Whoo hoo, the holiday season is upon us! Or, if you prefer, “Welp, the holiday season is upon us.” If you’re more of a welp, let me guess: all that gift-giving is stressful. Even if you’re bucks-up enough that paying for all the loot isn’t an issue, there’s still of ton of psychic weight one must shoulder when it comes to choosing the right gifts, perfect presents that will say “I love and I get you,” as opposed to “Everyone needs socks” or “I picked up this Visa Gift Card on the way.”
It always helps if the gift-getter is loud and proud about a hobby or interest, and I’m sure we can all attest as car people that we have opened many a gift to the refrain of, “I got it because you like cars.”
“Aw, thanks!” you say, as you peel the paper off a clock with a gear for a face and wrench hands, or a hefty coffee-table tome full of color pictures and scant text with titles like Classic Muscle Cars or Exotic Supercars. I kid, but honestly, I enjoy flipping through those books, and it’s nice to have a clock in the garage, so thank you. (See also: it’s the thought that counts.)
On the other hand, sometimes you get – or even better, give – the perfect car-lover gift, and that’s what I’m Autopian Asking about today. Funnily enough, very often (in my experience, anyway) the bestest gifts aren’t even very expensive. I noticed dealer promo models of the Dodge Stealth were cheap on Ebay, so I gifted one to Huge Stealth Fan Stephen Walter Gossin, and he was absolutely over the moon. It was ten bucks, I think? Twenty, tops. I’ve been thrilled to get vintage car brochures and hood ornaments that couldn’t have cost more than a few bucks myself.
Of course, I must mention the sure-fire gift every car person will love getting, and that’s an Autopian Membership. With tiers from Cloth all the way up to Rich Corinthian Leather, there’s a Membership for every fan of four wheels in your family or friend circle. And remember to treat yourself! Click here or on the graphic to join or gift a membership today.
Your turn:
What’s The Best Car Gift You’ve Given Or Received?
Top graphic images: Domestic Sewmachines; Summit Racing
A few years ago my wife attempted to give me an NA Miata. My one affordable dream car. Some friends of ours were, and still are, selling their near mint one for a good deal, and she was going to buy it for me. Sadly, our year didn’t go as planned, and the money for it had to be shunted elsewhere. Luckily they still have it, so here’s hoping some day I can buy it from them yet!
My first car, a very rusty 1979 VW Scirocco, was actually a birthday gift from my dad, but it came with some strings attached. I had to get a job to pay for my own gas, repairs, and insurance, and I had to give my little brother a ride when he needed one. No problem. Done and done.
> a very rusty 1979 VW Scirocco
Aka “a scirocco.”
I asked for a cruise control kit and a multi-speed wiper module for my base model car. Nothing more satisfying than dialing in your wipers to the perfect speed.
Nobody has gotten me a car gift since I was a kid and I’m glad for it. My best gift I’ve ever gotten was a Toto bidet toilet with the heated seat, water, blow drier, and the bowl itself can flush an obstinate donkey. It’s even easy to clean!
When I was a wee lad – right before my 4th Birthday – my parents took me to the toy department at Sears and told me I could select just one thing – Anything I wanted.
We had just seen “The Love Bug” that spring – and I had very much enjoyed the reruns of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” on TV. So when I spied the bright red VW Beetle convertible pedal car on the very top shelf – I knew it had to be mine.
How I loved that little red car.
A couple years later when Dad received orders for us to move to Upper Michigan – it was time to sell off some things. Among them was my VW Beetle.
When a lady came over and bought my car I protested to my Mom – “She can’t have my car!”
Mom then told me “You’re too big for it now.”
My reply was “If I’m too big for it, she’s waaaaay too big for it!”
My driver’s suit. I had purchased my first SCCA race car in the summer of 1980 and had marked all the clothing I needed to purchase from AutoWorld in spring. Would have bought it sooner but other expenses got priority that fall. I can’t begin to describe my surprise when I started opening multiple boxes on Christmas morning. Nomex suit and underwear, shoes & socks, balaclava & gloves and a BELL helmet too. All provided by my wife and 3 year old daughter. Still hangs in the closet though I haven’t raced in over 30 years.
