[GTB]

I do not have cable TV, but since I had been out of town for several weeks and was staying in a place with "special" TV (cable TV would be like a luxury at my house), I came across the MTV show Pimp My Ride. As always, I am amazed at the endless variety of mods available for cars, ranging from stylish and practical to tacky and just plain-old pointless mods. Obviously, the show focuses on showing off and standing out, so I wonder how practical and safe it would be to get your ride ULTRA-pimped by MTV. Considering that the majority of the owners of the pimped-out cars do not have the financial means to afford such nice rides, and more likely than not to live in "not so safe" neighborhoods, would they not be placing themselves at a higher risk for car theft? The TV show never provides an update of the rides that they have already pimped in previous episodes. Are they still in one piece, or have all four 20-inch chrome rims been jacked the very next week? It makes me wonder.

This post has been edited by ZiGeNX77: 18 June 2008 - 03:21 PM
Reason for edit: removed "?" post icon.

[YSK]

I'd only do it if my car was like a geo, or really beat down.

[jphase]

i'd let them mod only if i got to pick what was going to happen to my car.. some of the paint jobs they do are just hideous..

[ZiGeNX77]

They transform an ugly beat up car, to an ugly fixed up ricey car full of nice electronics. I would let them have at it if my car was run to the ground. Its a fun show to watch, but I would be utterly embarrassed to drive around their creation.

[Clix]

I rather do it myself. Because when it's given to you, you never cherish it. When you do it yourself, you cherish it.

[ZiGeNX77]

... but everything is free. I think I'd do it, strip it for the parts I want then sell it.

[i<3ramen]

i know that most of the cars on the show are all beated cars that end up with crazy gadgets and such but i've always wondered if they ever do anything to the engine or is it all just interior/exterior changes

[Clix]

i know that most of the cars on the show are all beated cars that end up with crazy gadgets and such but i've always wondered if they ever do anything to the engine or is it all just interior/exterior changes

If there's any kind of mechanical problem, it's usually fixed. Like the old Chevy truck with horrible braking problems, fixed, or upgraded actually.

[GTB]

I think they rarely attempt to enhance the engine. The last episode I watched featured a Mercedes that was claimed by the Police (for legal reasons LOL), and the owner has to do something under the hood to start the engine; turning the key inside the car would not work! In addition, it hardly maintained a speed of over 35 mph. MTV did all its usual pimping on the exterior and interior, but no one mentioned anything about enhancing the engine, which I thought was a major issue for that car. I suppose they fixed the key ignition problem. But who knows? Maybe the girl is cruising along the highway in her shiny hot pink Mercedes studded with diamonds . . . at 35 mph top speed.

On the other hand, in another episode, they accepted the challenge of pimping an old muscle car. They overhauled the entire engine and replaced it with a brand new one that featured some type of new technology that delivered an insane amount of horsepower. However, the new engine requires organic diesel fuel. MTV graciously provided one year's worth of of this special fuel. After that, you are on your own LOL. I do not believe this type of fuel is easy to find at most gas stations, depending on location.

[ihigh]

... but everything is free. I think I'd do it, strip it for the parts I want then sell it.

agreed, get it, strip it, sell it, buy a new car XD

[viper2788]

lol honeslty, if i could pick which mods i want done... then why not. im broke as it is and mods are so hard to save up for. then again, it would be weird cuz im against having TV(s) in my car.. along with the ridiculous paintjob and whatever else they usually add.. def not tryin to make my ride into a showcar.

[Clix]

I think they rarely attempt to enhance the engine. The last episode I watched featured a Mercedes that was claimed by the Police (for legal reasons LOL), and the owner has to do something under the hood to start the engine; turning the key inside the car would not work! In addition, it hardly maintained a speed of over 35 mph. MTV did all its usual pimping on the exterior and interior, but no one mentioned anything about enhancing the engine, which I thought was a major issue for that car. I suppose they fixed the key ignition problem. But who knows? Maybe the girl is cruising along the highway in her shiny hot pink Mercedes studded with diamonds . . . at 35 mph top speed.

On the other hand, in another episode, they accepted the challenge of pimping an old muscle car. They overhauled the entire engine and replaced it with a brand new one that featured some type of new technology that delivered an insane amount of horsepower. However, the new engine requires organic diesel fuel. MTV graciously provided one year's worth of of this special fuel. After that, you are on your own LOL. I do not believe this type of fuel is easy to find at most gas stations, depending on location.

You can get bio-diesel in every state except Oklahoma, oddly. They're just kinda scarce depending on location.

[supertammie]

only if i get to pick the mods
if not...
it has to be a beatdown car
but then i'd part it after that =x

[GTB]

LOL But if you sell the parts, what would be left of your "car"? You would have holes all over the place left from missing TV monitors, speakers, spinning mini disco ball, or whatever stuff they put on.

Clix: The next time I pump gas, I will look for bio-diesel. I wonder how much it costs.

[bonbons]

yea..because even if i have a car now, it's probably going to be so crappy. they should pimp rides all over the country haha.
i can just change the paint job later...rofl

[ZiGeNX77]

only if i get to pick the mods
if not...
it has to be a beatdown car
but then i'd part it after that =x

Nah, you can never pick the mods. It all depends on what you say your passion is. I remember one guy enjoyed DJ'ing so they put in a pull out spin station from the rear with LCDs, amps, speakers, subs all up in the trunk. I would tell them I love scaring people so I would hope they'd put in a train horn, N20 discharge valves on the sides of my car, water cannon, la cucaracha speaker, etc hahaa.

LOL But if you sell the parts, what would be left of your "car"? You would have holes all over the place left from missing TV monitors, speakers, spinning mini disco ball, or whatever stuff they put on.

Clix:

True, but just tell the buyer there are meant for upgrades. And we all know some people are suckers for custom paint jobs so someone would buy it.

[Pinkie]

heck ya! i'm a girl so i dont kno much about cars.. anything they do is better than i have now ^^

[90th.degree]

Pimp my Ride basically converts a beater into a Ricey show car. Sure the cars look nice and all, but there's like no performance aspects involved, suspension aside. If work is done on the exterior/interior, at least SOME work should have been done on the engine.

[GTB]

Usually the drivers of the cars on the show cannot afford a better ride for themselves, let alone afford any particular performance enhancements or after-market parts. They apparently may be ignorant about performance enhancements, or perhaps do not care for anything extraordinary under the hood. Moreover, I believe that MTV chooses only this particular population of drivers for specific reasons. Perhaps they are trying to avoid anyone who knows anything about cars so they can do whatever they want with it, without the input of the owners, whether it be helpful or not. I can imagine how annoying it would be to stumble across a car-knowledgeable owner who demands a long list of mods to improve the engine output by a certain amount.
That would be an unfortunate experience for the guys on Pimp My Ride. That would definitely require extra time for the car to be finished because the engine would have to be tested prior to showtime. In addition, by avoiding performance enhancements, this limits the potential for the driver to abuse that extra "horse-power boost" on the road and avoid potential motor vehicle collisions, and ultimately precluding any subsequent law suits towards MTV for making their rides "unsafe." This is my theory.

[j.k]

i remember seeing an episode where they put nos in car....i think i lol'd in real life.