Hooptie finds it's origins
dating back to the
mid 1950's. The original, corrupted phrase is 'Coupe D', referring to a Cadillac Coupe deVille. Over
time, Coupe D was rolled together into hooptie. Used to describe everything from "any old car" (thank Shaq for that) or more specifically a large domestic sedan. Popularized by Sir
Mix-a-lot, the word moved from a mere description to a slur. Oddly enough, the word can have a variety of meanings, depending on the context, ranging from pride of ownership to an outright insult.
"Man, check out this new hooptie I picked up. $500 and the dash is still
perfect!"
"Dammit! my (insert
cool car here) is in the shop. Guess I'll mob the hooptie to work."
"Well, it might be a hooptie, but
hey, it's got it's own class of demolition derby."