For many of us, our cars are much more than a way to get us from A to B. They are a statement of who we are; a passionate hobby; or a status symbol to show off to friends and neighbors that we make more money than they do.
If any of these sound familiar, then the chances are that you’re one of those people who spend a lot of their spare time taking care of their car. Whether that involves tinkering under the hood to make improvements, or just keeping it spick and span, inside and out, many people like to know that their car looks its best. And surely the more expensive the car, the more likely you are to take good care of it?
Well, if the celebrities on this list are anything to go by, not necessarily. The US public might spend $5.8 billion at car washing businesses every year – the equivalent of eight million cars being washed every day – but there are plenty of famous faces who simply don’t care whether their car is clean, well-maintained, or even whether or not it ends up getting bashed and scraped in accidents.
Perhaps the more money you have, the less you care about taking care of your possessions. Whatever the reason, these famous faces are all guilty of that worst of all motoring crimes- not taking proper care of their cars.
20 Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling may not be a familiar name to many Americans, but if you are a fan of English soccer, then you will know him as one of the star strikers at Manchester City, rivals of the world-famous Manchester United, and winners of the 2019 English Football Championship. English footballers are among the best-paid sportsmen in the world, with some of the top players – Raheem Sterling included – picking up $225,000 per week, as well as the substantial money from sponsorship deals.
All this money burns a hole in the pockets of young players like Sterling, and a common way for them to show off their new found wealth is by buying a brand new and very expensive car.
Sterling himself owns a number of cars, including black and white Range Rovers, and a $600,000 Bentley. It was his black GLE class Mercedes which caught the eye of horrified motoring fans, however, when Sterling drove the $70,000 vehicle to team training covered in mud and dirt. It’s a crying shame to allow such a classy vehicle to be driven around in such a terrible state. Surely the footballer has enough spare change to take his Mercedes to a car wash?
19 Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle never dreamed when she was a struggling actress that she would one day end up marrying into the British Royal Family. And yet, in 2018, she married Prince Harry and became Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. On her wedding day, she arrived at Windsor Castle for the ceremony in a 1950 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, while she and her new husband later left for their evening reception in a stunning Jaguar E Type Concept Zero.
As Duchess of Sussex, she can expect to spend her life being driven around in classic cars, limousines and Range Rovers – which seem to be the everyday car of choice for the British royals. All a far cry from her early days as an actress, trying to survive on very little money while she went from audition to audition. Back then, Meghan traveled to her auditions in a beaten-up and broken-down Ford Explorer Sport that was in such a bad way, she actually had to climb in through the trunk if she wanted to go anywhere. To be fair, this wasn’t a case of neglect, but a penniless actress making some difficult decisions about what to spend her money on. Something she won’t have to worry about anymore!
18 Kristen Stewart
Fellow actress Kristen Stewart never really had that period of struggling to find roles. She was famous from a young age thanks to a successful role in the Twilight film series, in which she stared as teenager Bella Swann, who falls in love with vampire Edward Cullen. Even before the worldwide success of her Twilight role, Kristen had starred alongside Jodie Foster in Panic Room as well as in kids’ action movie Zathura: A Space Adventure. Basically, Kristen has been working since her 14th birthday and has earned plenty of money in that time. Enough certainly that she should have the cash to take care of her possessions, and yet the actress is notorious for her scruffy appearance, and her simple lifestyle.
Her car is a super-cool but super-small Mini Cooper; great little vehicles, with something of a cult following in the US, but not the first car that comes to mind when you think of Hollywood stars. To add insult to injury, Kristen doesn’t seem to care how filthy her gorgeous little Mini Cooper gets, and she is regularly pictured by the paparazzi driving around LA in a car that is covered in patches of mud and layers of desert dust.
