10 Last Minute Gifts for Car Lovers That’ll Rev Their Engine
From Real and Virtual Supercar Experiences to Practical Gifts That Will Stock Their Garage, These Gifts Are at the Top of the Podium
3… 2… 1… go!
If your brain has stalled or sputtered out instead of rocketing off of the starting line when it comes to thinking up gifts for the car lover in your life, don’t worry. We’ve all been there. Particularly if you don’t share your car enthusiast’s love of machines, it can be tricky to find a present that they’ll really appreciate. And now, we’re down to the wire.
If you need a gift so fast that not even two-day shipping will save you, you’re in luck. Any of the options on this list can be sent in minutes, including:
- Gift cards for gas and snacks
- Gift cards for exciting driving experiences
- And gift cards that will help them restock their garage
GiftYa is Like NOS for Your Last-Minute Gifting Game 🎁
To get started, let’s take a minute to talk about what a GiftYa is. On the surface, it’s a digital gift card, but it’s way more convenient than that.
Yes, a GiftYa to any of these spots will let your favorite gear head pick out something they actually want. But you can also customize your gift with a personal message, picture of their dream car, or even that video they sent you of their engine revving up.
GiftYa can be used like any other digital gift card, from your phone, where it keeps track of the balance so he doesn’t have to. Or it can be linked to one of the credit cards your car lover has in their wallet every day anyway, which lets them rack up rewards points as they cash in your gift.
Pro tip: You can even schedule GiftYas in advance. Which means if there’s more than one vendor on this list you think they’d like, you can schedule your birthday, anniversary, or Christmas gift to them today to save a little stress in the future 👍
Now that we’re on the same page, let’s not spend any more time chatting. We’ve got a lot of last-minute gifts for car lovers to go over.
- 1 - Xtreme Xperience
- 2 - Sheetz
- 3 - Pep Boys
- 4 - Citgo
- 5 - Sonic
- 6 - ACE Hardware
- 7 - Barnes & Noble
- 8 - Amazon
- 9 - Gamestop
- 10 - Visa
1 - Xtreme Xperience
The Supercar Experience, Coming to a Racetrack Near You
Text an Xtreme Xperience gift card
The car lover in your life might be head over heels for their GTI or their Mustang, but that doesn’t mean their eyes haven’t wandered elsewhere 👀 We’re talking about Supercars, those celebrities of the car world. Consider them the muscle-head lead in every summer superhero movie. And they’ve got the price tag to match.
Luckily for those of us who can’t drop a cool quarter million on a new set of wheels for a loved one, a couple hundred bucks will buy them the experience of a lifetime at Xtreme Xperience. They can choose from some of the most exciting cars in the world – like the Charger Hellcat, Lamborghini Huracán, and Ferrari Spider to hit the racetrack or go for a ride along some of the most scenic back roads in America.
With more than 40 “epic driving destinations” nationwide, this is one gift any car lover in the country is sure to appreciate. But if I were you I would be sure to check that there is one within a reasonable distance. Nobody wants to spend three hours stuck in traffic to get to the course where they get to start the exciting driving part of their day.
2 - Sheetz
Fuel for Cars and Fuel for People, All in One Spot
We love a chance to shout out Sheetz. Known for treating their employees well and their customers even better, this chain of gas stations can do far more than just put gas in your car. And for total disclosure I will say here that I used to work at a Sheetz location in college. And they always treated us well and paid us a much better wage than you expect a gas station to do. And I always like an opportunity to shout out a company that treats their employees well and doubly so when they are a company I know first hand treats their employees well.
With made-to-order food and drink options ranging from jam-packed breakfast burritos to sweet cinnamon stick dippers to juicy burgers to customized energy drinks, Sheetz goes way beyond the normal gas station offerings of takis and candy bars, although they have plenty of prepackaged snacks on the shelves too.
Plus with a free MySheetz rewards card (which your favorite car lover probably already has in their wallet) they earn perks on every purchase – like a few cents off of gas, birthday offers, and discounts on snacks. And when you have to refuel after every joyride, those little savings definitely add up for a car lover.
3 - Pep Boys
Outsource The Most Annoying Car Maintenance Projects to Someone Else
Yes, car lovers like to work on their cars, but some projects are more fun than others. Polishing the tires or changing the oil can be knocked out in just a couple of minutes, but other projects are stinky and sticky like bleeding brakes, or require specialty equipment like the lifts needed for changing tires.
Luckily, your favorite car lover doesn’t have to handle them alone. That’s where the folks at Pep Boys can help. For any of those annoying but necessary car service projects, let the experts handle it. They have over 900 locations around the country so there should be one that is easily accessible for the car lover in your life!
