#27: The Holidays Plus Cars
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Car
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is a type of car that many families used because it has a lot of space inside and is comfortable to drive. It was made for many years and is well-known.
Car
Chevrolet Corvette
The Corvette is a famous sports car made by Chevrolet. It's known for being fast and having a cool design.
Car
Lamborghini
Lamborghini is another luxury sports car brand from Italy, known for its flashy designs and very fast cars.
Term
Matchbox cars
Matchbox cars are tiny toy cars that kids and collectors enjoy. They come in many different styles and are often based on real cars.
Car
Chevrolet Chevelle
The Chevelle is an old-school car that many people love because it looks cool and goes fast. It's a classic muscle car, which means it's all about power and style from the 1960s and 70s.
Car
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a famous sports car that many people recognize. It's known for its unique shape and powerful performance, making it a favorite among car enthusiasts.
Car
Ferrari 550 Maranello
The Ferrari 550 Maranello is a sports car made by Ferrari that has a powerful engine and is designed for both speed and comfort. It was made in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Car
Chevrolet Bel Air
The Bel Air is a classic car that many people think of when they picture vintage American cars. It's known for its beautiful design and is often seen in movies and shows from the 1950s.
Car
Hummer
Hummer is a type of vehicle that looks tough and is made for off-road driving. It became popular in the early 2000s and is known for being big and strong.
Car
Humvee
The Humvee is a military vehicle that is very strong and can go anywhere. It became famous for being used by soldiers and later was made available for regular people to drive as the Hummer.
Car
Chrysler PT Cruiser
The PT Cruiser is a small car that looks a bit different from others, kind of like a throwback to older styles. It's known for being practical and having a lot of room inside for its size.
Car
Cadillac Escalade
The Cadillac Escalade is a big luxury SUV that many people recognize for its fancy features and large size.
Car
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is a popular sports car that many people love for its speed and cool looks.
Car
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is a famous sports car that many people recognize for its speed and stylish design.
Car
Dodge Ram
The Dodge Ram is a big truck that people use for work or towing things. It's known for being tough and reliable.
Term
spinners
Spinners are special wheels that keep moving even when the car is stopped. They look cool and were really popular for a while.
Car
Pontiac GTO
The Pontiac GTO is a well-known muscle car that was popular in the 2000s. The 2006 version has a strong engine and is loved by many car fans for its speed and style.
Car
Volkswagen Golf GTI
The Volkswagen Golf GTI is a sportier version of the regular Golf car. It's known for being fun to drive and has a powerful engine, making it a favorite among car lovers.
Car
Nissan Versa
The Nissan Versa is a small, affordable car that gets good gas mileage. It's a popular choice for people looking for a budget-friendly vehicle.
Part
tail light lens gasket
A tail light lens gasket is a seal that keeps water out of your car's tail lights. If it wears out, it can cause the lights to malfunction.
Car
Saab 9000
The Saab 9000 is a car made by the Swedish company Saab. It was popular in the 1980s and 1990s and is known for being safe and having a distinctive look.
Car
Jeep Grand
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a type of SUV made by Jeep. It’s known for being able to drive off-road and is popular for its strength and versatility.
Car
1969 Riviera
The 1969 Riviera is a luxury car made by Buick that has a unique and stylish design. It's known for being powerful and comfortable, making it a classic choice for car enthusiasts.
Car
Cadillac DeVille
The 1968 Deville convertible is a large, luxurious car made by Cadillac that can be driven with the top down. It's known for being very comfortable and stylish, popular among classic car lovers.
Car
2001 BMW 750
The 2001 BMW 750 is a high-end car made by BMW that is known for being very powerful and full of luxury features. It's part of the 7 Series, which is BMW's top line of cars.
Brand
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a well-known car brand from Germany that makes luxury cars. They're famous for their quality and advanced technology.
Brand
Ferrari
Ferrari is a famous car brand from Italy that makes really fast and expensive sports cars. They're known for their sleek designs and racing history.
