Journal-News

There's still plenty of time to find just the right gift for the gearhead in your life. Consider the following.

Calendars: Area bookstores have a variety of auto calendars in stock. Plus there are seven from Hemmings Motor News featuring "abandoned" cars: The '50s, Model A's, muscle cars, sports cars, classics and pickups, from $10.99 to $16.95. For more, go online to www.hemmings.com/store/calendars.

Reading: Buy your car guy or gal a subscription to his or her favorite automotive magazine. Many are currently offering exceptional deals — in some cases, two years' subscription for the price of one.

Artwork & posters: Go online to www.racingpilot.com for a wide selection of automotive and racing photos, posters, artwork, limited-edition prints, DVDs and clothing. Some prints and posters are as low as $15, up to limited-edition prints for $600.

Tools: A Craftsman eight-piece ratcheting wrench set at Sears stores and Sears Hardware can be a great gift. Priced from $49.99 to $89.99. For the Cadillac of tools, you can also go to www.Snapon.com for individual tools, sets and storage systems. Here you can find virtually anything for the mechanic, including gift ideas starting at $75.

Clean car: The ultimate exterior car care kit, from Griots

Garage, is priced at $149.99. This 19-piece kit has car wash, wax, and rubber and tire cleaner, as well as towels, detail mitts and brushes to clean any vehicle. It even includes paint-

cleaning clay. Hundreds of other items are also available by going to www.griotsgarage.com.

Be great behind the wheel: Give a gift of courses taught by professionals for all skill levels of drivers at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington. The school offers 15 different programs — everything from the one-day Teen Defensive Driving course for $275, a three-day Acura High-Performance Driving Course for $1,800 or a Competition Licensing Program for $420. For more information and pre-Christmas specials, go online to www.midohioschool.com.

Tickets to the "big ones": How about tickets for the 2009 Daytona 500 or Indianapolis 500? For tickets for the Feb. 15 Daytona 500, go online to www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/. Prices start at $99. For tickets to the May 24 Indianapolis 500, go online to www.indy500.com. Prices start at $40.

Make sure your car guy or girl is safe: The Safety First Auto Emergency Kit contains booster/jumper cables, first aid kit, safety vest, emergency poncho, thermal survival blanket, emergency candles (2), flashlight, signal torch, batteries (2), elastic tie-down cord, auto fuses, PVC hose/electrical tape, whistle with lanyard, foam kneeling pad and a SOS help sign, all for $18.99. It's available at safetyfirstdmk.stores.yahoo.net.

Never get lost: Women always ask for directions; men never do, and with a GPS on the dash, neither will have to. Prices on GPS navigation units have dropped, and there are a number of makes and models out there. Garmin, TomTom and Magellan appear to be the most popular. The units come pre-loaded with North American maps, and many offer millions of points of interest. Prices run from $99.99 for the TomTom One to $599 for the Magellan Maestro. The units are available at most electronic stores, Sears, Target and big-box retailers like Meijer's and Wal-Mart. They are easy to buy online, too. Search GPS for cars or navigation system.