MTV's Pimp My Ride had a simple premise: rapper Xzibit and his band of merry customizers would show up at your house and make your crappy beater awesome. A former "pimped car" recipient explains what happened when MTV left.


Last night Reddit user jaaaaake decided to open up about his experience on the strange reality game show in 2005. He's agreed to let us share the tale of how his old Buick was transformed into a portable DJ booth with a turntable glovebox and a ridiculous sound system.

He also sort of looks like Rick Astley.

In 2005, MTV "PIMPED" my 1986 Buick Century. It was the episode that featured the MTX Jackhammer, 22 inch sub-woofer. Incredible sound system... Xzibit also asked if I was Rick Astley.


On how he got the gig:

I was invited to attend an audition in Santa Monica where they conducted some on-camera interviews in the MTVnetworks parking lot. I was chosen based on a whimsical story I told about the shittiness of the vehicle. Did they really come to your house to surprise you?

It wasn't my house. It was a place owned by one of the crew members. I was actually surprised when Xzibit showed up to the door, because up until that point everyone with MTV had led me to believe that I was merely "one of 5 finalists" and that it was just practice to see how I would react if it was Xzibit at the door. When it was, I knew it was real. So even though a lot is for show, there definitely was an element of surprise maintained for certain moments.

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On fixing of the car's mechanical issues

They didn't do a damn thing with any of the mechanical issues... Xzibit was very chill. We probably shared 3 entire bags of Fiery Hot Cheetos. He also told me many stories. The crew at WCC were great dudes also. Very kind. Also, Mad Mike helped me out with some problems I had with the car a couple weeks after I got it back from the shop. Do you still have the car?

No. I sold it to MTX (the company that manufactured all 'pimping audio components' within). I originally purchased the car for 500 bucks. Sold it for 18k. Doesn't everyone sell the car?

I actually had to sign a contract that prohibited me from listing their final product on eBay, which I did. I was contacted by Viacom about 3 hours later, ordered to take it down. I then got the contact info of the company that made the Jackhammer woof and made a deal. The problem with the show is, they don't fix any of the mechanical issues, and my car was a piece of shit. What they did was make my piece of shit sound exceptionally awesome, which is great. Just not great enough to drive on roads.


Do you miss the car?

At first, HELL YES. I missed it, because it was truly one of a kind, and I love music and I love making music. This was the perfect vehicle to play sounds in. But it was still an old Century, and the engine and transmission were dying. A dude at MTX actually called me a month after they had obtained it to let me know that it was completely shot. They hauled it around for car shows and stuff for a year or so. I am unaware of the Buick's former whereabouts. Best experience?

My favorite experience with the car was blasting 'Thriller' on Halloween.


How was Xzibit?

He was funny, but extremely mellow. I was expecting him to perpetually scream "SUP DAAAWWWWG!!!" but that's just his broadcast persona. He spoke calmly and consumed Cheetos. Xzibit told me that he was going down to Hell later in the evening to kill the devil, because he wanted some new Satan Skin boots.


Other epic stories:

• I fought to keep the world's greatest license plate

• The JFK ambulance is a fake

• The Lamborghini Aventador is a monumental leap forward


The whole post can be read here, and it should be read. It's hilarious.