid of the factory black paint in favor of a bright pistachio green finish that's visible from space. The front end was then covered in chrome paint for good measure. These changes alone are enough to secure a spot on this list because, well, they took a brand-new Mustang GT – the American dream car – and sort of ruined it, cosmetically at least. The bright green and chrome paint job is staggeringly bad and counteracts the Saleen body kit. But wait, there's more.

Mad Mike decided to fit a robotic arm as a TV mount in the trunk. Aside from the obvious safety concerns, it resulted in little to no trunk space. But hey, at least her headliner has a massive fingerprint that's only visible with a black light. 

That's right, there's not one, but two GM J-body convertibles on this list. The color scheme on Brooke's 1991 Chevy Cavalier is much more palatable than Esmeralda's Pontiac, but the end result is still fugly. Yes, the sand, binoculars, and Italian ice maker of the Sunbird were silly and strange. But the lotion dispenser in this Cavalier is a major ick. 

TVs in the headrest, bling-bling wheels, body kits with mesh grilles; yup, this Chevrolet certainly checks all the boxes of what was cool in the early 2000s. That's not to say that there weren't people who disapproved of this build back then, but today the rejection is likely to be unanimous. To clarify, we wouldn't rag on someone who spent the time and money to do this to their own car. However, this show was about generating views with gimmicks and over-the-top looks. As such, we don't have any qualms about offering up our critiques of these pimped out rides. 

If you disagree with any of our takes or think there are other "Pimp My Ride" builds that ought to be mentioned, then let us know in the comments below. And if you thought the TV show was bad, wait until you see the "Pimp My Ride" video game.