On the History channel show Pawn Stars, the Las Vegas crew at the family owned World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop tries their hand at buying and selling just about anything the market has to offer, including a long list of cars and trucks, from the new and pristine to the old and trashed.
Updated April 2022: If you're a fan of Pawn Stars and its cast, you'll be happy to know that we've updated this article with more details surrounding the car purchases they made over the years.
Thanks to years in the industry, Rick, the Old Man, Big Hoss, and Chumlee typically have the upper hand in any negotiations, but sometimes their excitement, overconfidence, and inexperience with the intricate details of the car world lead them astray. Keep scrolling for 15 of the best buys the Pawn Stars have made over the years, and 5 cars they probably should have known to take a closer look at, or even passed on the deal entirely.
20 1967 Shelby Mustang GT350
Not many cars create the instant impression of a Shelby GT350. A standard first generation Mustang is one of the most recognizable cars in the history of the American automotive industry, a sports car that came to define the era when muscle cars roamed the streets and highways in towns and cities across the country.
When Carroll Shelby and his team got their hands on the Mustang, though, they created a whole new beast. Even without the iconic racing stripes, the 1968 GT350 stands out thanks to the 289 c.i.(4.7-liter) V8 under the hood that could roar all the way up to 6,000 RPM.
Related: 5 Cars Pawn Stars Should Have Never Turned Down (And 10 Buys They Regretted)
19 Shelby Cobra 427
The Shelby Cobra represents a piece of American engineering that helped to redefine American motoring's presence in both competitive and consumer production. Carroll Shelby set out initially to create a race car that he could take to Europe with the expressed goal of beating European manufacturers in the world's most prestigious races.
The lightweight Cobra combined Ford V8 power with an AC body, and aggressively revised suspension made the car a powerhouse on the track and on the street. Any original Cobra is highly collectible, but the 427 engine brings the big bucks thanks to its (up to) 485 horses in a car that only weighed around 2,350 pounds.
18 1951 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe
The Chevy Styleline Deluxe featured on Pawn Stars wasn't just an amazingly cool classic convertible, it was also a car that legendary actor and legitimate race car driver Steve McQueen owned personally after driving in his final film, The Hunter.
The combination of smooth lines, impressive condition, a vanity plate which read MCQUEEN, and the well-documented historical significance of the car's place in Hollywood history led Rick to actually keep the car for his personal collection after it was featured on Pawn Stars. While performance for the Styleline Deluxe wasn't impressive (with only 92 horsepower and a column-shifted three-speed transmission), Rick still just had to have it.
Related: 16 Rare Treasures Snatched Up By The Cast Of Pawn Stars
17 Should've Passed On: 1974 Volkswagen Type 181
The Volkswagen Type 181, affectionately known as the "Thing", is one of the cheapest built cars in the history of international automotive manufacturing. Underpowered, air-cooled, with a rust prone chassis that was essentially a slightly larger version of the Beetle, the Thing at least a light curb weight.
Sure, the styling was distinctive and loosely resembled a dune buggy, but creature comforts were essentially nonexistent and actual performance was uninspiring. Buying a Thing today requires a ton of bravery given how quickly it can transform into not much more than a pile of dust.
16 Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole
The Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole may not be the most powerful or most stylized Ferrari ever made, but the combination of Pininfarina-penned, distinctively angular lines, a targa top, and a classically Ferrari mid-mounted engine combined to make it a significant offering during its time.
Today, even in its highest output Quattrovalvole form, which debuted for 1983 and acquired its name thanks to the use of four valves per cylinder, the 240 horsepower cranked out of the car's engine might not even let it keep up with a Honda Civic Si. But thanks to low production numbers and the fact that in the end, they still bear the prancing horse badging, a 308 GTS Quattrovalvole is still worth a pretty penny.
15 1941 White M3 Scout Car
The Pawn Stars aren't strictly buyers of historical sports cars or significant Hollywood relics; they'll also take the time to enjoy trucks, jeeps, and military vehicles, as well. Loading the crew up in the back of the White M3 Scout Car featured late in Season 3 made sense, since the M3 Scout Car was used in World War II as a troop transporter, ambulance, command vehicle, and even as a gun tractor.