Best Xmas ever !
For my 40th birthday, my wife got me a day at Skip Barber Driving School at Lime Rock in Ct. I got to drive a 911 on the track, attempt to drift an RX-8, and other fun times. My favorite gift from her ever.
What it “taught” me was that I wanted a 911 very very badly, and I finally got a nice 2007 coupe three years ago.
I got a Tyco HO Slot car set as a gift when I was like 4 or 5, two Firebirds, a red and white one, and a black one with a gold chicken on the hood. Broke the red on by careening off the track too fast and busting a pickup shoe and loosing the spring.
Rather than fixing it, my dad made me pay the $.075 to mail order replacement parts (including postage) and put it back together myself, which turned into a mild slot car obsession. I currently have a four lane AFX HO track, and roughly 50 (probably a lot more) cars, from various periods of HO history. I play with it more than my kids, but I’ve built them their own custom cars and they do seem to enjoy it when I throw the track up in the living room.
I repainted the black car to be KITT because of course I did, but I’ve bought a replacement body shell which currently adorns my fastest car (a heavily modified Tyco 440-X2 Wide Pan chassis)
A car gift or gift in a car?
Go on…..
A few years ago, I gave the wrenching nephew a socket holder filled with only 10mm sockets. He was amused.
The same nephew got me a ‘Merry Boostmas’ sweatshirt – the design looks like a Xmas sweater and includes a cross-stitched (?) turbo 😀
So what is the equivalent SAE socket that is perpetually lost? 3/8″ ??? Or do SAE sockets never magically disappear?
From my experience, 9/16″ spend only part of their time in this reality, intermittently.
Best car gift I ever gave: 15 year old daughter said she wanted a Porsche so I bought her a Hot Wheels one that she still has 25 years later.
Best gift I received: An Associated RC10 and years of fun racing and wrenching on it.
My wife gave me a DeLorean (well, her blessing to buy one). That’s the best car-related gift I’ve ever gotten.
Hope you got a spare flux capacitor. I hear those things are unobtainium.
https://www.oreillyauto.com/flux-capacitor?q=flux-capacitor
I gave my friends son a Craftsman 4″ socket wrench with his initials engraved in it as a baby gift when he was born. He’s 19 now.
Gave a key to my Figaro
Got vintage driving gloves
Both super presents IMHO
I gave my 6 year old grandson one of those mini toolboxes last year (Sams club had a top and bottom set) and an assortment of very basic tools. He’s like king tech at the dealership every time he carries it out to the driveway to help me work on his mom’s car. It makes the job take longer but who cares? This is some great shit.
Gifts I’ve received:
A coffee table book about the Ford Mustang gifted to me by Ford India’s head of PR when I was 10. The book is called “India Through the Eyes of Ford Mustang”. So the Mustang was freshly launched there and Ford got some journos to drive the length and breadth of India in one, which must have ruled.
My mom had a friend who was married to someone who worked at a pretty high position in Ford India, so when I met them for the first time, I naturally talked his ear off, and even asked him if he could give me some details on a then unreleased crossover that Autocar India (which was, and still is, my favorite car mag)
reviewed (he politely declined). A few days after that meeting, my mom got an email from Ford India asking her for her address because they had a gift they wanted to send me. Fast forward a few weeks and bam, I got a cool book!
Gifts I’ve given:
Gave my little cousin a Tomica model of a Mitsuoka Buddy I got from a trip to Japan last year. I know it’s not much but you should have seen his face, he was happy as a clam
Does road head count?
Sorry, I couldn’t resist, I’ll show myself out now.
And they say ‘Miata is always the answer’. I’m not so sure now.
it could happen in a miata
Give the folks in….well, pretty much any passing vehicle a show.