Car
Porsche 718 Cayman
The Porsche 718 Cayman is a sports car that offers great performance and handling. The 2025 model might be the last to use a certain type of engine called a flat-six, which is known for its unique sound and driving experience.
Car
Porsche Cayman GT4
The Porsche Cayman GT4 is a sporty car designed for performance. It has a powerful engine and is built for driving enthusiasts who enjoy speed and handling on the track.
Car
Ford Excursion
The Ford Excursion is a really big SUV that can fit a lot of people and stuff. It's great for families or anyone who needs to haul heavy things, but it can be hard to park because of its size.
Car
Land Rover Range Rover
The Range Rover is a fancy SUV that can drive on tough terrains like mountains and mud, but it also looks really nice inside and out. People often talk about it because it's both a powerful vehicle for adventures and a stylish car for city driving.
LIVE
You could go out and like scoop stuff up, like packing peanuts.
Yeah, I think at one point, my brother and I were like scooping goldfish goldfish.
Yeah, I'd have like a pile of goldfish on the carpet in the living room.
I'd like scoop it up and put it in the dump truck and then like drive it over to him.
Yeah.
He'd be like, load me up, more goldfish.
Snacks on the construction site.
Welcome back Life Plus Cars Community.
Brendan and I are back on the mic here and we are looking ahead and here to the holidays.
They are almost upon us, Brendan.
So what are we talking about today on our episode here for the people?
Christmas plus cars are cars in Christmas or the themes of Christmas and cars and toys
and the weather outside Israel or however you want to quantify it.
Joy to the world.
Yeah, exactly.
Great intro to a movie, by the way, to keep Christmas off.
Thank you.
Christmas vacation, Chevy Jays driving the old Ford doors wagon down.
You know, what does he say?
He's like, you know, nothing like taking the front wheel drive slay out to get a Christmas tree.
You know, right?
He's so proud of that, Taurus.
Take it, Russ.
No, no, no, no, no.
And that's very fitting.
Yeah, but yes, we are.
We're looking forward to talking about it because we came up with the idea a while back.
We were like, oh, we should talk about at least a segment about the car toys that we had
when we were younger.
And yes, but that just spurred this entire idea to do a Christmas episode based off of that, basically.
So yes, yes.
And it certainly got me thinking because as I imagined, it must be for you, Brendan,
I know every single wish list and letter I wrote to Santa was littered with cars
and car related toys and everything of the sort.
Oh, absolutely.
I'm still waiting on him to bring me my Corvette, my Ferrari and Lamborghini.
Right.
Yes, like exactly.
Haven't I been a good boy?
Right.
I've been extra good this year.
But I keep getting cold.
Right.
I don't know what.
At least give me gasoline.
Right, exactly.
Can we can you give us some fuel that we can actually work with?
Yeah, come on, Santa.
But no, I mean, I'm like we've talked about before, but like immediately,
probably between Ed and I, the most common Christmas gift
that I will even still get to this day in my stocking from my dad or mom or
brother is matchbox cars.
Yep.
Yes.
To this day, I have a giant collection of matchbox cars sitting in a
trunk in the basement of my dad's house.
And I haven't looked at them in years, but I mean, I have some that Ian's
given me and I even have some from other people sitting up on the bookshelf
in my home, but I just the matchbox cars in and of themselves.
My brother and I could not get enough of them.
We used to do what my brother and I affectionately called the annual migration
where we would line them all up in a straight file line, every single matchbox
car, and then we would move them one by one.
So we would take one and just like slide it forward and the next one slide it
forward and you couldn't break the order.
They were in a very specific order by color and size.
Yes.
You know, SUVs at the back.
It's essential.
So they end up brought ya coupes in the, I was like, okay, yeah.
So, and the coolest part about it, though, on the matchbox cars is quite a few
of the ones that we have were actually hand me downs from my father.
No, that's neat.
Yes.
So he actually has, I would love to show him to you sometime.