Of course, Las Vegas's smooth roads probably don't quite match battle conditions in Europe, but regardless the team decided to pick up the M3 Scout Car thanks to its well-preserved historical patina.
14 1969 Plymouth Road Runner
The Plymouth Road Runner is another classic piece of American muscle car history, which at the time of its introduction in 1968 represented Plymouth's attempt to refocus the muscle car phenomenon on cars that were fast, affordable, and aggressively styled.
In contrast to the bloated Mustangs and Thunderbirds that Ford had made larger, slower, and more expensive, the Road Runner hit the streets with 335 horsepower and 425 lb-ft of torque, or even up to 425 horsepower and 490 lb-ft with the optional 426 CID Hemi under its hood - which raised the sticker price by $714.
13 Should've Passed On: DeLorean DMC 12
The DeLorean that featured as a time machine in the Back to the Future franchise might be one of the most recognizable prop cars of all time. And in reality, a DeLorean even without all the gizmos crammed on and in it is still a head-turner for movie fans, but true automotive enthusiasts know the car, despite its futuristic design, is really a dud on four wheels.
With a relatively high curb weight and an underpowered engine, the DeLorean is no sports car, and buying one that's been modified by an amateur to resemble the film car is just an exercise in futility.
Related: 11 Cars From Pawn Stars Chumlee Should Have Snagged (And 7 He Actually Owns)
12 1951 Willys Wagon
Before today's Suburbans and Escalades dominated the American SUV market, way back in the late 1940s and early 50s, a brand named Willys cranked out a model lineup that can be thought of as the beginning of the SUV concept.
Willys made Jeep Wagons, Utility Wagons, and Panel Delivery models, all of which featured a revolutionary (for the time) all-steel body, making them cheap to manufacture while improving on durability and safety, not too surprising given that some trucks and wagons at the time were still partially made out of real wood. Finding a well-kept example like the one on Pawn Stars makes for quite an attractive collectible.
Related: 17 Cars The Pawn Stars Shouldn't Have Bought (And 3 Times They Made The Right Call)
11 1962 Mercedes-Benz Unimog-S 404
When it comes to all-out durability and utility, many Americans might think of Mercedes-Benz's G-Wagens thanks to their boxy shape and utilitarian design. But in reality, Mercedes also produces the Unimog, perhaps the most capable off-roading platform ever made. The Unimog's insane clearance comes thanks to portal gears which keep the drivetrain elevated higher than the wheels.
A Spartan cabin up front makes the Unimog at home on a farm or in military use, while a variety of layouts including pickup beds, cargo boxes, and six-wheel drive variants allow for wide customization. Arnold Schwarzenegger famously drives a Unimog around Los Angeles, so the Pawn Stars probably figured they should do the same around Las Vegas.
10 1962 Lincoln Continental
The first Lincoln Continental was produced as a personal vehicle for Edsel Ford, Henry Ford's son who wanted to create a promotional vehicle to help advertise the new Lincoln marque. The fourth generation Continental bought on Pawn Stars reinvigorated the line's classically elegant form with a distinctive rear suicide door setup, and plenty of chrome all over.
An added attraction for the Pawn Stars may have been this era Continental's classic role in The Matrix, as the protagonists' preferred ride when they entered the computer program and had to navigate the dangers of the concrete (but actually simulated) urban jungle.
9 Should've Passed On: 1968 Ford Mustang
Ford Mustangs seem to strike a chord with the Pawn Stars crew, with more than a few showing up in episodes across the years. Especially after an amazing Shelby GT350, a couple of excellent Fox Body Mustangs, and even after the relatively bland fifth generation Hertz Penske GT coupe, this beat up first generation fastback is just a terrible buy at any price.
Given that the Pawn Stars are playing with house money and have the funds to buy amazing collectible cars, even taking on this project for free seems to be more of a waste of time than anything else.
8 1929 Ford Model A
Most Americans mistakenly believe that Henry Ford invented the automobile as we know it, but in reality that honor goes to a German inventor, Karl Benz, who unveiled his Benz Patent Motorcar in 1885. Henry Ford's major contribution to the industry was the use of assembly line manufacturing to help make his products more affordable for the growing American middle class.
Thanks to the historical significance of early Fords, the Model A marks a crucial role in the automotive industry, having followed on the success of the first Model T cars to come out of Detroit. In the ninth episode of Pawn Stars' first season, the crew actually checked out two cars, including the Model A hot rod Rick blasted around Las Vegas in.
