Buffy The Vampire Slayer was a hit TV show that won legions of fans during its run from 1997 to 2003. Rich in vampires and demonic lore, it told the story of 16-year-0ld Buffy Summers as she fought to hold back the legions of evil. Much has been said about the themes of the show over the years, the storylines, and how Xander was basically a straight dupe of Chandler from Friends. What hasn’t been covered before is Buffy’s taste in domestic cars. I’m here to fix that.
Today, I will not just theorize on Buffy’s brand of choice amongst the Big Three. I will state—unequivocally!—that she is a Mopar girl through and through. It’s in her very blood—that same blood that Angel drank in Season 3, episode 22, in fact.
You might think that this article took years of research, and countless hours spent pouring over episodes of the show. I’m sorry to say I save that time for rewatching Frasier. Everything you need to know about Buffy’s automotive preferences is in plain sight, right in season 1!
What you are looking at, my friends, is a blurry image of the so-called Paint Chip ‘Cuda. This is a legendary Plymouth Barracuda that was to show off all the paint colors that you could get on the car in 1970. And Buffy is wearing it! ON A SHIRT!
When I say the Paint Chip ‘Cuda is legendary, I mean that quite literally. The car never existed; Plymouth never built it. It was just a drawing created by the marketing department for use in a brochure!
The visual was so striking that it eventually inspired someone to build a real version in 2016. Before that, though, it was cool enough to somehow end up printed on a t-shirt in California, where it made its way on to the set of Buffy The Vampire Slayer!
The shirt appears in the first season’s eleventh episode, Out of Mind, Out of Sight. It’s only in one scene, right at the end, as Cordelia is thanking the gang for saving her from a rampaging invisible attacker.
Diving into the credits, we can see that Susanna Puisto was the costume designer for this episode, and Rita Salazar was the costume supervisor. I’ve reached out to Susanna to ask her about the shirt, where it came from, and whether it was an intentional choice to establish Buffy’s character as a dyed-in-the-wool Mopar fan. I’ll update this article accordingly if Susanna or Rita get back to me with the deets.
Interestingly, we can see that the graphic of the ‘Cuda on the shirt has been edited from how it appears in the original brochure. The numbers above each paint stripe have been removed to create a cleaner aesthetic. The shirt also appears shiny from certain angles. It suggests this shirt may have been produced with a cheap heat transfer print. My headcanon is that this might have been a quick piece whipped up specifically for the show just to give Buffy something unique and original to wear. However, I can’t back that up at this stage. All I can say is I’m yet to find evidence of this shirt existing outside the universe of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
“But wait!” you cry. “That’s just one shirt! That doesn’t prove jack!” You might think I came here with a few blurry screenshots of an ancient television show, but no. I’ve got more than just that!
Further supporting my argument is the XJ Jeep Cherokee that Buffy drives later in the show’s run. It was originally her mother’s car, but Buffy would eventually get behind the wheel herself. It rocks phone dial wheels and looks gorgeous in black; I don’t have to tell you that a few Autopian staffers would covet this proud machine.
There’s also one further link that’s incredibly subtle but also proves my theory without a doubt. Any Buffy fan could tell you all about her tumultuous relationship with the vampire Angel. He regularly stalks Buffy from the outset of the show and has an unhealthy obsession with the teen Slayer. At times, he’s shown to be incredibly jealous while coveting her attention. So what do we see him driving years later?
He has a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX! This is exactly the kind of car you’d go out and buy if you were trying way too hard to impress a Mopar girl. That kind of immature attention-seeking behavior is absolutely on-brand for Angel. Of course he’d pick a car that would catch Buffy’s eye! And a drop-top, at that.
So there you have it. Buffy Summers was a Mopar head all along. Feel free to pat me on the back for my excellent research below, and completely refrain from trying to tell me she’s a Corvette nut or dedicated to the Blue Oval. It’s done. Buffy says “Mopar or no car!”
Image credits: Buffy the Vampire Slayer via screenshot
Didn’t think I’d be seeing an article on this topic anytime, well, ever…… but that’s the beauty of this website.
Good stuff as always Lewin!
This is the kind of content I come here for. Well, that and David’s cats. (Just realized that might sound snarky, but seriously, every time someone asks me why I subscribe to a car site, I say “it just speaks to me” and this article is one of the reasons–where else can I find the Buffy/car crossover content I never knew I wanted.)
