Galaxy-Brained Tacoma Owner Replaces Carpet With Persian Rug He Bought On Facebook Marketplace, Instantly Has Classiest Toyota Pickup Ever

Few things go along with being an automotive enthusiast the way that customizing one’s ride does. Considered a rite of passage for some, adding a bit of unique flare to a vehicle makes it one of a kind, no longer a carbon copy of countless other examples.

For most though, that customization comes down to things like swapping the wheels, putting on custom mirror caps, or adding every single accessory one finds at an Autozone to the exterior of a car.

In the case of a loving Toyota Tacoma owner, it meant pulling up his carpet and painstakingly replacing it with a Persian rug. That’s right, his entire cabin is now gloriously complemented by a thick, luxurious, grandma-approved foot softener.

That’s right, everywhere he goes now, Mike Abreu, the owner of the Tacoma in question, is riding on a carpet (the potential magical nature of the carpet is, as of this writing, unconfirmed). Where did he get this idea? It was actually his second choice after the first fell through.

“I originally wanted one of those playmats for kids that had a little city so you play with your hot wheels. [The] problem was they don’t make it big enough for what I had in mind,” he tells The Autopian.

He’s not alone in liking that idea. Our esteemed Publisher Matt Hardigree knew of just such an example where a Honda Civic owner installed just such a mat in his vehicle including in the rear trunk space. He’s not alone as this has become a bit of a TikTok trend.

When Abreu realized the mat wasn’t big enough for his purposes in the Tacoma, he moved on to the Persian rug idea. Could he have stitched together several playmats? Sure, but the finished look wouldn’t be as seamless.

Always liked persian rugs so I looked on marketplace. Found one for cheap at a drug rehab place where they take in used goods similar to a goodwill. All the profits are used to help rehab guys coming out of jail and what not. Figured it was a good cause.
The rug was donated by a local hotel here in San Antonio. It was 12×20 so I had plenty to work with.

He’s not kidding about having enough to work with either. Take a quick look at his original carpet versus the rug and you’ll see exactly that. A plumber by trade, it took Abreu around a day and a half worth of work to finish the job.

Why do it this way? Take a quick look at the truck overall and a theme becomes apparent. Mike loves Rat Rods and his Toyota follows that design aesthetic. For example, he doesn’t need that hood strap but he likes the way it looks. Installing this carpet was just one more way he could customize his third-gen Taco.

Already it’s providing real practical benefits over the original material. For one thing, Abreu posted a photo of his cat Tigre who clearly approves of the mod. Secondly, the cabin is actually quieter now thanks to the thicker sound-deadening Persian rug. Talk about a win-win!

It’s worth noting that there are a few potential downsides to consider here. First, it could be harder to clean which is important since spills and such happen in cars all of the time. Considering this is Abreu’s everyday transportation, it could get dirty quickly.

What happens if you stain or damage a section of it? Getting it to match again is likely impossible. Granted, in this situation, it might just add to the Rat Rod look of everything.

Now I just wonder if someone else can pick up where Mike left off and put together enough of those kids’ playmats to do this to another vehicle. What kind of custom flooring would you put in your car with enough time and resources?

One person in the Reddit comment section mentioned astroturf. I think I’d go with a rug like Abreu but maybe a houndstooth pattern instead.