17 Tom Hardy
British actor Tom Hardy has brought an element of British style to his Hollywood roles; it is hardly surprising that he is considered by many people to be a hot favorite to take over from Daniel Craig, when he steps down as James Bond. He would certainly be comfortable behind the wheel of an Aston Martin in those classic 007 car chases, if his role in the 2014 film Locke is anything to go by. The whole 85-minute film takes place in a BMW car as Hardy’s Locke drives across the UK to deal with a crisis in his personal life. Apparently, the director of the film had initially wanted his character to drive an Audi – a case of art imitating life, perhaps, as Hardy himself drives an Audi R8 Spyder sports car.
Generally, he does seem to keep it in pretty good condition; he’s never been photographed by the paparazzi with a dirty windscreen or been involved in a crash. However, that doesn’t mean that the car’s interior is perhaps as fresh as it could be. Tom, you see, is a big dog lover, and never likes to go anywhere without his beloved pooches. While that may melt your heart, it might be worth considering what that does to the smell of his beautiful sports car…
16 Al Pacino
Most ordinary families have one car, maybe two if they can afford it. Very few of us can ever dream of owning a car collection, and yet for many celebrities, this is a standard hobby. After all, you’ve not made it in Hollywood unless you have a different car for every occasion, and let’s not forget chat show host Jay Leno, who owns an astonishing 136 cars and 90 motorcycles, including a McLaren F1, a 1986 Lamborghini Countach and a 1963 Jaguar E-Type.
Only a celebrity could end up owning so many cars, that some of their vehicles end up sitting in garages for years at a time until they are no longer in any condition to be driven.
Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino has a reasonably impressive collection of cars. He’s no Jay Leno, but he likes to be seen out and about in stylish vehicles, which is probably why he has consigned his 1990 Toyota Camry to the proverbial scrap heap. Pacino reportedly bought the Camry while he was starring in Dick Tracy, but after he no longer needed it for getting around, he simply left it in storage, rather than selling it on to someone who could make use of it – as well as having a great dinner party story to tell their friends!
15 Emily Ratajkowski
She may be one of the sexiest women in the world, but there is nothing sexy about the interior of model and actress Emily Ratajkowski’s old Nissan Versa. While the star of the Blurred Lines music video has since sold her beloved old car in order to upgrade to a more stylish – and expensive - vehicle, who knows if she has also upgraded her own bad habits? The terrible truth about the interior of Ratajkowski’s filthy Nissan Versa was revealed when on a recent chat show appearance when she showed a photo which someone had taken of her sitting in the driving seat of her pride and joy – surrounded by a sea of trash, empty soda cans and even pizza boxes. There was trash on the passenger seat, on the dash, and perhaps most worryingly, all over the floor, including on the driver’s side.
Who knows how Emily would find the brake pedal underneath all that trash! It just goes to show that even the most stylish and put-together women in Hollywood are hiding dirty secrets. Perhaps other celebrities have some dirty secrets of their own, but only Emily Ratajkowski was brave enough to confess to hers on national television!
14 Lil’ Kim
Lil’ Kim was one of the early female rappers, who along with artists like Missy Elliot, led the way for many of today’s modern hip hop performers such as Nicki Minaj and Rihanna. At the peak of her career, she was earning millions of dollars from her music career, as well as from endorsements, but she ended up losing her fortune after she was sentenced to a year and a day in Federal prison for perjury.
She even ended up losing her beautiful Bentley car in 2008, which was repossessed after she fell behind the payments.
That might explain why Lil’ Kim kept hold of her ramshackle old 1997 BMW 328i – perhaps she had a sixth sense that one day things would go badly for her, and that she might need to fall back on her old bargain set of wheels. Not only is Lil’ Kim’s ancient BMW in desperate need of a visit to the car wash, but the former rapper also seems to have done a bit of a DIY repair job on the headlights – and a botched repair job at that. Seems that Lil’ Kim doesn’t even have the cash to pay her mechanic’s bills these days.
