It was even worse with the Prius in Warehouse 13.  Absolutely obnoxious, and made no sense for any of the characters to drive one.

Pretty sure Baby doesn’t drive his own car. He has a different car for every getaway - presumably they’re all stolen.

Ron Swanson’s Buick shouldn’t be there. Allow me to explain.

Considering Lucifer’s massively obvious English accent he should have been driving a Jensen Interceptor with a brand new Chrysler Hemi thrown in.

Don’t forget about the movie tie-in with the manufacturer’s ads. Audi / Iron-Man was a big one, I remember.

I know this might not count since they were the cars instead of driving cars, but I’d nominate just about every Autobot in 2007's Transformers movie.

This is a good comment. Sam 100% drives a C3.

OR Hellcat. Or Viper. Lots of good demonic choices.

Good catch. But the Charger was practically a character.

Cop in Texas driving a pickup is very much in place for the character.  Have you ever been to Texas?

My understanding is that with new car placements it’s all about the sponsor money they get from the manufacturers. Anyone, please correct me if I am wrong.

Revving the piss out of an AP1 S2000 is one of the great joys of my life. Leaning into that motor on a mountain road is incredibly rewarding, but I also find great places to play on my commute to work.

On the other hand, if you want to keep it for a long time, you may have a better experience with the Mazda.  10+ year old German cars have a reputation.

$15k and the seller couldn’t be bothered to replace the shift knob, and the handbrake boot?

That’s a pristine 3rd Gen price.  Too many warts.  Crack Pipe

Yeah, I know a guy who swore up and down that the GT-R was his spirit animal. A year later, he traded it in for his next got to have it car, a ZO6. I’ve also seen similar behavior with motorcycles.

“I’d be concerned that so many of these one-model-year old or newer cars are already back on the market. Is there something about living with them day-to-day that is a turn-off?”

There are always people who can’t afford the cars they buy...

The badge.

I love going to the gym to watch the cars endlessly circling the lot for a spot at the front, only to find them on a cardio machine of some sort.