Today’s car is not your father’s Oldsmobile, to quote the old television commercial. Rims, grills, hydraulics and other customized features have allowed the younger generation of drivers to make their cars almost as personalized as their own living rooms. The MTV series “Pimp My Ride” features rapper Xzibit as the host of a vehicle makeover program. In each episode, a vehicle in poor condition is not only improved but customized, or “pimped,” according to the owner’s personal style and interests. The makeovers aren’t limited to paint jobs or hi-risers either; a bowling ball washer was installed in one vehicle while a dryer was installed in another.

Before you jump on the “Pimp My Ride” bandwagon, realize that vehicle modification is not without its price and safety risks. For example, altering a vehicle’s normal center of gravity by raising it up higher increases the risk of rollover during a collision. Automobile insurance agencies are also aware of these risks and may charge more to cover customized vehicles, if they cover them at all. For an extended video click HERE

Hosted by rapper Xzibit, Pimp My Ride is not your mother's car improvement program. It's more like a hip-hop Queer Eye for the Straight Guy--with autos and automotive experts--than, say, Extreme Makeover:Home Edition. Or as the theme song puts it, "So you wanna be a playa / But ya wheels ain't fly / Ya gotta hit us up / To get a pimped out ride." In each installment, Xzibit, aka "X to the Z," hooks up with the crew at L.A.'s West Coast Customs: Ryan (owner), Q (manager), Mad Mike (electronics), Big Dane (accessories), Aren (paint and body), Ish (interiors), and Alex (wheels and tires). The California-based car owners selected as subjects range in age from 18-24 and most are students on a limited budget. All have rides in need of some serious pimping.

Take the ride featured in the first episode: Wyatt's 1988 Daihatsu Hi-Jet. The musician's "micro-van" is held together with duct tape, sheet metal, and calking. Friend Nathan describes it as "a toaster rolling on donuts." You won't recognize it when the West Coast crew gets finished with it. Now it's tricked out with silver flames, big rim tires, video monitors, a wraparound couch, a refrigerator, a DVD changer, an MP3 player, and a boomin' stereo system. It's the same for every ride they pimp: Mary's 1967 Ford Mustang, Jared's 1985 Ford Ranger, Danelle's 1981 Pontiac Trans Am, Neil's 1974 Chevy "Luv" Truck, Krissy's 1969 Volkswagen Baja Bug, etc.

The first season of Pimp My Ride features 15 rides, all transformed from pathetic hunks of junk into slammin' wheels with crazy extras like turntables, ping pong tables, espresso makers, chandeliers, and lava lamps. The show quickly became MTV's most popular next to The Real World and was renewed for several more seasons.

Pimp My Ride