And he actually has some matchbox cars that are from like the fifties and sixties.
Oh, wow.
Seventies back when they're like the real solid metal.
Yeah, from, yeah, like the UK when they were.
Oh, yeah, they're all worn out from him playing with them and it's so cool.
Like the cars that he has there because he's got the Chevelles and he's got
jeeps and he's got army stuff and all that fun, fun stuff with matchbox.
So yeah, that's one of my absolute favorite memories on Christmas toys is matchbox cars, of course.
We are kindred spirits there, Brendan, because my parents have pictures of me
when I was a toddler, a young kid lining up the cars on every single couch cushion,
and every single sofa and same thing, categorized by color, vehicle type.
Yeah, like the big trucks in the back and the smaller cars and everything in the front,
everything in between.
And, and oh my gosh, I can't wait to dredge up these pictures because I just
am like standing there, like proud as can be, just like, look what I've done.
And I'm like, and my parents have told me that I I would be lost in this world
for hours, just completely absorbed.
So it sounds like it was the case for you and your brother with the migration under the age of 20 is
wondering what we used to do without Internet.
There's a really good example.
Yeah, no video games, no TV, no Internet, and we'd just be lining up
in the happiest we could ever be.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, just absolutely.
Just you see a giant bucket of hot wheels and matchboxes and the day was made.
That was that was all you needed.
Oh, absolutely.
Yeah, that was always and they made the perfect stocking stuffer.
I mean, whether kids or adults, they perfect size so well.
Perfect size.
Yeah.
And then obviously we have to talk about like they made those toys that were
specifically for those size die cast cars, like the Hot Wheels toys.
It was like the Hot Wheels car wash.
Oh, yes.
Or like the tracks that you could put them in and it had like the spinner wheels
that would like launch them.
Like, oh, my God, you could like create your own set.
Oh, we had it made his kid.
Oh, that was the best.
You could take like your entire fleet of matchbox cars and like put it into the
track and it would like go into a big loop and slow down.
Then it would have those like spinning things.
Like, oh, yes, oh, my gosh.
I had like you set the mat down and it was like this mat you lay down.
Then you set the car wash and there's like a road imprinted on the map.
It's like, enter here and like then you go in and push the button down.
Yes.
And it like, you know, sends the car through and like squirts a little
water and like the best.
Oh, I'm pretty sure we must have had the same car wash because did yours have
the spin dry thing at the end?
Like, yes, you spun it with your hand.
It was the best.
I had the exact same car wash.
Oh, man, hours and hours with that thing.
Like it just, yeah, because it was just this endless loop.
You're like, okay, time to light another one up and spin dry.
And it was the best.
Oh, my gosh.
Yeah.
That's great.
You could just build entire cities.
I still there's this in addition to, I mean, all of my Hot Wheels match boxes
are all boxed up in my parents as well in their basement.
And then I have a whole bin of just like Hot Wheels City where you could just
I got quite a few of those over the years where it was just an ongoing
you know, construction of my little city and towns.
And like every kit you got, like you'd go into Kmart or Walmart.
You'd like to that section and you'd be like, oh, my gosh, like this one, this one.
Like, I don't have this one.
Can we please add this?
I don't think I don't have the car dealership one.
I don't have the fire station.
Exactly.
And then they got crazy, too.
They have like different, they do like dragon ones or they'd have, you know,
I had one where it would get the car would get shot up through a volcano
and out the other side.
Yes, yes, yes.
That thing was that thing was wild.
Yes. Mm hmm.
That thing was definitely the most memorable one.
I think that one was going back to like, I think first grade,
I think I got that one, I remember.
And that was a thrill.
Oh, absolutely.
They're all they're amazing.
And I used to have like a I remember very vividly that I had like the suitcase
that was like, you open the flap and you had like little slots for each matchbox
car to go and I had many of those.
I have two.
Yeah. Yes, my man.
I've got both of them.
And then I remember I had, I was so excited.
