Christmas has come and gone, and now it’s the new year. We’re marking the occasion by reminiscing on some of the worst automotive holiday gifts ever received by our readers. When I posited the question earlier this week, I shared the anecdote of how my parents gifted me a truly awful steering wheel for racing video games. It certainly inspired many of you to share the bad gifts your parents gave you, whether they were overly complicated toys or cars in need of costly repairs.
Don’t worry, nearly all of the vitriol is directed at retailers pushing people to buy terrible products for their car-enthusiast loved ones. While we all would love to receive a thoughtful gift, it’s unlikely that they would naturally find their way to the right person. It’s to the point where many would rather have a gift card or cold, hard cash. Without further ado, these are the presents that we wouldn’t regift to our worst enemies:
Car wash kits aren’t useful
Pretty much any “car wash kit” or similar, most contain 90% products I would never use.
Submitted by: cintocrunch1
Multi-function tools collecting dust
Any of those stupid multifunction “tools”.
One year, my wife bought me this ratcheting box end wrench that had something like 8 different sizes, all in one. So you almost always had the right size right there, right?
Except, in order to cram that many sizes into each end of the wrench, the heads were so huge, it wouldn’t fit into almost any space. It’s still in my toolbox, but I don’t think I’ve ever used it. Been there probably 20 years.
Submitted by: Stillnotatony
Air fresheners are too much
Car air fresheners, specifically the ones that clip into the vents. I had to do the “oh that’s nice”, and put them in the closet because I am in no mood for my car to smell like synthetic strawberry.
Submitted by:Â Alf Enthusiast
A money pit Saab
My Dad gave me his 1973 SAAB Sonett III. It took me 3 years of weekends and $13k to restore it to a running, driving car. It regularly needs some impossible-to-find part to keep it going, and it sits for months while I spend hours digging for it online. Some gift… but I still have it. I have to hear my wife complain about it taking up space every time she walks by it in the garage. So there is that benefit…
Submitted by: Old_SLAAB_Guy
NASCAR model kits for a 10-year-old
Christmas 1990. Days of Thunder had just come out that year. The only thing my extended family knew about me was that I liked NASCAR. I received about 7 Monogram Days of Thunder 1:24 model kits. I was 10 years old and not a model builder. I still have some in the factory plastic wrapping in my closet. Waiting for that eBay cash-in, but so far they only sit at about $40.
Submitted by: Michael Tonelli
Almost everything is awful
Most all of them. So many pieces of crap are packaged and marketed as gifts for car enthusiasts, but they’re all just cheap junk. Emergency kits with jumper cables with small gauge wires and lousy clamps, ratchet/socket set made with metal that will break with the slightest real force, tire inflators that would struggle to inflate a pool toy, etc. Any real car guy/gal has already spent good money on quality tools. And don’t get me started on those emergency glass break hammers that no one would ever need, let alone have the wherewithal/access to grab/use effectively if their car was sinking in a dark, cold pond.
Submitted by: BuddyS
Just give me a parts store gift card
As with a hobby, don’t buy them anything – give them cash or, if you really have to, a gift card to somewhere they frequently shop.
Buying a present for a car or tool enthusiast usually results in some sort of god-awful tool or gimmick from AutoZone.
Submitted by: Nopar
