YouTuber buys $850 abandoned minivan from Pimp My Ride and what he finds reveals a major secret about the show
Published on Dec 10, 2025 at 8:55 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Dec 11, 2025 at 4:55 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Somebody bought the infamous Pimp My Ride van, the Chrysler Voyager that featured in the show presented by rapper Xzibit, and the situation is even worse than we imagined.
The van is in terrible shape.
But that’s for a reason you might not imagine.
And it has everything to do with the nature of these reality shows.
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The problem with ‘reality’ shows
We’ve had three types of reality shows.
Three phases, if you like.
Phase one was the early stage, back when viewers genuinely believed basically everything they saw on screen was true and real.
This led to phase two, during which viewers felt a bit duped and thought everything was staged.
Now we’re probably in phase three.
We know that most of it it’s scripted, but screenwriters and showrunners have learned how to give protagonists a vague outline of what they have to do and say, but then make sure that some of what happens is – more or less – real.
And for MTV’s Pimp My Ride, it’s an open secret at this point that it was basically entirely staged.
So many of the cars used for the show are now resurfacing, and both buyers and sellers are coming to terms with the reality behind these reality shows.
Pun intended.
This Pimp My Ride van is a mess
The iconic Pimp My Ride Chrysler Voyager minivan was bought by Tavarish, and then bought again by another equally famous YouTuber, Tyler Hoover from the Hoovies Garage.
Both agreed that the van was in horrible shape.
And they realized that, as Tavarish explained, it’s because ‘a lot of times, the guys didn’t use the original car’.
The production team occasionally used more than one vehicle, which means that what we saw on screen definitely didn’t coincide with the vehicle that ended up on the road.
Still, there’s a silver lining.
Amazingly, Tyler Hoover actually got an offer of $1,300 for the van.
That is outstanding when you remember this van is quite beat-up, and even more outstanding when you learn he’d actually paid $850 for it.
So he’s somehow made money on it.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