I got it was like a matchbox scale, 18 wheeler with a car carrier trailer on it.
And you could like put the matchbox cars in the trailer.
And I had that and I was just like, that's the greatest thing in the world.
It's amazing.
Yes.
Now I can take all my cars with me.
Mine, I had one with wheels so you could literally, it was like a carry on.
You could just like pull it behind you and have a full of matchbox cars.
Yeah. Yes, that's right.
No matter where I went, I always had cars on me.
I mean, largely I still do most of the time one way or another.
Well, yeah.
Yeah.
If you if you look at my all track, I have hot wheels tucked in the little side windows.
So always, always ready.
Oh, yeah.
Well, you have to be.
Yes.
Or no, but yeah, I do.
I remember I love those little suitcase things.
I still have a couple of them if I remember right.
Yeah.
The other toy that up until probably a few years ago that I would still collect
was the die cast replicas, but one eighteenth scale.
Right.
I'll never forget the first time I ever got one of those.
I want to say that I was like nine or 10 and I got a Maisto Porsche 911.
And it was in like I want to see like a sunburn orange or like a some yellow,
some yellow color.
I can't it was like an off yellow.
Yeah.
But it was like that right there.
That car like sparked like any time we would go down to where KB toys was down
in like KB toys.
Yes, I would always be like, come on, dad, like, please, you just get one more.
Like, please.
And it was like a 550 Marinello and then it's you get in like the 67 Corvette
and it's just always awesome.
Just I had so many.
I think by the time I actually I gave them all to a friend of ours,
mutual friend of ours, Dave Tibbeto.
That's right.
So yes.
And that was a few years ago, but I must have had like 50 or 60 or 80 of them
or something like I had a lot of them.
I had like the display cases you'd like to play them in.
Oh, sure.
Yeah.
Some of them I still kept the boxes for and stuff, but I just love those.
So so I've got to tell you this.
OK.
In regards to those one 18 scale, so one of my absolute most favorite gifts
I ever got growing up was a play school, like garage house.
Yep.
So they came out with like, you know, I mean, people don't play schools.
It's like the plastic toys.
And they've got them with like the the I don't know what scale it is,
but they come with usually like figurines and stuff like that.
Yeah, they had this garage house that they came out with.
And it had like a battery powered garage doors that when you hit the button,
the doors would open or close automatically.
And I when I was a kid, I love the garage door.
I thought that was like the greatest thing in the world.
So when I got that toy, I was like, that was the end all be all.
Like it was the perfect size to put like the one 18th scale cars in.
Oh my gosh.
Yes, I would actually like I would have out on I could picture it clear as
they like out on the living room carpet, like the play school garage.
And then I had gotten at one point, like a giant set of Lincoln logs.
Oh, so I used Lincoln logs to like create parking diagrams
where each car needed to park itself and then like driveways and then a road system.
And I would like, you know, take the car out of the garage
and then like, you know, drive down the road and now we're going to put you back
and then we'll take like this car out and like, let's take the Bel Air route
on, you know, a little tour like down the road.
You know, it's just fantastic hours, hours upon hours playing with that.
I loved it. I loved it.
Yeah. Oh, that is tearing you describe that Britain makes me.
I was like, OK, no wonder we're friends because that sounds exactly like I would do.
I like I didn't use the logs as they were intended.
No, no, no, parking like like literally like picture, like add an angle,
like false angle spots designated now.
And I remember my dad would be like, oh, like, let me should be like, oh, no,
you can't don't put that one there. Like, what are you doing?
But there are rules. Yeah, like, come on.
You don't put that Chevy next to the Ferrari.
Like, no, no, come on, have some respect.
Yeah, the yellow ones go over a year.
Oh, wow.
That I mean, it's funny because it sounds like you are similar in the way
that like I would have all the car mats and everything.
And I was very much of the mind, like, as you just described,
like there's like a story behind it as far as like, oh, we're going to take this car
out or this car goes here. I was like, I would always create like a narrative
with the cars. I was never like a crash.
