Valentine’s day gifts for the drivers in your life
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Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and there are plenty of car lovers out there who would love a little something to enhance their ride, or just reinvigorate their love of the open road. Whether you’re looking for Valentine’s Day gifts for him or Valentine’s Day gifts for her, this list is a great place to start your search for that special gearhead in your life.
One of the best ways to get your car in good shape this Valentine’s Day is by giving it a good cleaning. If your partner’s car cleanliness habits have been falling by the wayside recently, now is as good a time as any to help them get back on track. This portable vacuum comes with three all-purpose nozzles, plugs right into your 12V cigarette lighter port, and features a 16-foot cord, which should give you plenty of slack to bring the vacuum anywhere you need inside your car. This vacuum is consistently one of the best-selling automotive products on Amazon and currently has over 248,000 ratings with a total score of 4 out of 5 stars.
If your car is already clean, why not give it some mood lighting? LED lighting is everywhere nowadays, and if you’re into that kind of thing, your car should be no exception. These LED light strips can offer over 16 million different colors and come with a wireless remote that features eight static modes, four dynamic modes, and four music modes. The music modes can sync up to your tunes thanks to a built-in microphone, allowing the lights to move with the rhythm of whatever you’re listening to! These particular lights have over 5,000 ratings on Amazon with a cumulative 4.3 out of 5 star rating.
Surprise your valentine with a flower in their vehicle that’s sure to brighten up any commute. Volkswagen fans will remember when the Beetle came with a built-in bud vase. With this cute accessory every car can have a touch of color and joy like the iconic car of the flower power generation.
There are two mounting types to chose from, a suction cup mounted model that can attached to your dash or windshield, or the vent clip model. The only downside is this highly rated unit is only for MagSafe compatible phone cases and the MagSafe enabled iPhones. If you want a cheaper option consider this $10.99 MagSafe phone mount that will hold your iPhone MagSafe charger in place (does not come with the holder) in the car, desk, or elsewhere. For Android users, consider this Qi-certified wireless charger from Anker for $15.99.
This is a great starter kit if you’re just looking for the basics. It’s a seven-piece set that will not only help you get the body of your car shining thanks to the Citrus Wash & Gloss, but it also comes with separate formulas for your tires (Diablo Wheel Cleaner) and even your interior (Total Interior Cleaner & Protectant). The Wash & Gloss comes in a 16 oz. bottle which should give most people 8-16 washes. In addition to the cleaners, this kit also comes with a wash mitt and three microfiber towels.
If you can’t get behind the wheel of your favorite car, the next best thing might just be building a LEGO version of it. This awesome LEGO Ford Mustang kit is made up of 1,471 pieces and the car, once built, stands at over 3 inches high, 13 inches long and 5 inches wide. The kit has over 5,100 Amazon ratings and is sitting at an amazing total score of 4.9 out of 5 stars. Amazon reviewer Zarhoff had this to say after purchasing the kit:
“I realize the size is on the description, but i did not really pay that much attention sense it was a gift but this thing is huge! … Very impressive set. Not cheap but considering the price of lego these days as well as the amazing quality and obvious attention to QC this is a great product.”
Sounds like Zarhoff has good taste. Does this seem like something your car-loving s/o might enjoy, too? If so, you can learn more about the kit and pick it up right here.
This 1:43 scale slot car set from Carrera is an awesome kit to get anyone started on their slot car journey. It’s a great stand-alone set, but it’s also expandable if you want to get really crazy with it. This one isn’t the most “realistic” slot car set you could buy, but with gimmicks like turbo boost and loop-de-loops, it just might be one of the most fun. With over 2,500 ratings on the Amazon store, this set currently sits at a cumulative 4.3 out of 5 star rating. Reviewer Sabastoni7 had this to say about the set in their five-star review:
“The track is awesome! It is pretty easy to assemble if you’re careful enough. We took the loops out to keep from damaging the cars and because we plan on ordering more track. [In response to] the other reviews that have 3 or 2 stars [that talk] about the cars flying off, you must learn how to use the controllers for the speed of the car. If you’re inexperienced [than] of course cars will fly off, but once you’ve got it down you’ll be racing like the Ken Miles of slot cars!”
Want to learn more? Check out the set right here.
Valentine’s Day is all about comfort, enjoyment, and love. Your partner will definitely fall in love with this cushion. The gel memory foam cushion is Amazon’s No. 1 bestseller in the Automotive Seat Cushions category, but you can use this pretty much anywhere, inside or outside of the car. If you or your partner dread your commute every day, well, maybe this won’t make you stop dreading it, but it could at least help you dread it in comfort. You can pick up the gel cushion right here for $51.95.
One of the best substitutes for driving in real life is driving in a video game. If you want to get really serious about digitally driving, we’ve got something for that below, but if you’re just looking for something easy and (somewhat) affordable to gift the lead-footed love of your life, we’d recommend checking out the Nintendo Switch.
The Switch has all kinds of excellent racing games on it like the modern classic Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remaster, Gear.Club Unlimited 2, V-Rally 4, WRC 8, Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled, and many, many more.
If you’re on the fence, a bunch of us here at Autoblog own them and love them. The console also has nearly 77,000 ratings on Amazon and is still sitting at an astonishing score of 4.8 out of 5 stars. Amazon reviewer Melissa had this to say in her five-star review:
“LOVE THE SWITCH! This Switch is so cute and I honestly can’t wait to play animal crossing on this! The design on this Switch is so beautiful … Nintendo did a good job on the color scheme and everything! Hopefully this Switch keeps restocking so that everyone can have the chance to get their hands on this beauty for the original price.”
Want to pick one up? You can check out the listing right here.
Thrustmaster TMX Force Feedback Racing Wheel – buy here for $199.99
This Thrustmaster racing wheel is for when you really want a substitute for the real thing. A good racing wheel can crank the realism dial of a video game up to 11. This particular wheel is for use with an Xbox or a Windows PC, but you can get similar products that work with a Playstation as well. It also has over 2,000 ratings and a cumulative score of 4.5 out of 5 stars. A reviewer going by the name Amazon Customer had this to say in their five-star review of the wheel:
“[I’m a] long time Forza fan and someone who really enjoys racing games. After years of listening to the Logitech vs Thrustmaster banter I went with the TMX for a few reasons. I can get pro pedals when I want to learn to clutch and I can add a shifter at a later date when I can handle taking my hands away to shift. … The quality of the wheel is excellent and while it looks like cheap plastic, it doesn’t bend or flex under duress of intense action on [the] track as you “swat flies.” Understanding what feels good to you is key to learning how to use a wheel. If you are looking for a cheap and affordable way into sim racing, or just the immersion, this is the wheel to get … I’ve easily clocked in 100 hours before this review and have played many games on PC: iRacing, PCARS2, Wreckfest (before and after the major PC update), Dirt Rally, NASCAR Heat 4, and [I] even took it to [my] Xbox One to drive around on Forza Horizon 4. [It’s] plug and play. You are not going to buy a better wheel for under $250 … I hope you find the same pleasure I have in this experience because it’s changed gaming for me. I like change like this!”
If you’re looking for a gift that will upgrade the racing game experience in a big way, you can check out this wheel right here.
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