Why is it ....

... that the character of the "lost son"/"bad boy"/ "rebel" always drives some vintage car or motorcycle?

I am watching the new CBS show "Jericho" - bizarre and mostly boring doomsday story. But a central character is one of these "lost son" characters, the apparent family bad boy who returns to town after five years to collect much needed money from his family.

When he arrives, he removes a completely unmolested car cover off of a perfectly preserved 1960's era vintage automobile. Why is it that bad boy lost sons always have such cars? Or motorcycles? Can't they for once, just have an Elantra or something? I'd have loved it if he had removed the tarp and it unveiled a new Beetle.

And are we really supposed to believe that this car sat in this city parking garage, covered with a tarp, completely untouched, for FIVE YEARS? And GAWD, he is flat broke.