Hollywood careers like Christian Bale’s afford one the ability to drive literally anything they please. But despite playing roles like historic racing driver Ken Miles in 2019’s Ford v Ferrari, Bale doesn’t appear to have expensive or exotic tastes in cars, as one of his dailies is something rather unassuming: a used Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.
Bale, who has been photographed with the truck for many years now, told The Daily Beast in 2016 that he bought his Tacoma used in 2003 and hadn’t even considered driving anything else. Not only does the truck serve as useful camo for the Academy Award and double Golden Globe winner, but it’s also—as any pickup owner can attest—just damn useful for his needs.
“I love motorcycles so I put them in the back of the truck,” said Bale, who used to race bikes according to The Indian Express. “Its’ practical and all my friends need it for moving stuff! Once you have a pickup truck, you don’t go back to anything else. And also I don’t give a crap if it gets scratched, no one wants to steal it, no one thinks there’s anything of value in it. I bought it second-hand and I’ve had it for 13 years!”
Photos of Bale’s pickup indicate it to be a post-facelift first-generation model, landing between 2001 and 2003. It’s a PreRunner with a 3.4-liter V6, which also means it’s rear-wheel-drive and not a 4×4. It’s not great for crawling, but it doesn’t sound like that’s what Bale uses it for, and he evidently has no interest in using it for show. (That’s what his acting career is for.) It doesn’t seem to be Bale’s only vehicle, as he was photographed this spring with a Porsche SUV—likely a Cayenne—at the beach. As it can’t haul bikes though, it’s no complete stand-in for the Tacoma.
Bale is far from the only celebrity whose everyday car is this humdrum. Ludacris, despite starring in the Fast and Furious saga, swears loyalty to his 1993 Acura Legend, which has 255,000 miles and counting. His fellow F&F star Sung Kang, who played Han in Tokyo Drift (and does his best to emulate him in daily life), has a similar affection for his Toyota Sienna. Even Lady Gaga’s classic 1993 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning is relatively incognito as star cars go.
While many of us would give an arm and a leg for the kind of influence and wealth that Hollywood A-listers would have, their choice in cars shows anonymity and pragmatism don’t lose their appeal. After all, when everyone recognizes your face and thinks they know who you are, climbing behind the wheel of a Toyota Tacoma can be the only way to be treated normally by the public.
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