Cool Father’s Day Gift Ideas

Here are two-and-a-half gifts that just about any car-loving dad will love. They vary in budgets and uses, but each one is guaranteed to get make your dad a happier carguy.

Timing: I realize that Father’s Day is less than a week away, and these gifts are not exactly “last minute gift ideas”, but even if you don’t get the gift in time, print out the picture of the gift, put inside of card, and just say the gift is in the mail. Simple.

Around $100

All carguydads are kids at heart and any of them would appreciate a nice model car. The fact is that model cars vary in prices from $20 to $300 or even more. The $20 models are usually incorrect in some ways, or are missing some substantial details, or are just cheaply made. Having owned dozens of these models from many companies, I say that spending around $100 for a 1:18 model from AutoART is totally worth it.

All of the models are correct in just about every detail; from wheel styles, to colors, to seat types, everything. All the models are also very detailed, for instance the GT3 pictured here features proper calipers, seatbelts and even the proper factory orange roll bar (optional on non-U.S. cars). They have a ton of different cars in many different colors, I highly recommend them, but be sure to order the right car in the right color for your dad. The cars can be obtained at various ebay stores or directly from AutoART (but will take longer to arrive).

Between $150 and $200

The rechargeable little Dyson DC16 is the best small vacuum I have ever used. The bottom line is that it vacuums really well, whereas all other vacuums that size that I have used simply do not. The slight downside is that the batteries last for approximately ten minutes of vacuuming, however, ten minutes is plenty of time to do the whole car of average size. The bottom line is, if you can’t clean it up with this vacuum in ten minutes, than you probably need a big shop vac. Full review of this vacuum is coming soon, I highly recommend it.

Currently, the DC16 comes in two flavors, the regular with a brush/nozzle end (approx $150), and an Animal version which is designed for pet owners (approx $200). While I was skeptical at first, and $150+ sounds like a lot of money for a vacuum, you will realize its awesomeness after only a few uses. The DC16 is also handy for non-car-related homes uses; quick pick ups, etc. The only place where this gift may not work well is if the said dad already has a proper shop vac with all the attachments; those just cannot be beat. I have not used a new shop vac in quite a while, so I cannot really recommend anything.

More than $500

Yes, we’re getting into some money here, but this save-your-butt kind of a gift. If the dad in your family has somewhat of a heavy foot, he probably already had a radar/laser detector. However, many times, especially in places where the police use laser guns, those detectors give just about zero warning time; when it goes off, it’s too late, you’ve been zapped.

The solution here is to go from being reactive to being proactive, and a laser jammer is that solution. Before reading any further or even buying, realize that RADAR JAMMERS ARE ILLEGAL, however the laws for Laser Jammers are less defined. In place of recommending a specific laser jammer, I am going to recommend a website. Guysoflidar.com is dedicated to everything you ever wanted to know about radars, radar detectors, laser guns, and laser detectors. The site is independent of any equipment manufacturers and has no sponsors; it’s just a bunch of guys serving the motoring public; the internet was people for sites like that. For the carguydad in your family, my suggestion would be to offer a purchase of a laser jammer only after the said dad reads and understands everything on that website. Keep in mind that once he makes the decision to purchase the laser jammer, it has to be properly installed on the vehicle. A professional installation will vary in price between $150 and $300. If the dad is handy, give him and his buddy a weekend in the garage and go spend the $150 – $300 on something for yourself. Everyone wins.

I have used Laser Protector’s Laser Pro Park, and seemed to have worked really well. Research it and read up on it.