13 Arnold Schwarzenegger
There is one sure fire way to well and truly ruin the interior of your car; light a cigarette in it. Smoke from cigarettes can leave your vehicle’s upholstery still stinking of smoke months later – no matter how much air freshener you use or how often you wind down the windows. Smoking in the car is also bad for your passengers, including children, who find themselves exposed to your second-hand smoke with nowhere to go! In fact, some countries have even banned drivers from smoking in their own cars, when they have a passenger under the age of 18. Arnold Schwarzenegger even presided over the introduction of such a law when he was Governor of California – an interesting choice for a piece of legislation, given his obvious and well-documented love of smoking cigars. And his obvious and well-documented love of smoking cigars while behind the wheel of his Hummer. The chances are that the seats in Arnie’s Hummer stull stink of cigar smoke today – not the best way to show some love for your vehicle, and something which can also have an impact on the resale value of your car, or on your chances of even selling it at all.
12 Pierce Brosnan
Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan likes to show his love for the environment with his choice of vehicle. Both he and his wife drive BMW Hydrogen 7s, a limited edition vehicle with a specially designed hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine. Brosnan is well ahead of the curve on this one. He also has an i8. And yet, despite being given the opportunity to drive this exclusive, amazing set of wheels, he is still making some simple errors when it comes to taking care of your car.
Like Tom Hardy, Brosnan is something of a dog lover. He has been involved in high—profile campaigns against animal cruelty, and even owns a rescue dog, called Shiloh. Shiloh must be one of the luckiest rescue dogs in the world.
Not only did he get adopted into a loving new home, but he also gets to enjoy all the trappings of a Hollywood star’s lifestyle – including riding in Brosnan’s limited edition BMW Hydrogen 7. The car may be environmentally friendly, but I’m guessing its’s upholstery is not resistant to wet dog smell. Letting dogs ride in the car may seem like a nice gesture, but you’ll pay the price later with dirty, torn and smelly upholstery.
11 Anna Faris
Actress Anna Faris is another Hollywood celebrity who has embraced the charms of that most classic of British cars, the Mini Cooper. To be fair, the petite Anna is the perfect size to drive one of these diminutive cars. Perhaps that was why she and husband Chris Pratt separated; he was just too tall to get a ride in his wife’s car. Given that she is going through a divorce at the moment, we should probably give Anna the benefit of the doubt when it comes to car maintenance.
Making sure her black Mini Cooper convertible is in perfect condition is probably not a major priority at the moment for the star of the Scary Movies film franchise. Nevertheless, her lovely car was in a bit of a state when she was spotted by paparazzi photographers parking it up in Los Angeles. Not only was the bodywork grimy and dirty, but the convertible top was covered in dust; Anna obviously not been driving with the top down for some time, which is highly unusual in a sunny city like LA. Is the real crime not taking care of your car or not taking advantage of the always hot and sunny California weather?
10 Miley Cyrus
Times have certainly changed for Miley Cyrus in the last few years. It wasn’t too long ago she was a wholesome teen idol; now she’s pictured at all the hot celebrity parties and is splashing the cash like it’s going out of business. Miley has discovered a love for great cars since she became old enough to drive, and one of her favorites is her Mercedes luxury SUV. These stylish vehicles sell for at least $80,000 for the most basic model (which is unlikely to be the one Miley has chosen) so you would think that the Hannah Montana star would want to show her expensive investment a little TLC. Not so.
One of the ways in which the singer has gone off the rails is by taking up smoking – a tried and tested method by teenagers all over the world looking to rebel against their parents, although one that comes with more than its fair share of associated risks. Not only is Miley putting her health at risk with her new unpleasant habit – including the singing voice which has made her fortune – but she is also ruining her beautiful Mercedes SUV. The car is going to stink of cigarette smoke, and that is not a smell that is easy to shift or pleasant to travel in. Time to ditch the smokes, Miley!
9 Pamela Anderson
The Buick LeSabre is not the kind of car you expect to see a glamorous celebrity driving, and yet Baywatch star Pamela Anderson loved her 2002 Buick LeSabre so much, she kept it for years – and drove it for over 300,000 miles. The fact that she got 300,000 miles out of this vehicle does suggest that someone was taking care of this car, but given the condition of the interior of Pam’s LeSabre, the chances are it wasn’t her.
Not only had this old warhorse been around the block a few times (and a few more times after that), but by the time Pam finally let it go, the vehicle’s shocks were almost completely worn out and there were more than a few questionable stains on the upholstery.
