9 Gift Ideas For A Car Enthusiast That Aren’t Car Parts
Buying gifts for the car enthusiast in your life may be tricky. Car parts may sound intimidating to buy, or you’re stuck figuring out what to buy since you can’t buy them their dream car. Here are nine gift ideas for any car enthusiast at various price points.
1.Lego Set
Legos are a classic holiday gift, especially for someone crafty and hands-on. Lego Car sets have options like vintage car models, supercars, and cars from movies like the Fast and the Furious movie franchise.
Lego Car sets can be found online, in Lego stores, and department stores. Rare Lego sets like this Porsche 911 may not be found everywhere in stores, but you can buy them directly from the official Lego website.
You can also find the Lego set you want to gift on the website and utilize their store locator to see if it can be found near you.
2. Hot wheels
If a Lego set sounds appealing but maybe your car enthusiast isn’t crafty, or you can’t find a Lego set of a car they would like, look for a Hot Wheels of their car or their dream car. Hot Wheels can be found in department stores, online, and even some grocery stores. But beware that, like Lego sets, stores may not carry the Hot Wheels you’re looking for.
Look for rare and limited Hot Wheels on auction or resale sites. Mattel, the company behind Hot Wheels, also makes Hot Wheel sets and small-scale RC models. Some models may be located with Mattel’s store locator on their website.
3. Decorative Items and Car Accessories
Decorative items for their rooms or even decorative items for their car can be small yet thoughtful gifts. Posters and wall art can brighten up their rooms, and custom pieces can be found on Etsy.
Car accessories like small trinkets, decals, stickers, and car organizers are great gifts for your car enthusiasts’ vehicles.
4. Car merch
The car enthusiast in your life most likely wants to represent what they love: cars! The merchandise comes in hats, shirts, and sweaters to represent a car brand, car model, or motorsports, like F1-style racing jackets. You can look to purchase directly from a car manufacturer or an automotive apparel site like Tunercult and The Shop by Hagerty.
5. Car Detailing Set
A car detailing set is a universal gift for any car owner. Car detailing sets can be as small or as large as you’d like. Brands like Chemical Guys, Meguiars, and Armor All make great interior and exterior cleaning packages.
Looking to craft your own car detailing set? Some great additions are window cleaning spray, microfiber clothes, interior spray, leather conditioner, or detailing brushes that help perfect the process. Car detailing products and sets can be found in department stores or auto parts shops.
6. Shift Knobs
Shift knobs are a great gift for drivers to utilize on a daily basis and are a great way to boost their comfort while driving or to style their interior.
There are many shift knobs you can consider to buy. Shift knobs commonly come as stubby, weighted, tall, or spherical. This depends on the driver’s preferences. Some shift knobs can be universal. However, manual and automatic shift knobs typically differ in thread size. It’s important to make sure you have the right fitting for the right car before installing.
7. Tools
Whether it’s a whole set or buying some extras of commonly used and lost materials, tools can be a great holiday gift. Not only do they last quite a while, but your person will utilize this gift. Tools for gifts can range from drills, wrench sets, socket sets, or just handy tool sets that can be versatile around the house and in their car.
8. Buy them an experience.
If your car enthusiast loves an adventure, take them to an experience they won’t forget. You can take your loved one to a track day or a supercar experience like Xtreme racetrack.
Xtreme Xperience has locations all over the U.S. for you to experience driving a supercar on a track. Alternatively, you can find other racing experiences or alternatives like rally or drift school with day and multi-day packages.
At a smaller scale, go-karting is also a great option to race their heart out and can be a fun and safe experience for the entire family.
9. Video Games
If your car lover also loves video games, you should check out car simulator games or racing games from series like Assetto Corsa, Forza, Asphalt, and PROJECT Cars.
However, those looking for something more grand should consider a driving simulator setup. This can bring the outdoor car fun indoors for the colder months. Driving simulator setups simulate a car experience from the steering wheel to the petals and shifter.
For example, the Logitech G29 Driving Force set will provide a six-gear shifter, a steering wheel with controls and paddle shifters, as well as a floor pedal set with a clutch pedal.
10. Car parts
Consider the car enthusiast’s goal for their car and how they might need car parts. This can be an engine mod or an exterior part like tires, wheels, and aerodynamic parts. Always double-check the year, make, and model of a car part for compatibility.