Birthday gifts for a car guy
Birthdays are one of the most common reasons our customers order. Often it's a wife who has run out of ideas after many years, and a car that is, in one customer's words, his baby.
Here are nine birthday gifts for a car guy at different budgets, plus what changes when it's a milestone birthday or a son with his first car.
Free preview before you pay. Nothing prints until you approve it.
§ 01
9 birthday gifts for a car guy
The first one is ours. Prices for the rest vary too much to quote.
- 01$59–$449
A poster of his own car
$59–$449
His car, his color, on the road of his choice, or one you know he loves. You can add up to two people from their photos, and a line of text along the bottom. You see it free before you pay. Order a couple of weeks ahead so you have time to approve the proof.
→ Custom car poster - 02varies
An autocross entry
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Local clubs run autocross events in big parking lots: cones, a timer and his own car. A low-cost, safe first taste of driving at the limit.
- 03varies
A track day or driving school
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For the bigger birthday. A full day on a real circuit with an instructor.
- 04varies
A drive on a road he has always wanted
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Take the birthday weekend for Tail of the Dragon, Pacific Coast Highway or the Blue Ridge Parkway. You drive the boring part.
- 05varies
A professional detail
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His car, spotless for his birthday, without him lifting a towel.
- 06varies
Cars and Coffee, then breakfast
varies
Find the next local Cars and Coffee, take his car, and buy breakfast after. Small, easy and very much his kind of morning.
- 07varies
A scale model of his car
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Right year, right color. A good small gift next to a bigger one.
- 08varies
A quality tool he keeps borrowing
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Ask his friends what he borrows. That is the gift.
- 09varies
A book about his car
varies
A good history of his model or its designer. Pick his car, not cars in general.
§ 02
For a milestone birthday: 40, 50, 60
Big birthdays call for a story. Our customers order posters of the first car he bought, the car from their honeymoon, the car they drove away from the courthouse in. One wife chose San Francisco as the background because that was where they took his first car on their honeymoon, and gave it to him on his birthday.
For a 60th, try the car he had at 20. A scan of an old photo is enough. If he still has the car, put it on the road from the trip you both remember.
§ 03
For a son with his first car
A first car is a big deal at 17, and parents order posters of it more than you might think. One mother ordered her son's new Civic on Tail of the Dragon, a road he plans to drive someday. A 2024 Supra, a Challenger, a Mustang GT: the newer the car, the cleaner and brighter the poster.
Use a photo from the side or front three-quarter in daylight. If he has done something to the car, a spoiler, wheels, a tint, mention it so it's on the poster.
From customers
“The print turned out beautifully. I had it made for my husband‘s birthday. This car is his baby and we’ve been married a long time so I hardly ever know what to get him when the time rolls around. This was absolutely perfect and he loves it! Thank you for a great job and the quick turnaround time.”
“Came out perfectly! For my husband’s birthday in October and he is going to go crazy for it!”
“It is an amazing print! The car was a birthday gift for my husband. The print I had done for our anniversary. He loves it!”
“That was our car when we went on our honeymoon to San Francisco which is why I chose that background. I’ll give it to him on his birthday 9/11. I know he will love it too!!!”
Questions
What do you get a car guy for his birthday?
Something about his car or time with it: a poster of his car, a track day or autocross entry, a drive on a road he loves, or a professional detail.
What is a good birthday gift for a husband who loves cars?
A poster of his car with the two of you in it, on a road from a trip you took together. You can add up to two people from their photos.
How far ahead should I order a custom car poster for a birthday?
A couple of weeks. The design takes a minute, then you approve a full-size proof. The pricing page lists delivery at 4 to 7 business days, with free US shipping.
Free preview before you pay. Nothing prints until you approve it.