No comment. There is something almost refreshing about a celebrity’s car which has been driven to death, almost until it is on its last legs, yet at the same time, it is always sad to see any car looking a pale shadow of its former self. Let’s hope that Pam has learned her lesson and is taking better care of her cars now. Who knows; she might get 400,000 miles out of the next one.
8 Heather Graham
Heather Graham is another Hollywood actress who seems to find it hard to say goodbye – at least when it comes to her old cars. For some reason, Heather has kept hold of her 1995 Ford Taurus; a dependable enough car, but certainly nothing to write home about which can only lead us to believe that it has some sort of sentimental value to the Twin Peaks actress. And yet Graham has treated her old Ford Taurus a little bit shabbily if it does have some significance to her, leaving it to gather dust and dirt instead of taking care of it in its retirement.
If money is no object, I’m sure it is tempting to hold onto possessions which were once important to you, but which have now become surplus to requirements. That does seem a shame when it comes to vehicles – even pretty dull ones like the Ford Taurus. After all, cars are meant to be driven, not to be left to fall apart over time. I’m sure someone out there would have loved to get their hands on a twenty-year-old Ford Taurus, especially one owned by a celebrity, but instead this particular car has been sadly abandoned to rack, ruin and rust.
7 Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis may now be one of the biggest comedy stars in the US, thanks to his roles in The Hangover movies and his TV work, including two stints guest presenting the iconic Saturday Night Live. However, it is clear that while Galifianakis loves his work as a comedian, he is something of a reluctant celebrity, refusing to conform to many of the expected Hollywood standards. He doesn’t have a publicist or an assistant – usually staples of a Hollywood star’s lifestyle – still lives in a modest house, and still drives a very modest car – a Subaru Station Wagon.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with celebrities keeping it real, and there is something quite refreshing about a famous face who still drives the same car he drove before he made it. However, driving an old and much-loved car is one thing; driving an old and much-loved car which is dirty, rusty and falling apart is quite another. The Subaru Station Wagon which Galifianakis has definitely seen better days, but not only does he not see the need to invest in a new and improved vehicle, he clearly doesn’t see much point in spending any of his cash on keeping his wheels in good order either.
6 Harry Styles
Boyband star Harry Styles is an icon to teenage girls all over the world. His successful music career, first as a member of One Direction and more recently as a solo artist, has also seen him earn millions of dollars from album sales and live concert tours. So what stylish and desirable sports car does he go out and buy? A $10,000 vintage Ford Capri, of course. While there is undoubtedly some retro chare about this 1970s classic, it’s not what you imagine a young, cool guy choosing to drive – which probably goes a long way towards explaining why his Ford Capri is currently rusting and gathering dust in a London parking garage.
When he first bought the car, Harry was regularly photographed driving it around London, but as he has expanded and upgraded his car collection, and started to spend more time in the US, his once beloved Ford Capri has fallen out of favor. That hasn’t stopped One Direction fans from paying visits to the rusting vehicle, as if it’s some sort of Harry Styles shrine. They even leave notes and drawings in the dust for the singer, in the increasingly unlikely event that he ever comes back to claim it.
5 George Michael
The late singer George Michael, who became famous in the 1980s as part of pop duo Wham!, had a number of run-ins with the police over his career – most notoriously when he was arrested in Los Angeles in 1998 by an undercover officer in a men’s toilet. He also had a long struggle with drugs and alcohol, which may have contributed to his early death at the age of just 53 in December 2016. His drinking and drug-taking certainly took its toll on his vehicles, as Michael was involved in a number of car accidents.
In 2013, he was involved in a serious accident on a UK highway, when he struck another vehicle and ended up falling out of his own car while it was still traveling at 70 mph.
Back in 2010, Michael had managed to do some serious damage to his Range Rover when he plowed it into a shop called Snappy Snaps, a business which developed photographic film. Michael had reportedly been at London’s Pride parade earlier in the day and had clearly overdone the celebrating, as police officers at the scene arrested him for driving under the influence, and he was later sentenced to eight weeks in prison after admitting that he had been smoking marijuana.
