In the '00s, people dreamed of having their car transformed by MTV's "Pimp My Ride," but the pimpification of these bling wagons was more nightmare fuel.

Before he exchanges his platinum records for bingo cards, trades groupie-filled after-parties for potluck mixers, and ditches the chrome-wheeled, pimped-out rides for a four-wheeled mobility scooter, ...

When Pimp My Ride premiered on MTV in 2004, it felt like pure wish fulfillment. A clunky old car rolled into a custom shop, and a few dramatic montages later, it emerged as a gleaming fantasy on ...