I’m a car fanatic, but I live in New York City, one of the worst places in the world to own a car. I’ve had several in the past, and nearly went broke paying for parking tickets.

MTV has created a virtual world for people like us. Virtual Pimp My Ride launches on Thursday in time for the premiere of the new season of “Pimp My Ride.”

The company has been on a tear lately, launching virtual worlds that resemble themed versions of Linden Lab’s Second Life. Virtual Pimp My Ride joins other virtual worlds based on its shows Virtual Laguna Beach and Virtual Hills.

Players can find host Xzibit, Mad Mike and tuners at Galpin Auto Sports to hook up cars they can buy with MTV dollars. I wonder what the exchange rates are for real money.

Here’s what else I wonder:

• Will I be able to hook up a Mac Mini to my Kenwood dashboard touchscreen GPS and entertainment console?
• Will I be able to monkey around the engine compartment to install turbos and NOS?
• Can players race each other for pink sheets?
• What about a Japan version of the site that lets players “drift” or slide their cars around turns?