As the holidays wind down I was wondering what car related gifts the CC community might have received (or given) this year. I was given these rather snazzy minivan socks. How about you?
QOTD: Did You Receive Any Car Related Gifts?
– Posted on December 29, 2017
I didn’t but will always remember Darrin McGavin’s line in “A Christmas Story” as thd family opens its presents:
“Wow, a can of Simoniz!”
And his next Christmas present, a new bowling ball! “THANKS A LOT” (spoken in a hoarse falsetto voice).
🙂
Justin Trudeau needs a pair of minivan socks.
With my car enthusiasm well known throughout my family it was no surprise I received a number of car related gifts. The majority were car-related literature (2 magazines, with the books being an updated Collector Car Price Guide for 2018 and My Father Had That Car, a book filled with illustrations of American cars produced from 1920-1990. I also received an American Muscle Car 2018 calendar and multiple Michigan state flag themed license plates (while it may seem like a duplicate gift, there are minor differences between the two and I can put the one not on my car on the wall. Overall, a nice haul I am very thankful for!
Got that one too —
Already been all thru it, cover to cover.
Thanks Sis!
Ford Genuine V8 Parts sign (hanging in my office now)
And a “Mr. Horsepower” t-shirt. He’s a bit of a personal mascot, I’ve got him as a license plate on the front of my Mustang and a big sticker of him on my home laptop.
Forgot the image…
Wagon Queen Family Truckster – You think you hate it now, wait ’til you drive it.
I did not give or receive any gifts, but I bought myself something special earlier this month for $85 from an online friends-of-the-library bookseller. I got the massive two-volume Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile set. These can go for hundreds of dollars on Amazon – the books I got were in surprisingly good condition for being ex-library reference books. The next few weeks have been ruined for me. 🙂
My sweet 13 year old daughter had this made for me to wear while I drive my old Parisienne.
That is cool.
Soundtrack to “Baby Driver”, in a two-disc album…I think it counts, anyway.
Nope. I don’t have pics, but the grandson unit got car related toys!
My family this year said “I’m so hard to shop for”. Never mind the fact since I was a kid I always asked for books (which became auto related around the 4th grade). No actual present for me under the tree. Sigh. Until they told me I’m getting a custom made taylored suit as a gift and need to be fitted (No way! They actually were watching me in November at the mall!) That said, the car crap can wait!
In yet another shocking oversight, Santa neglected to drop off my air-cooled 911 AGAIN. But next year will be the one; I’ll just have to be a little better in 2018….
In a roundabout way I got my automotive related Christmas present in the Home Depot parking lot. My rental’s porch light shorted out last Friday night and killed the breaker in the process, knocking out everything but the kitchen plugs and 240V appliances. As I was backing out of the parking space the ’86 Jetta in the rain, back glass fogged up and cataracts screwing up my night vision I hit a pickup that was driving past, it was black with black wheels to boot.
Got out, the driver (and his wife) and I looked, my rear bumper hit only his tire, no damage to either vehicle. We all said “Merry Christmas” and drove off.
That could have turned out a lot worse. I guess those lifted trucks have a use after all. Years ago after I had just bought a 1980 GTI I was behind an older gray haired lady making a right hand turn on a yield sign. There was no traffic so I assumed she was going to go. Looked up a second later and she was still sitting there. Slammed on the brakes but it was to late. I had images of caved in bumper and whiplash running through my head. The old lady was driving a mint k car that she had had since new and had a name (can’t recall 20 plus years later). Luckily my golf had shock absorbers on the bumper and I didn’t even scratch the bumper on her car. After I made sure she was ok, apologizing profusely and mild tongue lashing from the dear old lady I was in my merry way. Since then I have always tried to leave extra room in front of me.
Like Will, my family has known for quite some time that I am a real car but. And yet, the only car related gifts I have ever received over the years are a 1 year subscription to Car&Driver, a model kit of the 1940 Ford pickup truck, a 1/32nd scale racetrack, and a plaque/painting/yarn-string do-it-yourself kit to “build” a Stutz Bearcat-type roadster.
The last few years I’ve GIVEN my nephew toy car carriers and tractor trailer trucks, Matchbox cars, and Christmas tree ornaments made by Hot Wheels…I’m trying to make sure he gets a “good education” on the joys of car ownership.
One of these Christmases, he will get a race car track…though his father better offer to kick in a few bucks towards the purchase.
My wife got me the copy of “Darlene’s Silver Streak and the Bradford Model T Girls” that I asked for.
