If like most people, you always have difficulty finding the right gift for your friends and family, then here are a few suggestions on gifts you can purchase for the motoring enthusiast.
Whether you're looking for something for Fathers Day, Mothers Day, a birthday, anniversary, Christmas or any other special occasion, you should find something in the list below that helps you to find a great present for your loved one.
Posters
A car poster makes a great gift for the car enthusiast. Suitable for all ages and as popular as ever. Simply find out what the recipient's dream car is and find a poster to match. Pictures of Cars has teamed up withAllPosters.com to bring you the very best Automotive posters.
Click the image above or here to find the ideal poster gift.
Personal Number Plates
A private number plate makes a great gift, and they're now much cheaper than you might expect. Here are some possible suppliers of Number Plates for UK buyers:-
Click here to find personal Number Plates
Good numbers can increase in value, but do shop around for the best deal. We found that different suppliers were offering very similar numbers at completely different prices. In some cases there is a good reason for a much higher price for one number compared to another, but trying a few different suppliers and number combinations is the best way to get a good price. Check out also the links on eBay for private sales. Beware that some suppliers will quote figures that include the transfer costs, and others may not.
Driving Experiences
Noble at Driving Day organised by Everyman Racing
A driving experience can be one of the best presents for a car enthusiast. They provide a chance to get some expert tuition in a reasonably safe environment. We've been to quite a few experiences including track days and off road events and always enjoy and remember them. The above Noble was shot at a great driving day in Leicestershire.
The actual event was a Porsche experience day offering tuition in a Porsche 911 and a Porsche Boxster and that was great fun, though we couldn't resist the option of a few extra laps around the circuit in the Fibreglass bodied Twin Turbo Noble. Ferrari driving days, off road 4x4 driving and many other experiences are available from a good Driving Day organiser such as buyagift;
You can find buyagift's site here. As well as driving experiences they offer a wide range of other great experiences and can supply days out at major motor racing events such as the British Grand Prix, Touring Car racing and countless other great events.
More information on Driving Days
Toys
Everyone, even adults love toys. If you partner is a car fanatic, then a Playstation (PS2) or Xbox console, together with a good driving game would make a great gift. We recommend Colin McRae Rally 5 which is amazingly realistic, Project Gotham Racing, Need for Speed Underground and Midnight Club 2.
Sporting Events
Tickets to sporting events make great gifts. Here are some useful links
Motor Racing
Tennis
Football
Rugby
Golf
Sailing
Satellite Navigation Systems
Although many executive cars now come with Satellite Navigation (SatNav) systems already fitted, you can also buy add on systems. Pioneer do some great units that can fit into your dash - they replace the radio and provide a high quality Radio / CD system in conjunction with a Satellite Navigation System
Click here for more information on UK / Europe SatNav Systems
You would probably have to love someone very much to buy them a Satellite Navigation system, though prices for aftermarket units are now cheaper than you might think. Superb integrated units can cost less than a system would have cost as an option on your new car, and handheld units are even cheaper.
Speed Trap Detectors
Commonly called radar detectors, or speed trap detectors, these units can alert the driver to the presence of speed traps. Given that (in theory) such cameras are placed in accident black spots, knowledge of the existence of a camera should give you additional warning to take particular care, so they don't protect only your licence.
We tested some of the best known GPS systems - Geodesy, Road Angel and Snooper. All of these devices not only warned us in advance of cameras, they also helped us to avoid accidentally breaking the speed limits. Some manufacturers claim that drivers who use this equipment tend to have fewer accidents and we can see why this might be the case. All were easy to use and update, and we found them to be very good value for money.
Click here for more information on Speed Camera Detectors
Do shop around for the best price, but note that some suppierrs (for example RoadNet) are currently offering to beat any genuine quote that you get elsewhere, so check them first and last to get the best price.
The best devices use GPS to identify your current location and include a database of the position of the cameras so that they can determine how far you are from a camera. Strictly speaking these devices aren't detectors, and they do have the drawback that they only work on fixed position cameras. Some do include a database of other key sites, such as schools, accident black spots and locations where the presence of mobile detection units is common.
Cheaper devices pick up the signals from the Speed Camera but these tend to be less reliable and it's believed that a bill will soon be passed to make the use of these illegal. If you have any doubts on this score do check out the facts carefully. A good supplier will be able to advise you accordingly. The benefit of these devices is that they can also detect the presence of mobile speed cameras. Note that not many units will spot all types of speed monitoring system as such units use a wide variety of technologies, some of which will have spotted your violation before the detection device has time to warn you.
Some units combine both GPS and detection capabilities. These are currently the best devices, though their detection abilities may make them illegal when the bill is passed.
There are also some units on the market that can jam police radar detectors. These units are, we understand, already illegal and are best avoided. If you are found using one, the penalty for having it can be greater than the penalty for speeding. Unlike other systems they don't tend to encourage you to stick to the speed limit.
Car Photographs
Alternatively, if you're looking for something that takes up less space on the wall, we can supply any of our photographs with or without frames. Printed in high resolution on Kodak photo paper the look great, and in the right frame look even better. Mail details of the picture you want to Photos-For-Sale@Pictures-of-Cars.Com and we'll give you a competitive price.
Other Gifts
A Short Break makes a great romantic gift and need not be as expensive as you might think. Some popular destinations from the UK are Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and Brugge. European Flights can be obtained at very reasonable rates, and good Hotels in European towns and cities can now be found through an internet booking agency.
Closer to home London is always a popular destination and there are some great attractions such as the London Eye, Madame Tussaurds and many more which are worth another visit even if you've been there before. Click here for special offers on London Attractions.
If you fancy more time away then a Cruise or Short Holiday is a good choice. In the UK we can recommend Center Parcs where you can get away for four days midweek, three days over the weekend or even a whole week, at a reasonable price.
Check out these other experience gifts if you like the thought of giving a more interesting present, but don't find any of the motoring driving experiences.
If none of the above grab you, then here are some other great ideas for gifts
Eh - Flowers, Chocolate, Wine, Champagne, Kitchen Utensils (maybe not)
Actually we've run out of ideas, but click here for more great ideas for Gifts
And some more Activities here
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