Budget or beater cars in movies and tv
December 9, 2019 9:45 AM Subscribe
I’m trying to come up with a list of movies and/or shows that feature characters who drive more low-end cars, where it isn’t used as commentary on or reveal of some aspect of their personality or failings (e. g. Ted Beneke from Breaking Bad and his fluctuation between luxury cars and a Geo).
Not looking for the ideas/reasoning behind why directors and producers decide to stick their MC in a cute lil turquoise mini instead of, I dunno, a Hyundai or a twenty year old Blazer or whatever. Also not looking for discussion on what’s realistic for a budget care — I know our realities vary, ha ha. Just looking for fave movies where a character drives a beater or a low budget car, it is recognized as such for the locality of the movie. Any era of film or tv is fine, as long as the car is reasonably seen as a budget thing for that era.
George Bailey could be a good classic film example, maybe, although I guess his beater could be seen as indicative of his superior morality and fecundity? Maybe it’s too difficult to separate in art/entertainment! I’m more ok with answers of cars that represent positive characteristics instead of negative.
Not looking for the ideas/reasoning behind why directors and producers decide to stick their MC in a cute lil turquoise mini instead of, I dunno, a Hyundai or a twenty year old Blazer or whatever. Also not looking for discussion on what’s realistic for a budget care — I know our realities vary, ha ha. Just looking for fave movies where a character drives a beater or a low budget car, it is recognized as such for the locality of the movie. Any era of film or tv is fine, as long as the car is reasonably seen as a budget thing for that era.
George Bailey could be a good classic film example, maybe, although I guess his beater could be seen as indicative of his superior morality and fecundity? Maybe it’s too difficult to separate in art/entertainment! I’m more ok with answers of cars that represent positive characteristics instead of negative.
Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) in A Few Good Men. Neal Page (Steve Martin) and Del Griffith (John Candy) in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
posted by davcoo at 10:02 AM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by davcoo at 10:02 AM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
The creators of the American iteration of the Office did a really good job of providing their characters with cars that (mostly) matched their personalities and stations in life.
posted by arco at 10:02 AM on December 9, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by arco at 10:02 AM on December 9, 2019 [3 favorites]
For many years of the series, Allison Dubois in Medium drove, and loved, an older Volvo station wagon.
posted by Dolley at 10:11 AM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Dolley at 10:11 AM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
The Dude drives a beater in The Big Lebowski. It does go with the rest of his character, but there isn’t especially a point made about it.
posted by ewok_academy at 10:32 AM on December 9, 2019
posted by ewok_academy at 10:32 AM on December 9, 2019
Mulder and Scully were mostly chasing aliens in a Ford Taurus.
posted by Violet Hour at 10:37 AM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Violet Hour at 10:37 AM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
Brad Pitt's character in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood drives a clapped-out Karmann Ghia.
You might enjoy perusing the Internet Movie Car Database.
posted by adamrice at 11:19 AM on December 9, 2019 [3 favorites]
You might enjoy perusing the Internet Movie Car Database.
posted by adamrice at 11:19 AM on December 9, 2019 [3 favorites]
Best answer: One of the characters in Knives Out drives a newish-looking but unimpressive Hyundai hatchback (or possibly a small wagon?) and it even ends up figuring into the plot a bit.
posted by mskyle at 11:30 AM on December 9, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by mskyle at 11:30 AM on December 9, 2019 [2 favorites]
Repo Man. Garth's "Mirth Mobile" in Wayne's World. The classic Robert Duvall heist movie The Outfit.
posted by aspersioncast at 11:38 AM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by aspersioncast at 11:38 AM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
Not sure if this counts as low budget or not for you (it did in context), but I loved the minivan in Get Shorty.
posted by Mchelly at 11:42 AM on December 9, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Mchelly at 11:42 AM on December 9, 2019 [2 favorites]
The same old (early 80's?) white Honda Civic pops up in at least a couple Tarantino movies - Bruce Willis's character drives it in Pulp Fiction and Pam Grier's Jackie Brown drives it. Maybe other movies, too?
posted by everythings_interrelated at 12:19 PM on December 9, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by everythings_interrelated at 12:19 PM on December 9, 2019 [2 favorites]
I believe in the movie "Fletch" he mentions his "Oldsmo-Buick," but I can't recall if it's in any of the books.
