The Smelly Car

"**The Smelly Car**"
"The Smelly Car"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 4; Episode 21
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry David and Peter Mehlman
Production code	422
Original air date	April 15, 1993
Guest appearances
	Heidi Swedberg as Susan; Michael Des Barres as Restaurateur; Nick Bakay as Carl; Kari Coleman as Allison; Taylor Negron as Hairdresser; Courtney Gains as Clerk; Raf Mauro as Car Washer; Viveka Davis as Mona; Grant Heslov as Car Thief;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Junior Mint"	Next →; "The Handicap Spot"
	Seinfeld season 4
	List of episodes

Last updated September 23, 2025

"The Smelly Car" is the 61st episode of the sitcom Seinfeld , and the 21st episode of the fourth season.^[1] It aired on April 15, 1993 on NBC.^[1] In this episode, Jerry gets his car back from a valet, only to find that an all-pervading stench has taken root inside. George reconnects with Susan, who has become a lesbian after breaking up with him.

Plot

Elaine is impatient to meet up with her boyfriend Carl as she and Jerry wait for a restaurant valet to return Jerry's car. Driving off, they get inundated by powerful body odor left in the car. Even after they ride with the windows down, Carl, in an amorous embrace with Elaine, is abruptly repelled by the lingering stench.

At a video rental shop, George is excited to spot a lesbian couple, but is caught off-guard to find that one of them is Susan. George fails to hide his stupefaction, and learns that Susan started dating the other woman, Mona, after breaking up with him. Neither of them notices Mona taking an interest as Kramer practices his golf swing with a broom. George reluctantly reveals that he is returning the erotic film Rochelle, Rochelle, and is fined $2 for failing to rewind. Kramer reminds him that keeping the video another day to rewind will cost less.

Jerry, finding his car even smellier the next day, learns that car detailing will cost $250. Elaine is perplexed that Carl decided to turn in early, and Jerry confirms that no man would pass up sex to "get up early". Kramer clues in Jerry and Elaine that the stench is clinging to them both.

George, riding with Jerry, realizes he is more attracted to Susan as a lesbian. Back at the restaurant, after they shoo away the valet, Jerry demands that the maître d' pay for his cleaning. They badger the maître d' into smelling the car, then trap him inside until he desperately relents to splitting the cost. George finds that someone stole his video out of the car.

George, believing that Susan becoming a lesbian was about him, meets her again at the rental shop. Susan does not dignify his idea with a response, but, when he gets slapped with a $98 penalty for the lost video, she lends him money despite knowing she won't see it back. Meanwhile, Mona meets with Kramer in a passionate embrace.

Jerry subjects his car to an elaborate and thorough cleaning, while Elaine subjects her hair to the same at a salon, but the smell endures despite these labors. Susan hounds Kramer for stealing away Mona, the latest in the parade of indignities he has inflicted upon her. Everyone else is baffled at Kramer winning the heart of a lifelong lesbian. Kramer, who has gotten professional golf instruction from Mona to boot, borrows Jerry's jacket for a date. Catching Susan on the rebound, George is on the verge of winning her back when his ex-girlfriend Allison spots him. George is shut out again when Susan and Allison fall for each other.

Jerry gives up against the all-powerful odor, but a used car dealer writes the smelly car off as unsellable. The smell has also percolated into Jerry's jacket, driving Mona to leave Kramer. Back at the salon, Elaine requests their "last resort" hair treatment of tomato sauce. Jerry gesticulates at a street vagrant to take the car off his hands, but even the vagrant balks at the smell.

Production

Co-writer Peter Mehlman got the idea for the episode from the real-life experiences of a friend of his. According to Mehlman, the friend would frequently pitch him ideas for episodes, none of which were even close to being good enough to use, but on this occasion the friend was simply complaining about the ordeal, at which point Mehlman immediately decided that it would be perfect for the show.

Amy McWilliams remarks that this is an example of many episodes that are "open-ended": it lacks "a traditional resolution completely, as the viewer is simply left with a final comic shot of a street hoodlum wrinkling his nose as he tries to steal 'The Smelly Car'."^[2]

Critical response

Variety's contemporary review praised Larry David and Peter Mehlman's "witty script", highlighting George's storyline as taking numerous turns and "being filled with amusing detail."^[3]

Linda S. Ghent, Professor in the Department of Economics at Eastern Illinois University, discusses this episode in view of its economic themes, specifically those of externality, the Coase theorem, and moral hazard. Ghent explains,

The external costs are large: the smell attaches itself to Jerry and Elaine, who have to resort to costly measures to cleanse themselves. Jerry attempts to recoup some of the damage by cleverly bargaining with the restaurant owner to cover the cost of cleaning the car. In the end, the cleaning is not enough, and Jerry leaves the car and keys in plain sight hoping it will be stolen, in which case the insurance company will bear the loss.^[4]

References

1 2 "Seinfeld Season 4 Episodes". TV Guide . Retrieved December 2, 2021.
↑ McWilliams, Amy (2006). "Genre Expectation and Narrative Innovation in Seinfeld". In Lavery, David; Dunne, Sara Lewis (eds.). Seinfeld, Master of Its Domain: Revisiting Television's Greatest Sitcom. New York: Continuum. p. 83. ISBN 0-826-41802-3.
↑ Everett, Todd (April 15, 1993). "Seinfeld the Smelly Car". Variety. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
↑ "Seinfeld Economics: The Smelly Car". Critical Commons. Retrieved August 7, 2012.

External links

"The Smelly Car" at IMDb

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[tvguide-1] 1 2 "Seinfeld Season 4 Episodes". TV Guide . Retrieved December 2, 2021.

[2] McWilliams, Amy (2006). "Genre Expectation and Narrative Innovation in Seinfeld". In Lavery, David; Dunne, Sara Lewis (eds.). Seinfeld, Master of Its Domain: Revisiting Television's Greatest Sitcom. New York: Continuum. p. 83. ISBN 0-826-41802-3.

[3] Everett, Todd (April 15, 1993). "Seinfeld the Smelly Car". Variety. Retrieved December 24, 2021.

[4] "Seinfeld Economics: The Smelly Car". Critical Commons. Retrieved August 7, 2012.

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v t e Seinfeld episodes
Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"
Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"
Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend"† "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"
Season 4	"The Trip"† "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"†
Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats"† "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"
Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100"† "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"
Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac"† "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit"† "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"
Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"
Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle"† "The Finale"†
† Indicates two-part episode