7 Batmobile Replica
Hollywood has added many vehicles to the pantheon of classic and inspiring cars, but none are perhaps quite as dramatic as the Batmobile that debuted in 1989 as part of Tim Burton's darker Batman vision. The car featured on Pawn Stars was actually a replica of the original film car, which was based on a Chevy Impala chassis and had a wheelbase that stretched more than 141 inches.
The real car used in the movie is housed now in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, but the replica version on Pawn Stars was nonetheless just too cool for the guys to pass up.
6 1964 Austin-Healey Sprite Mark II
Today's cars seem to continually expand in size, allowing for more room on the inside by getting taller and longer on the outside. Compared to a Ford Excursion, any car built by British manufacturer Austin-Healey looks teeny tiny, but the Sprite model earned its name by being small even for its day.
While not quite as distinctive as its Mark I predecessor, lovingly referred to as the Bugeye Sprite, the Mark II Sprit still pairs a lightweight body to a tiny engine, the result being a fun driving car that looks classic and cool, offering top down cruising that today's cars just can't match.
5 Should've Passed On: 2014 Ford Mustang Hertz Penske GT
Hertz has a long history of upgrading Ford Mustangs, ever since the first generation Shelby GT350H model which was essentially a promotional race car available for rental from Hertz (and now a highly sought-after collectible). So when Ford debuted the Mustang in Hertz Penske GT trim for the 2014 model year, it seemed like a continuation of that tradition, especially thanks to a plethora of upgraded suspension and drivetrain components, not to mention the classic paint scheme.
Unfortunately, though the fifth generation Mustang seemed to at least partially return the model to its heritage, the release of the awesome sixth-generation Mustang has made the car bought by the Pawn Stars completely unnecessary.
4 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
The Chevrolet Camaro is one of America's most classic cars. Even though there have been some rough times for the line, ever since the first generation debuted in 1966 for the 1967 model year, the Camaro has represented one of the best muscle cars on the market much of the time.
Today's Camaros return the design to the classically aggressive form, which probably reached its ultimate peak with the 1969 Z/28 model that was bought and sold on Pawn Stars. Chevy claimed the 302 cid small block V8 under the Z/28's hood cranked out 290 horsepower, but actual testing revealed that at higher RPMs output could reach as much as 400 horses when equipped with dual four-barrel carburetors.
3 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
The mid-2000s represented a low point for many American manufacturers, as the industry increasingly trended towards bland designs paired with plastic interiors and underpowered, efficiency-focused drivetrains. The wide range of pickup trucks on the market similarly seemed to coagulate together into a boring pile, but recently the offerings coming out of Detroit have improved noticeably.
Nowhere is that more evident than with Ford's SVT Raptor, which turns the tried and true F-150 work truck into a bold off-roading machine with performance and styling inspired by Baja 500 desert runners. For city dwellers and rural consumers alike, the Raptor brings a new edge to the pickup truck table.
2 Custom 1957 Chevrolet 150
A touching moment occurred on Pawn Stars when Rick surprised the Old Man with a 1957 Chevrolet 150 for his 70th birthday. The classic American car has been upgraded with an LS1 V8 swap, an engine shared with the late 1990s Corvette that should up power to around 350 horses, making the Chevy 150 one of the prizes of the Old Man's extensive classic car collection.
When Hagerty asked the Old Man about the gift, he said, "I had no idea whatsoever. It just shocked the hell out of me. I really like the car and it’s a head turner. I’m very careful with it when I drive it. It’s extremely fast.”
1 Should've Passed On: Jaguar XJ6 Series III
Even though British manufacturer Jaguar has produced a long line of aesthetically pleasing luxury and sports cars for decades, a cloud of doubt surrounds their cars thanks to a deserved reputation for terrible reliability. A common piece of advice for buyers who just have to own a Jaguar thanks to the brand's style is to buy two, since one of them will probably be in the shop at any given time.
And even though the Pawn Stars crew all have awesome cars, and show a fair amount of knowledge, buying a used Jag at an affordable price can quickly turn into a huge mistake.
Sources: imcdb.com, caranddriver.com, and imdb.com.