4 - Citgo
Get Them Where They Need to Go with a Full Tank of Gas
No matter how well maintained your favorite car lover’s vehicle is – how carefully it’s waxed, how meticulously the interior is vacuumed, how closely the oil level is watched – it won’t take them anywhere without a full tank of gas. And with gas prices fluctuating wildly over the last couple of years, it can be a strain to fill ‘er up enough to get to work let alone going out for a joyride.
If your car lover has been stuck in the garage lately, get them back on the road with a gift card to Citgo. Plus, with Citgo Pay, saving money on gas and paying for their trip to the pump has never been easier. With a few taps on the Citgo smartphone app, they can pay the bill from the comfort of their car or while they’re pursuing the snacks inside.
5 - Sonic
Let Them Show Off Their Car at the Drive-In
Okay, so the drive-in isn’t the hopping hangout spot it was in yesteryear, but it’s still a quintessential part of the American zeitgeist. Picture it – Route 66, that long stretch of highway winding from one end of the country to the other, giving people the opportunity to take in the natural beauty of their homeland. It’s no wonder Sonic’s logo is a patriotic red, white, and blue.
If the car lover in your life is headed out on the open road anytime soon, consider grabbing them a gift-card to the country’s favorite drive-up restaurant. Burgers and fries are the perfect way to refuel during a long drive. Just don’t spill any of that delicious cherry limeade slush on their impeccably maintained interior, or be prepared to face their wrath ☠️
6 - ACE Hardware
All the Tools They Need to Take Care of Their Toys
Send an ACE Hardware gift card
The mark of a true car lover is the willingness to get down and dirty working on their vehicle. Whether it’s scrubbing the whole thing down by hand (right down to the bugs in the grill 🤢) or getting under the hood for a tune-up, they’ll need the right tools to get the job done. And that’s where ACE Hardware comes into play.
Known as the Helpful Place, ACE can set them up with everything from buckets and squeegees to specialty power tools and tool storage so that next time they need to work on their car, your favorite car lover is off to the races.
7 - Barnes & Noble
Get them a Guidebook for Their Next Car Project
Buy a Barnes & Noble gift card
If there are two things we know about car lovers, they’re this: first, car lovers love looking at cars. And second, car lovers love working on cars. And books are the perfect intersection of those two interests.
A Barnes & Noble gift card might not be your first thought when it comes to gifts for car lovers, but hear us out. With an expansive online collection to order from and brick and mortar stores across the country, B&N is the perfect place for them to find a new coffee table book with glossy, full-color photos of their favorite vehicles to zhuzh up their living room or how-to book to guide their next automotive undertaking in the garage.
8 - Amazon
Anything a Car Lover Could Need is Just Two Days Away
When in doubt, Amazon is always an option for car lovers or anyone else on your list. With two-day shipping for Prime members and a catalog spanning every category of good imaginable, the car lover in your life is sure to appreciate the option of ordering windshield wiper fluid or a new steering wheel cover directly to their door.
9 - Gamestop
Put Them Behind the Wheel of Their Dream Car at a Fraction of the Price
Racing games aren’t just for arcades – luckily for the car lover in your life, you don’t need those high-backed plastic seats or sticky shifters to play. From goofy cartoon games like Crash Team Racing and Mario Kart to more realistic racing games that put players behind the wheel of their favorite supercars like Forza, there’s sure to be a racing game (or some DLC or expansion packs) on your favorite car lover’s list.
Not too sure what console your car lover uses when they’re gaming? Not to worry. GameStop is stocked with titles for all of the big ones, whether it’s an Xbox, Playstation, or Nintendo console.
10 - Visa
For Anything Else a Car Lover Could Need
Build a custom last-minute gift card
Haven’t quite found the perfect gift for the car lover in your life yet? Consider building them a custom Visa gift card. With Gift Card Granny’s easy customization features, you can personalize your plastic with a photo of them or a snapshot of their favorite car, plus their name and a message. Visa gift cards can be used anywhere Visa credit cards are accepted, so they can spend it on snacks at a NASCAR race or new wheels for their ride. They are totally in the driver’s seat.
Build a custom last-minute gift card
They’re waving the checkered flag on our list of last minute gifts for car lovers.
We hope that you give one of the ideas on this list a green light, but if you’re still stuck at the starting line, don’t worry. The GiftYa catalog has thousands of local and national brands, so you’re sure to find one the car lover in your life – and anyone else on your list – is sure to appreciate.
Trae Bodge
Trae Bodge is the shopping expert here at GiftYa. Trae helps people find the best deals and ideas on popular new items to purchase.
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