When I was about 10 (about 1980), I received the Lego Expert builder auto chassis set from my grandparents for Christmas. I loved that thing. As an adult, most of my friends and relations know by now that anything car-related that they give me will be met with polite thanks and never be seen again.
As far as gifts I’ve given, that would be the Knight Rider KITT, the Aoshima 1/24 model. I built it for my younger brother who’s still the world’s biggest Knight Rider fan. I’m a decent (alright, excellent) auto modeler and put a fair amount of effort into this build, mostly into getting a perfect black lacquer finish. My brother absolutely loves it and it has pride of place on display.
I had that set as a kid, too! It’s disassembled in a large bin of assorted LEGO, and I don’t know what happened to the instruction manual (kept it for years, but it’s been lost in the shuffle of many moves), however I’m pretty sure if I downloaded the instructions, I could dump out that bin and rebuild it in short order.
My Grandmother gave me her 1969 Ford Galaxie 500 when I turned 16 in 1985 and My dad gave me a 1978 Rabbit after my freshman year of college in 1988. Having my first 2 cars given to be was a fantastic gift.
Hands down a good quality 40” LG 3/4” drive breaker bar courtesy of one of my best friends. This was before electric impacts were good and I had gone through 3 or 4 different half inch drive breaker bars (no pipes for extra leverage surprisingly).
Still use the “god bar” when something is extra recalcitrant, like VW lug bolts.
Actually, just used it on a bunch of ~1 1/2” diameter bolts (2 3/16” heads) at work the other day.
My X wife got me a torque wrench for Christmas, but she thought it was dumb. She also gave me lifelong trauma so truly that’s the gift that keeps on giving, though I do still have the torque wrench.
Wasn’t my first thought, but now that you mention it I suppose the best car related gift I’ve ever received was a divorce…
Not exactly car related, but few years ago I was given seven tons of Welsh steam coal for Christmas. Iwas delighted!
…what was this used in? And what gauge between the rails?
A Fowler Road Engine.
Nice!
And I bet you were well chuffed
Being welsh coal, he was chwffyd
I have a buddy who enjoys pranks- one year he stole enough actual heating coal (bituminous from the look) from a different buddies basement and gave it to everyone for Christmas, including to the original owner. All had a good laugh about that one. Still have my piece on the windowsill of my garage.
I was in the process of restoring my 70s Beemer. Bike was clean, chrome was shiny, tyres were fresh, but the rondels aged the bike more than anything else. They weren’t handsomely patinaed; but worn, scratched, and dented. My folks bought me a set of new, matching rondels for the holidays and so not only did they ‘complete the look’, but it also meant I could make an ornament out of two of the old ones.
A new car.
I heard Rod Roddy saying that comment.
Considering he passed away 22 years ago, this is a deep cut and yet I knew exactly who you were talking about. Either I am old or my Positronic brain is functioning perfectly.
Come on down, you’re the next contestant on The Price is Right!
🙂
I didn’t remember his name, but somehow I immediately knew who Gene1969 was talking about. I sometimes entertain my wife with his voice.
Did you hear “power Steering, disk brakes and California Emissions” right after. Watching as a kid in the 70’s, they gave away some horrible cars.
I love that there is a Facebook page dedicated to the cars given away on TPIR. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1912967222208516/
Yes they did.
For some reason, the one I specifically remember was an Omni/Horizon. This would have been in the mid 80s. Always the California emissions!
I’m not great at giving gifts, since I never know what someone wants until and unless I ask them. I’m even worse at accepting gifts… I dunno why. Something broken in me I suppose, but not likely to change at this point.
I’m wracking my brain trying to call any car-related gifts I’ve given or received, and for the life of me, I cannot. A buddy gave me his old OBD code scanner when he got a new one, and I’ve used it many times, so that’s probably it. Everyone needs a code scanner, even if you’re not going to do the work yourself.
I’ve gotten better gifts from former girlfriends, but you said car-related.