A: Chandler is a ripoff of Xander. Look, time travel is real and just believe me
B: Xander is infinitely better
C: Everyone on Buffy is better than everyone on Friends(with the possible exception of Joey – more research needed)
D: I dunno. I just wanted to include some D in a comment regarding Buffy
Haha, fair. Joey is the best of the lot.
Counterpoint: Ross is on Band of Brothers. No one else matters.
Countercounterpoint: Joey was on Top Gear.
i dont think that is the “point in his favor” that you hoped it would be
Autopian merch?
That’d be hype. Not sure we could use it verbatim, we’d have to draw our own knockoff art I suspect
OK, but hear me out here: Instead of baracuda, one of the Autopian mascot cars. A changli. Maybe a Tracy jeep, but different kinds of rust pattern (coastal, roadsalt, pacific, etc) instead of paint. Etc.
All the different shades of rust on one of David’s old Jeeps.
50 Shades of Dave
I love that you actually reached out to the costume designers for your research, hope you hear from them. That’s some good journalism.
Spoilers!
Kidding, of course, since I’ve watched the first three seasons of the show multiple times. Strangely, I don’t think I’ve ever finished season seven though. From season four on it kind of went downhill for me (with the exception of a few notable episodes here and there) and by the time I got to seven I kind of checked out and have never gone back to finish it.
I suppose maybe I will someday, but on my last rewatch I finished season three and decided that was a good stopping point, maybe skipping ahead to catch the musical episode and the Dark Willow arc.
And regarding the actual article, I find your logic incontrovertible. Buffy is clearly a Mopar girl. I really hope (but do not expect) that you hear back from the costume people.
I look forward to the upcoming article detailing the sibling rivalry that manifested itself in Frasier’s preference for BMWs while Niles was a Merc man through-and-through.
I need to drill down and see if there’s a Merris influence involved. Niles so often being cowed and dominated by females, after all.
Please don’t spend your life trapped in an unhappy Merris.
One wonders what vehicle Niles and Daphne procured for their family after the series ended. No doubt she pushed for a Range Rover and he complied.
Loved this show going up, love this website now…this crossover episode is great!
Cool article. I was always in love with S. M. Gellar and once came close to meeting her.
Side note. Matt Hardigree won a national playwright contest (Ninth Annual Blank Theatre Company) and she was scheduled to star in a production but had to cancel due to unforseen circumstances.
I once owned a 1966 Chrysler 300L (yes it was an L) and it had a 383 4 barrell carb.
I bought it from the proverbial “little old lady” that only drove it to church and the grocery store.
I can’t believe I didn’t notice that after all the hours I spent staring at Buffy’s chest.
Right?
I had forgotten Buffy-era Sara Michelle Gellar…
The original Sequential Manual Gearbox.
Are you referring to the car or Buffy? /s
SMG – same initials. No double entendres implied.
Buffy killed a relative of mine in season 1. He was just minding his own business and trying to actualize his lifelong dream of opening a portal to Hell.
No lies detected.
Hell yeah, I love seeing this on her shirt…nothin’ sexier than a Mopar girl…Mopar or No Car! I was actually just recently reading about that car and the history of the Wellborn Muscle Car Museum…it’s so amazing and interesting…I’ve got to make it there eventually
Buffy killed Demons too. And like the Pacifica, she came back from the dead.
Chryslayer girl to the hilt. Sad that Plymouth is now among the dead, though hopefully not the undead.
I’d like to add her disdain for Giles’s BMW:
“Can’t this thing go any faster? ‘Ultimate driving machine’ my ass.”
(Though it does turn out that they are going plenty fast, but she doesn’t end up impressed by it.)
I believe Giles had a Citroën 2CV in the early seasons, so the BMW would probably be an improvement.
Yeah, the BMW was definitely the faster and (ironically) more reliable vehicle for Giles, replacing his Citroen DS. It was a flashy red 325i convertible and presented as something of a mid-life crisis purchase.
Also notable: the BMW was an automatic, and Giles mentioned some trouble adjusting to an automatic after previously only driving manuals.
DS, thank you
Whoa, what? This tells me there was DEFINITELY a gearhead involved in the show somewhere
And don’t forget that Spike arrives in Sunnydale for the first time driving a ’59 DeSoto.
Though I think all this proves is that Joss Whedon is a Mopar guy.
…and Chrysler sales drop preciptously.
Is that even possible at this point?