In any case, it reflects that he's supposed to be a blue-ish collar beat reporter.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:38 PM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
In any case, it reflects that he's supposed to be a blue-ish collar beat reporter.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:38 PM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
Also - in That 70's Show, Red buys a very early model Toyota Corolla. Googling around I found this writeup about cars used in the show - it's fantastic.
posted by everythings_interrelated at 12:38 PM on December 9, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by everythings_interrelated at 12:38 PM on December 9, 2019 [2 favorites]
Joyce Byers on Stranger Things drove a few-years-old Pinto, which makes sense. (I'm a Pinto fan and don't see her driving one as being any kind of character flaw. Your Pintopinion may vary.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:18 PM on December 9, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:18 PM on December 9, 2019 [2 favorites]
Drowning Mona featured more than one Yugo I think. Pretty sure they’ve always been considered budget cars. I owned one for most of my teenage years.
posted by one4themoment at 3:18 PM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by one4themoment at 3:18 PM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
Donald Glover sports a rather generic Nissan Sentra in 'Atlanta'. This banal car trivia tends to stick in my head. I can't see a Sentra without thinking of Donald Glover.
(Note the famous beater in 'Repo Man' is a 64 Malibu (it was actually stolen during the production! Who would do such a thing?))
posted by ovvl at 4:02 PM on December 9, 2019
(Note the famous beater in 'Repo Man' is a 64 Malibu (it was actually stolen during the production! Who would do such a thing?))
posted by ovvl at 4:02 PM on December 9, 2019
Stumptown fan here -- Dex's Mustang GT is a character in its own right. And has a haunted tape deck that she cannot control. Last week she drove up to the home of her deceased boyfriend to the tune of Pat Benatar's "We Belong."
posted by TrishaU at 6:37 PM on December 9, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by TrishaU at 6:37 PM on December 9, 2019 [2 favorites]
The Cavlier and the other cars in Swingers were practically characters in their own right.
Starsky and Hutch was famous for Starsky's red tomato, but Hutch had a very different type of ride.
posted by sardonyx at 7:04 PM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
Starsky and Hutch was famous for Starsky's red tomato, but Hutch had a very different type of ride.
posted by sardonyx at 7:04 PM on December 9, 2019 [1 favorite]
1974 Dodge Monaco Mount Prospect Police Car. AKA The Bluesmobile
posted by my-username at 3:35 AM on December 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by my-username at 3:35 AM on December 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
On Psych, Gus drives a Toyota Echo dubbed "The Blueberry," which is a very budgety hatchback
posted by radioamy at 8:40 PM on December 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by radioamy at 8:40 PM on December 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I've favorited some that particularly stand out to me, but these are all best answers! Marking mskyle as best of the best, because I realized that it was Marta's little Hyundai in Knives Out that got me thinking about this.
posted by pepper bird at 7:20 AM on December 12, 2019
posted by pepper bird at 7:20 AM on December 12, 2019
Response by poster: (Also really appreciating the Stumptown rec -- these days I usually get to TV years after it first starts.)
posted by pepper bird at 7:20 AM on December 12, 2019
posted by pepper bird at 7:20 AM on December 12, 2019
Late to the party but Robert Redford drives a beater in Sneakers
posted by drinkmaildave at 6:44 PM on January 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by drinkmaildave at 6:44 PM on January 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
'Thunderbolt and Lightfoot' (1974) Clint Eastwood heist movie has a beater plot point when the gang botches their getaway through a crowded drive-in theatre by using a distinctive 51 Mercury beater.
posted by ovvl at 4:47 PM on February 24, 2020
posted by ovvl at 4:47 PM on February 24, 2020
Coming back here to mention Connell’s Ford Focus hatchback in Normal People, which is just about perfect.
posted by Violet Hour at 2:08 AM on May 4, 2020
posted by Violet Hour at 2:08 AM on May 4, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Melismata at 9:55 AM on December 9, 2019 [5 favorites]