4 Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt may have been beaten to the World Championship gold medal in 2017, but to many of his fans he remains the fastest man on earth. However, covering 100 meters on a running track in less than ten seconds clearly isn’t fast enough for the Jamaican sprinter – if his love of fast cars is anything to go by. The world may never have even seen some of his greatest performances, however, if Bolt had been seriously injured when he was involved in a car accident in 2009.
Bolt was driving his BMW M3 home one night while visiting Jamaica. Amazingly, despite the vehicle skidding off a rain-covered road at high speed before landing on its roof in a ditch, the sprinter walked away from the crash with only minor injuries. Something of a miracle, and great news for the sports world, as Bolt went on to win several gold medals at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. And how dull would athletics have been without him? Bolt was only 22 years old when the crash took place, so we could perhaps chalk this one up to youthful exuberance, and hope that he learned his lesson and took better care of his vehicles in the future.
3 Rowan Atkinson
Jay Leno isn’t the only celebrity who owns one of the very exclusive McLaren F1 cars; Mr Bean actor Rowan Atkinson was also the proud owner of one of these gorgeous machines. Well, until he sold it in 2015 for a fee thought to be around $10 million. Although Atkinson paid just under $1 million when he bought the 240 mph supercar in 1997, the fact that so few McLaren F1 models were made means that the vehicles have actually increased in price, rather than depreciating in value – even when you take into consideration the fact that Atkinson’s model had been involved in two major car accidents.
While you would certainly want to experience what a powerful supercar car do if you ever got the chance to get behind the wheel, you would think that the owners of multi-million dollar cars would also want to make sure that their pride and joy made it home safe and sound at the end of each journey. Atkinson, it seems, was not so careful. In 2011, he crashed his McLaren F1 into a hedge into the UK, causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage; in fact, the $1.2 million insurance payout he received following the accident remains the biggest ever claim in the UK.
2 Lindsay Lohan
Think of celebrities and car crashes, and Lindsay Lohan is probably one of the first names that springs to mind. She’s another teen idol turned bad girl like Miley Cyrus, only while Miley is only guilty of sneaking a cigarette in her car and releasing some questionable songs, Lindsay Lohan seems to be on a one-woman mission to destroy as many cars as possible. She was first arrested for driving under the influence back in in 2007, before hitting a baby stroller while driving drunk in 2010 – luckily for all concerned, the occupant of the stroller was unhurt. In 2012, she drove into a parked car outside an LA club and later the same year, hit a pedestrian in New York.
Her worst crash also came in 2012, when she hit an 18-wheeler truck on the Pacific Highway and completely totaled the Porsche 911 she was driving, walking away from the crash with just a few cuts and bruises. The worst thing about this particular wreck? The Porsche was only a rental! Let’s hope she signed up for the excess coverage. Lindsay has even played up to her bad driving reputation, signing up to advertise car insurance for Esurance in 2015.
1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo is another of those highly-paid sports stars who seem to have more money than sense – especially when it comes to buying cars. Ronaldo, who was born on the Portuguese island of Madeira, started his career at Sporting Lisbon before he moved to England’s Manchester United in 2002 for a fee of $16million – which was then the most expensive football transfer fee for a teenager.
He was earning tens of thousands of dollars a week at Old Trafford, and one of the first things he wanted to buy was a sports car; and sports cars don’t come much better than the Ferrari 599, which costs about $280,000.
This is merely pocket change for a professional soccer player in the UK, however, which probably goes a long way towards explaining his cavalier attitude towards keeping his car in good condition. In 2009, Ronaldo crashed his Ferrari 599 into a roadside barrier on his way to a training session with Manchester United, completely smashing up the front of the vehicle so badly that it had to be written off. Amazingly, despite the seriousness of the accident, Ronaldo was able to walk away from the incident without any injuries.
Sources: wikihow.com, jbindustries.com, ranker.com, theguardian.com, somethingawful.com