I'm smash. I'm kind of kid with the car.
I never treated it ill. No, exactly.
Exactly. Yeah.
Yeah, because they all, yeah, they all have a story.
And so that was the best part, like just getting to weave.
Oh, yeah. It'd be like, you know, like, you know, like the truck or the SUV one.
Like, I think maybe at one point I had like a a Hummer,
like in like when they came back out in like 2001 or something.
Yes. Yeah. Or maybe it was a Humvee.
I can't remember.
You know, I was like, oh, yeah, they're back from grocery shopping,
like pulling the garage back.
Yes. Oh, my gosh.
This like validates all of my childhood playing like this.
Because yeah, yeah, that's in part why we were like absorbed in this world
because we were actually creating a little world on the floor.
Yeah. It was the best. Absolutely.
We get to play with cars.
Oh, my gosh.
Yeah. A close second to that would be, I remember one year
my dad got me a couple of remote controlled like like
fairly, I don't know what scale they are, but like fairly big sized
cat construction equipment replica, like remote controls.
Yeah. Yeah.
Like they were they were big, but they weren't, you know, big, big, right?
But they were still like, whoa, like that's crazy.
And I remember I had like an excavator and a bulldozer.
And those were so cool.
Like you just you could like you couldn't really play in the dirt with them too well.
But you could go out and like scoop stuff up like packing.
Yes. Yeah.
At one point, my brother and I were like scooping goldfish.
Goldfish.
Yeah, I'd have like a pile of goldfish on the carpet in the living room.
I'd like scoop it up and put it in the dump truck and then like drive it over to him.
Yeah.
He'd be like, load me up. More goldfish, more goldfish snacks on the construction site.
Yeah. Anything anything motorized, controlled, any of that.
Like, oh, my God, just reminded me that one Christmas,
my dad got me a four wheel drive, four wheel steer electric monster truck.
Wow, this thing sounds awesome.
Crazy awesome.
And it ripped.
It went so fast and it would go anywhere.
I didn't try to take it out in the snow because that kind of ruins those electric motors.
But in that spring, oh, man, it would like it would go through mud like, oh, it was awesome.
Drive straight up steep banks.
I held on to that thing for a long time.
But it sounds like you put many miles on it.
Yeah, I'm actually surprised I never graduated to like the gas powered remote control,
you know, RC cars and stuff.
Yeah, those things are on another level.
I forget that.
Yeah, that is like the next next step up once you once you graduate from the electric ones.
Actually, we have a story about that.
I think my brother would know it better than me,
but my dad still thinks of it once in a while is one year he bought.
I don't really remember it because I was young, but he bought a gas powered helicopter.
A gas powered helicopter.
Like, you know, like in all it was is like, yes, started after you put just a little bit of gas
and it was supposed to just like take it, the blades would spin and take straight up.
And he's like, so we like, we got it, we unboxed it, I got it ready.
He's like, we sent it up and it was too windy and it just took it and sent it.
And we never found it until that, like that spring, they were mowing the roadside.
And then we just hear this.
And we went up and looked and the guy was like, oh, some like toy or something
chopped up like, yeah, that was the helicopter.
Yeah, that was the end of the helicopter.
No, the dad's like, yeah, we get to use it once.
It was a great, great purchase, great, great, yeah, great flight.
Yep. But yeah, I loved our C cars, too.
I had a bunch of those.
Yeah, I had I had a handful of the one that stands out to me as a gift was actually
a lifted PT cruiser.
Nice. Just to say that alone is absurd.
It was like a metallic red chrome wheels and that one stands out to me.
I didn't have that many RC cars.
That one stands out to me that I remember ripping that one around.
And I actually did take it out on the snow once.
It was when we had we had that hard crust after like a rain and it freezes over.
So you could actually sit on top of the snow.
Exactly. And it was just like doing donuts and drifting across the snow.
And that was just absolutely having a ball with that one.
That that's the RC car that stands out to me.
