This Former Pimp My Ride Toyota Celica on Craigslist Is Hard to Stomach
What does a decade of decay do to a formerly fly tuner car?
Pimp My Ride was a television series that caught the attention of even anti-enthusiasts. The crew at West Coast Customs stewed up some, er, unique builds that perfectly represented the early 2000s, splashing every car they touched with TV screens, Playstation 2 consoles, and over-the-top paint schemes that put the "temporary" in contemporary. Though not known for their vehicles' build quality, the cast was entertaining and raised car modification to a grander stage than many could.
However, with more than 10 years gone by, some of the subjects from the show are showing their age...like this one.
Spotted on the San Francisco Bay area Craigslist, this 1990 Toyota Celica got the full treatment from WCC. It boasts a shouty yellow motif that carries through from the car's profile to its cabin, and with more vinyl decals than an online sticker boutique, we'd be lying if we called it tasteful. It's as close to period-correct as you could get for the '00s car scene, an era that left us scratching our heads even more than the heyday of Koenig body kits and shag carpeting.
Given its rough condition when it entered the shop, any alteration made to the Celica would be considered an improvement—at least, you'd like to think. It was fitted with Lambo-style scissor doors, an Apple PowerBook laptop, and even a Palm Treo cell phone to dial up anyone on the go, a big deal in a pre-mobile-enamored world.
But after more than 25 years of use, things aren't looking up for the 230,000-mile 'Yota. Sagging upholstery and faded paint tell the tale for this car, one that would've once looked at home in any Need for Speed garage.
Shoddy condition makes this car seem like just another Craigslist find, but the celebrity tax helps kick the asking price up to $3,000. Is it worth it? Maybe not. But who doesn't want to say they'd "been pimped" by Xzibit himself?