You are driving down the road when a sudden, uncontrollable urge for a grilled cheese sandwich overcomes you. No worries, just plug the $19.95 Road Pro automotive sandwich maker (www.skingcompany.com) into your vehicle's lighter and in no time your craving for that cheesy treat will be satisfied.
Still wracking your brain for a unique gift for your loved ones this holiday season?
During my search to find you the most interesting gifts to give the car owner on your list, I discovered an amazing array of products that literally ranged from the ridiculous (see sandwich maker above) to the sublime.
Who wouldn't want a mechanic who could travel with them at all times, be able to diagnose most of their vehicle's problems within minutes and, best of all, could fit in the palm of their hand? For $200, AutoXRay's CodeScout (www.autoxray.com) can do all of that.
Just about every vehicle manufactured since 1996 has a diagnostic port under the steering column. By simply plugging the AutoXRay into the port, an easily understandable readout will instantly describe anything that might be amiss with the vehicle.
Why not give someone the ability to exert more control in their life?
Connect2Car's Multi Functional Controller (www.connect2car.com) can give anyone with a Bluetooth-enabled phone the ability to control many of their car's functions from their telephone's keypad. The $400 device allows the driver to use their cell phone to lock, unlock and even open some doors, pop the trunk, flash the headlights, or start or turn off the engine.
If you were thinking of adding a GPS navigation system to your shopping list, for around $400, Navigon's MobileNavigator (www.navigon.com) can only be called the cr me-de-la-cr me of GPS systems. While it can pinpoint your location and give directions like a conventional GPS system, this innovative little marvel also connects to a subscription-free traffic service so that you can get real-time traffic conditions for the route that you are planning on traversing. If your intended path happens to be crawling along at a snail's pace, the system can then recommend alternative routes.
Perhaps you know of someone who is worried about the possibility of their vehicle being stolen. Since blaring car alarms are generally ignored and savvy thieves are finding ways around even the most sophisticated anti-theft devices, you might want to put a Flashfog system (www.flashfogsecurity.com) under their tree.
Once triggered by a break-in, this innovative $765 system emits a blinding, yet harmless fog into the vehicle's interior, effectively forcing the car thief to give up or try driving by Braille.
If no one on your list has been quite good enough to deserve one of these nifty, yet admittedly pricey gifts, no worries. There's always the tried-and-true options of fuzzy slippers, holiday neckties, and of course - portable automotive sandwich makers.
Michelle Groh-Gordy is the owner of InterActive! Traffic School Online at www.trafficinteractive.com , and writes a syndicated weekly column on driving for the publications of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