Yeah, out of all of them. Yeah, you were lucky, too.
You had that nice paved cul-de-sac right there to go.
Yes, it was. Yeah.
So do you do you have like a a car Christmas gift either from childhood
or even of more recent that's like your favorite or favorite memory?
So I actually I sort of categorized it by memorable to stand out to me in particular.
I remember that fifth grade was the Playmobil here.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
And which is interesting because like Playmobil was a bit.
I feel like I was a little on the late side at like because I was 10 years old
and but I had really gotten into Playmobil at that point.
And I think maybe just the realism of it and just they're just such well made toys.
And I remember that I think I had gotten
I think a couple of vehicles the Christmas prior and fourth grade and then fifth grade.
I was like all in like my entire my entire Christmas list was Playmobil.
So my parents really, really pulled out the stops, which I appreciate
because Playmobil is not cheap.
That was quite the thrill to open all those and because again, have the picture.
I can see me saying sitting next to all of like the Playmobil collection.
Which I still have that's down in the basement.
I mean, those toys are such that those will last forever
because they're just so well built.
A year later, I'm now in sixth grade.
And clearly, my tastes have changed
because that Christmas, I asked for a bunch of what we're called dub city.
Die cast cars. Did you dub city?
It's amazing.
Because it's amazing, actually, like looking at those two bookends,
I went from Playmobil of good nature and then like dub city on the other end.
Those purple escalades.
And yes, you know, slammed Camaro's giant rims.
And that's what it was.
It was a yes.
The I had it was a yellow Mustang convertible.
Yes, slammed with the giant chrome wheels.
I had a Dodge Ram and then actually the Bradigans,
actually speaking of them, actually got me like the like one 18th scale escalate.
And that one had spinners like actually all the spinners.
So it's very funny because that those like the two Christmas
Christmases that stand out as like the theme.
So I went from Playmobil to dub city.
So I'll have to dredge those up because they're just absurd.
It was that era of dubs
referring to the 20 inch wheels that, you know, people were thrown on.
Yeah, the spinners and the people chopped them and slammed them.
Right, exactly.
I know exactly what you're talking about.
I think I might have had one of those, maybe.
I can't remember.
I think it was fairly it was fairly short lived.
It was that Christmas.
That was that was what I wanted.
And yeah, yeah.
And the coolest one probably is like it's like a 59 Cadillac in jet black.
And that's probably that's the classiest one of the bunch.
So that one, I'm like, OK, yeah, that one can stay.
Nice. Yeah.
Hey, some of them are tasteful, right?
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Just the entire trunk is just like a stereo with four TVs.
Yeah. I mean, very this because this was 2003.
So you think about, yeah, I mean, this is like peak Pimp My Ride era.
Pimp My Ride for speed.
Hot pursuit to.
Right. Yes.
Selling a dozen copies.
Right, exactly.
Yes, those are the two that stand out in my in my memory
as far as like just the theme.
And then other Christmases before that was always just a smattering of all kinds
of, I mean, whether die cast or different play sets that came with cars.
Curious if you have other ones that stand out to you.
Yes, I have.
So probably my my most favorite one was that I can remember very vividly
as we had one Christmas where my dad bought one of those.
The the RC.
Track RC track car ones, right?
So it's like the black track with two lanes.
Oh, yeah, a lot in the slot car.
That's a slot car.
I was trying to think of the name.
Thank you. Yep.
Yeah, so like slot, but you could like you could create the track.
Like it was this package that was like it came with enough track
that you could do a figure eight or you could do a big loop or you could do
like with a bridge and like another figure eight, right?
Like or you could have it be like twisty, windy, like it just crazy.
My brother and I spent I mean, it probably months,
months after Christmas with that.
Like when we opened that, like there was there was nothing else that mattered
like on Christmas morning.
It was just that was the cars out and get it on the track.
And just like you had the little wired controllers
that you know, I know, I know one.
You know, oh, yes, yeah.
Just take off around the track and race each other.