Thanks, Ed Stembridge, for introducing us to this amazing story! Part one of his three part post is here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics/curbside-classic-1926-ford-model-t-touring-car-darlenes-silver-streak/
The link to the book is in part three.
+1
If you ever come through Peoria, I’m sure John would be happy to meet and sign your book.
Thanks! 🙂
Ed, part of my wife’s family is from Peoria and the next time I find myself driving down I may have to take that offer. Thanks for letting everyone know. Unless it’s just for PRNDL then forget I said anything. 🙂
Just ping me in advance (either of you) and I’ll shoot you his contact info.
I did indeed. “The Camper Van Bible” by Martin Dorey and a hardcover book, “Porsche – Cars With Soul” by Gui Bernardes both from my son…who unwrapped an identical Porsche volume from me to him about 90 seconds later.
And a Christine T shirt from my wife, we must have some mighty formal events coming up in the new year.
A friend in Adelaide sent a RR key fob – struck for a 1966 rally he attended in Mildura – saying it was for when I got my first pre-war RR. Maybe the car comes next year?
Yup! I got a dash cam. I actually got it a couple of weeks ago because we decided to take advantage of Cyber Monday deals, so its already been in the car a while. It works great and the picture is good. I’ll have a review of it shortly.
Nothing car-related for me, but I did put snow tires on the Commodore just in time for a White Christmas.
Lionel Richie or Thomas McClary? 😉
LOL!
No auto-related gifts, although I gave one. The list for me ended up being about 120 years behind the times, because I got tack for a horse! ?
I gave my wife a 4 pack of gas line antifreeze and instructed her to use it every fill-up or as the case is usually, let me know when she fills up so that I can add it to the tank. The Temps were at -20F here last night and never got above 0 during the day. There’s been lots of cars breaking down and not starting.
Does giving myself an old car count?
Congratulations! Hope you will treat us all to a writeup with lots and lots of pics.
+1 Wow – do I see a factory A/C vent in the right corner of the dash? A New Orleans car, for sure.
Yup! The combo of a “turn key”, Drop Top LM ‘Vair and working, in dash Factory Air Conditioning (as well as my long term Corvair obsession) sucked me in.
I am guessing that you have “sampled” the combined “joy” of oppressive Heat & Humidity (separately or jointly) that permeates New Orleans, LA, USA for too much of the year? “Top Down” days here can turn into full blast A/C days in the blink of an eye.
Best gift! I love it.
Sweet! Reimer for the win!
From the looks of that little lever on the dash, this gift qualifies for the PRNDL seal of approval. 😉
Very honorable mention to Lt. Dan, below.
Very perceptive of you! After 4 only partially successful left knee (clutch leg) surgeries; I am relegated to “slush boxes” now. The 2 speed Powerglide automatic works well in a Corvair; much better than I anticipated. It makes for a “Mike Brady” type of relaxing cruiser.
Not quite a push button, 3 speed “Industry Reference Standard” Mopar Torgueflite tranny of that era….but…oh well….”Life Is A Compromise”.
Congratulations. Lovely car. I approve this kind of gift to oneself. 🙂
Thanks, Paul!
Coming from a man of your discerning automotive tastes and knowledge; I take your reply as quite the compliment.
“Side Glances” by Peter Egan. All 3 volumes!
Nice. Loved his columns when I was a subscriber.
A delightful gift!
I enjoyed Peter Egan’s monthly columns in “Road & Track” for years…..heck….a decade and more…immensely.
More than once his musings was the only good thing I could find to read in that month’s magazine.
I profited from and learned a lot reading his columns; and not just about cars.
Peter Egan is a great automotive writer. My favorite also! I got a couple of trickle chargers and three pairs of mechanic’s gloves that were on my list. A low buck Christmas at our house this year.
I didn’t but my cousin’s husband bought her a new car for Christmas: a 2018 Mercedes Benz AMG GLC 43, with every option, including the Burmeister Sound System. Sweet car: we had a great ride on Christmas Eve. Anyone else actually get a new car for the holidays?
I still picture a Mazda when someone says “GLC”.
Wish I could get one of those for the holidays but those are really hard to find
“Great Little Car” ?
CA Guy:
One of my BILs got a GLC (I think), a few months ago. On a recent trip to my sister’s house I really ticked off my BIL by NOT going out to the garage to examine his new SUV. He didn’t help his case for piquing my curiosity by telling me “he bought the cheapest one they make”. He has been buying a new Mercedes every 3-4 years for about 25 years, after a disappointing Infiniti ownership experience. This will be his last car as he is slipping into Alzheimer’s.
