One relatively common quality of car guys is that they love new gadgets and tools. If it can be used to maintain a car or gather stats, we’ll try it. This makes buying gifts relatively easy. Even if the item isn’t something they’d think to buy themselves, chances are, they’ll still enjoy it. We compiled this list featuring different car items for the car guy in your life. If you have a car guy like me on your shopping list, take a look at our gifts for car guys.
Car guys like to have a lot of information about their cars. In the old days, that meant just popping the hood and checking to see if it was a big block or a small block. It’s a little more involved than that now. Mechanics use a scan tool to diagnose issues cropping up on the computers in cars. Now you can get a modern, professional-quality scan tool for your car guy to use at home. You can use it to read and clear trouble codes, and it even comes with definitions, possible causes, and fixes for each code. Simply attach the BlueDriver sensor to the car’s serial port and use a smartphone to get the read out. There’s even a live data mode. A very cool gift.
Keeping with the theme of beaming information from car to smartphone, the Zubie is an always-on monitor that relays car health and GPS information to your smartphone. Use it to keep track of the car’s movements, send diagnostic reports on car systems, and even use it to train new drivers. This will also help make driving cheaper by suggesting more efficient routes for commonly traveled paths.
Car guys like to keep their rides a lot cleaner than most people. The cleanliness of the car reflects on the owner. Help them keep things tidy with this mini vacuum cleaner which plugs into the 12V jack in any car. It’ll help control the dust and keep the floor mats in like-new condition. The four inch flexible tube is good for getting to every corner, and this unit comes with different tips for various cleaning situations.
While you could always gift a traditional model car set, these LEGO Technics sets take it to a whole new level. This incredibly detailed Bugatti is made of over 3,500 pieces that will provide a satisfying challenge to build. You could also opt for the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
Speaking of keeping it clean, car guys can be obsessive about the paint on their cars. My stepfather used to rub every square inch of his cars down with car clay to restore the smooth surface. You don’t need that kind of patience to take care of the finish, though. This kit comes with everything you need to restore luster, including the Wax Attack 2 buffer, pads, 12 oz. professional rubbing compound, 12 oz. professional finishing polish, 12 oz. California Gold synthetic wax, and 16 inch by 16 inch microfiber towels. This will be perfect to help the car recover from the beating of winter.
While they tend to be very precious about the inside of their cars, there’s no reason they’d want the surfaces of their home damaged, either. These car mat style coasters will keep moisture off of places it doesn’t belong just as well as the real deal.
Equally good for working on cars or any other household project, this simple gift keeps screws and other small metal parts handy. A strong magnet inside the wristband holds fasteners of all kinds and keeps them from rolling away, especially under the car.
Sensing a theme yet? Car guys like their cars clean. Does your car guy give you a hard time for bringing wrappers and other trash into the car? Get them this handy car trash can. It comes with 20 liners and has a pouch for keeping them handy. My brother uses one of these to great effect, so I recommend them.
If you want more ideas like this, check out our post on the best car trash cans.
Since most people won’t get to experience the fastest, most exotic cars in real life, playing the latest generation of racing games is the next best thing. This Xbox One X bundle comes with both Forza Motorsport 7 and the newly-released Forza Horizon 4. Motorsport is the more serious title, aimed at simulation racing, while Horizon is a bit more fun. Both will let you race and tune up the fastest cars on the planet and as a car guy who recently got back into playing these games, I can tell you that it’s been a lot of fun. You could also go for the Xbox One X Forza Horizon 4 bundle, or even a Playstation 4 bundle that includes Gran Turismo Sport.
Big blocks, small blocks or just engine blocks, the car guy in your life still plays with them one way or another. Great for wearing to car shows or autocross events. Comes in black, navy, red, gray or heather blue in men’s, women’s or kid’s sizes.
If he could use a new belt, you can add a touch of automotive apprecaition to the function. This GM-themed version is available in three different sizes, as are other variants like Chevy, Mustang, Dodge, and more.
Did you know that wheel lug nuts need to be tightened to a specific torque value? Usually it’s between 65-100 ft./lb. of torque, depending on the manufacturer. Many folks just crank it on there or trust the air gun to take care of it for them, but this can lead to stripped or frozen lugs. In a worst-case scenario, if the lugs are under-tightened, the wheel can shake loose as it rolls and potentially fall off the car. If your car guy is keen to do his own work, pick him up this wrench that will ensure the proper tightness with a pre-set torque.
Is your car guy a football guy, too? Get him a pair of NFL-themed fuzzy dice to complete the look on his rat rod or Trans Am. You could even go for a matching set with these headrest covers.
Every home (or even work) garage needs at least one punny or kitschy metal sign to cement that vintage shop feel. For maximum effect, combine one or two of these designs with signs like this Valvoline one or this Texaco example.
Having the right tools handy is a must for car freaks. They’re often doing minor work on their own, or rebuilding an old classic. To that end, I recommend this tiny little war wagon to store all those tools. I have one of these and I find it to be the perfect size. It’s large enough for my tools, but small enough to fit in a closet. The wheels are really convenient, and the thing on the whole has proven itself to be pretty tough.
Some car guys are obsessive about letting their engine blocks warm up to allow the oil to coat the precious components before putting any power to them. If your car guy is one of those, consider a remote starter. I probably don’t need to go over the finer points here, you get the idea. If the car fan on your list is sufficiently handy, they can even install it themselves.
If the car guy in your life is looking to start a restoration (or just keep an old beater running) but doesn’t have a set of his own tools, this set will get him off to a good start. It includes a wide variety of sockets and three sizes of rachets, along with box and hex wrenches. Plenty in this kit to fix just about anything with a motor.
Admittedly, this would be a good choice for either your younger car guy or as an activity for a father and a kid. This is a model of a V8 motor made of 100 parts that can be put together to form a motorized operational example. When running, there are sounds and lighted ignition which helps to illustrate the inner workings of an engine.
This books presents you with over 190 pages of fantastic photos of and information about the collector classics that have fetched over $1 million at auction. These are the very best cars ever presented for sale, complete with the history of how they got that way.
Whether this goes in the shop at a little table for lunch breaks from working on the car or in the retro-styled dining room that’s been created to match the vibe of the car collection, this salt and pepper shaker set could be the final touch. It’s a simple gift, but a pretty useful one, and one which keeps the car theme going throughout the home.
Whether you play this as a gag like they might forget or you help them identify the only thing feet are really good for, this simple gift ought to get a chuckle at least. Available in white or black.
