Eight celebrities and their first cars

For some, they were shiny and new, for others, there were a few dings and scratches on them but did the job fine. For others…they have a few interesting stories to tell. So what about celebrities you ask? Well, the first cars of some of Australia and the world’s biggest names might surprise you. Here are a few notable ones.

1994 was a great year for 19-year-old David Beckham. As well as having his first full appearance in Manchester United’s main team, scored a goal in his UEFA Champions League debut, he also purchased his first car. Although he was part of arguably one of the world’s biggest football clubs from such a young age, the car he purchased was far from being a supercar. The turquoise 1994 Volkswagen Golf served Becks well for a few years, with more luxurious and family-orientated cars making up his car collection these days. What happened to the turquoise Volkswagen Golf you ask? Well in 2010 is was auctioned off for charity.

We are all secretly wishing to get a really nice car from our parents for our 18th birthday, but it doesn’t always come true. For NBA superstar LeBron James though, his wish sure did when his mum Gloria James gifted him a $50,000 Hummer H2. This wasn’t just any old Hummer either, it came with three TVs, a custom chrome grille as well as a Playstation. It raised a few eyebrows amongst the Ohio High School Athletic Association in which a young LeBron was playing for as this looked like an illegal gift from an outsider, which would have affected his amateur status at the time. Gloria was able to prove that it was all from her showing she took out the $50,000 loan against her son’s future earning power and gifted the vehicle to him.

For country music turned pop star Taylor Swift’s 18th birthday, her record label decided to give her a big pink Chevrolet Silverado ute. Tay Tay reached Number one on the country music charts the same week with her single “Our Song.” The logistics of driving a big pink ute and becoming one of the worlds biggest music pop stars didn’t seem to align to it was donated to charity to be auctioned off. Good call Tay Tay.

We can all somewhat relate to the story of how Miley Cyrus (a.k.a. Hannah Montana) got her first car. Like many of us, the car was a hand-me-down from a family member. Unlike many of us, the hand-me-down happened to be a Porsche Cayenne SUV. Which she received as her 16th birthday from her mum. The Porsche ownership didn’t last long with Miley trading it in for a more environmentally-friendly Toyota Prius.

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran’s first car was an English classic, a Mini Cooper. Quite a modest ride considering Ed hit the big time pretty fast with his first album returning many hit singles. The interesting thing is that Ed bought the car before he actually had his driver’s licence! He also appeared on Top Gear as the Star in the reasonably priced car, flying around the track in an Astra, a good way to practice driving.

From the age of 14, Justin Bieber took the music world by storm and by extension took on the lifestyle of a pop star. His first car was gifted to him on his 16th birthday by mentor and essentially the person who launched his career, Usher. Biebs landed himself a brand new black Range Rover and since then has added many more luxurious and expensive cars to his collection.

Australian comic turned actor Eric Bana has always loved cars and his first car is still very close to his heart. He bought his 1974 Ford XB Falcon for $1,100 when he was 15 years old, and he still has it, though he rarely uses it. Bana loves his first car so much that he created a documentary all about it in 2009 called Love the Beast.

Aussie F1 favourite Daniel Ricciardo’s first car was a 2006 Toyota Hilux ute and it’s still at his parent's place back in Perth. According to Dan, it’s only done around 35,000 km in the time he’s owned it. In an episode of carsales Celebrity Drv, Dan spoke about his first car and how it was great for him and his mates to go out driving in it, even sleeping in the tray a few times.

Related: Do celebrities secretly hate Lamborghinis? The facts say yes

Related: The good, the bad and the confusing world of celebrity car ads

Related: Celebrity car collections we would love to have

Related: Cringe-worthy celebrity automotive collaborations