I just painted my Charger and my wife is getting the bumpers rechromed for me
Reindeer antlers and a red nose for the car.
Too late for this year, so will use next year.
Ho, Ho, Ho!!! Merry Xmas!!
Family knows that I want a used Fiat 500 as a second car.
As a Xmas prank, they bought me two Matchbox Fiat 500’s.
At least I can dream about it!!!==;-}
A Bluetooth code scanning tool. I really need some minivan socks.
“Does your minivan have cold tires? Try new minivan socks! Only $19.99! But there’s more!” 😉
I think I saw those in the KaleCo catalog! http://kalecoauto.com/
My parents haven’t ordered me to remove my W124 from their garage. Does that count?
V8 supercars calendar and a tin of shortbread biscuits with classic Holdens embossed on the lid bikkies were yum.
Alfa Romeo announced that they are reentering Formula One!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MVM2EpHF8N0
The Sleeping Beauty awakes after so many years.
Sure, it will be a long road to become competitive but that’s Formula One.
And for you doubters, remember Enzo Ferrari learned everything he knew at Alfa Romeo…
I’m going to sound like we are a bunch of assholes over here (and to be fair we are a bunch of assholes) but we don’t do gifts. I buy what I want and when someone needs something during the year if I got the extra cash they just get it, no holiday required. That being said I bought myself a long overdue book, A Century of Automotive Style. Should be in this week. Looking forward to it.
I got a K & N engine air filter for my daily driver, a 2014 Chevy Cruze 2LT with a manual transmission. Also got the Cars 3 movie & some related movie items. I now have all 3 Cars movies.
My best friend’s girlfriend always says that he and I are so easy to buy gifts for because we are both obsessed with Volkswagens.
I got a plethora of VW related stuff this year. They got me some valve stem caps with the VW symbol on them (they look great on my ’63 Bus) and an insulated travel mug that looks like the nose of a VW Bus. From an aunt I got a beach scene print with a VW Bus on it. My parents got me a VW toy from my childhood, a yellow Ghostbusters Beetle convertible that converts into a monster. It was a long running joke since one of my brothers destroyed the one I had when we were kids and my mom and dad said they’d buy me another one and never did. I’d jokingly bring it up from time to time “yeah, like my Ghostbusters VW I never got!” So now I can’t say that, haha.
Heh, when my wife and I got our first Mini we got a bunch of Mini-related gifts that year.
Minivan socks! There’s something for my birthday next year.
Although I didn’t receive a car related gift this year I did buy myself a new battery for my new-ish focus. (Which I bought so that I wouldn’t have to mess with daily driver cars so much 🙁 )
It’s been around -20 degrees Celsius at night all week and the 3 year old Ford battery wasn’t up to the task. I’ll bet my old Focus started just fine, wherever it is 🙁
My daughters got together and got me an Edmonton International Raceway Stock Car Test Drive.
The gift package includes; 5 warm up laps with an instructor in a pace car, then 10 laps on the 1/4 mile track and two free event tickets. Looking forward to this come June or July. This is a NASCAR Home Track and it hosts a major race on July 28th. Never been there for an event as its 80 km south of here. Last time I drove a stock car was a media race in British Columbia at a track in Prince George. That was a long, long time ago.
I got myself one this year. A right front caliper for a 280zx. Calipers went obsolete in the aftermarket almost a year ago. I managed to get a left one way back in May but could never click fast enough to get a right one. Until Dec 27 that is, when the quantity said only 1 remaining. Boom! locked in my cart, just have to check out and NUTS! Credit card rejected. My low limit online purchases only card was too close to the max to get it. Out came the platinum card and all was right with the world. I’ll really believe it when I see it though. So, guess where I was on the 28th? Zeroing all my consumer debt before the new year. Feels good.
The 510 will be happy.
I gave our daughter my two (slightly differently sized, one for Fram and one for OEM) oil filter wrenches for her VW, which was formerly ours, when I learned that our new Golf uses a cartridge filter, not a spin-on. Hmm, reading that now it doesn’t sound too festive or even very generous. But useful ?. However, we also gave her money to buy new tires since we had given her a car with ten year old but only 1/2 worn tires and decided the rubber has probably hardened too much to be safe for Oregon winters. Me, I got some new pedals … for my mountain bike.