And oh, my God, just so much fun.
It's got to be got to be one of my favorites.
That was that was one that.
Even like I want to say when he was in high school
and I was in middle school that we were like, let's oh, we should get that out again
and like do that.
And like we did like one like summer evening.
It's got the RC cars out and on the slot cars and so much fun.
Oh, my gosh.
And just endless, endless entertainment.
Oh, it's so much fun.
Yeah, much fun.
Just simple, so simple.
Exactly.
And yeah, just a little bit of customization there, which you make it your own.
And just get lost.
And as I mean, that's the theme for so much of this is just like getting
completely lost in these toys and this the the moment they provide sheer joy
as a kid, which is a big part of the holidays and what what brings to mind
of why we have the wish list in the first place.
I can remember a cat a catalog coming out and probably like, I don't know,
September and there was this adventure set that had a red Dodge Ram
duly pickup and like a tent and two figurines and one of them had
like a fishing pole and all this.
And I just remember this is I think I was in second grade and just being like,
that's oh, my gosh, I've got to have it.
I was just totally caught up on like that's what I want.
And then it arrived on Christmas morning that year.
And that that's that's the other one that stands out to me.
Like I was elated.
Oh, that's awesome.
And I took that thing everywhere.
I can remember being out at Goose pond and setting up the little tent
with the truck and then we're like down by the water and they're fishing.
And like the figurine is there's a little net and poi it came with a little
like magnetic bass that would attach to the end of the fishing rod.
That one, that's how I may have gotten the most mileage out of anything
because I can I can just remember the catalog coming, whatever it was back
when like you'd still get the catalog in the mail like the Christmas catalog.
And you're oh, yeah, yes.
They all used to do it.
You know, beans.
Oh, you just pour over.
Camer. Mm hmm.
So it was the best.
Yeah. What a time.
Did you have any toy or any kind of place it like that that you had
like earmarked and circled the car stuff?
The best gifts for me on the car stuff was always the surprise.
Like just the stuff if you didn't know was coming.
It's just like, whoa, like that's true.
Yes. Yeah.
When it was just out of the blue and yet you just love it.
It is. It's great.
I mean, just so many toys from childhood that were just perfect
for a young car person to enjoy and learn with and be creative with.
And even today, there's still plenty.
I mean, there's tons of hot wheels stuff and there's still matchbox cars out there
and you can still get die cast cars and they do slot cars and they do all of it.
So I mean, that's a that's a great segue into like what today?
Like, what would you get someone who's a car person a gift today?
Right. So like, what would I would get Ian?
I would probably get him like some matchbox cars.
So yes, just right.
Just keeping that inner inner child alive here.
So, but yes, I would absolutely take more matchbox and hot wheels and then
likewise, I mean, and what's fun is finding the one that really is special
and unique to that person.
So looking at for for you, Brendan, finding like, I remember I found an
06 GTO like drag car that I was like, ah, yes, like this is this got to be for him.
Yeah, it was so nice.
Yes. So it's so it's it's fun.
That's why I keep looking for golf GTI.
Keep looking for a clearance replica.
If you find a Nissan Versa
Versa, Versa matchbox car, I mean, I can't wait to see it when you find one.
Oh, it's going to happen.
Has any any any die cast car company out there made a Nissan Versa?
Hey, you don't don't knock it.
That's true. We had that's true.
I shouldn't be so, you know, you know, disparaging of clearance.
We do love we do love clearance here.
So yeah, I bet it's out there for a car person out there.
I mean, I always I mean, I'm very much of a mind of trying to find things
that are useful because car people tend to like using their cars or working
on their cars or enjoying them.
So whether that be detailing equipment or or everything like that,
I mean, because I feel I know for me, I'm always always using
like detail products and such.
And that's something that just always always seems welcome
since we tend to always like spiffing up our cars and taking care of them.
So that's something that comes to mind, you know, that good quality product,
whether it be car wash or interior detail or that comes to mind.
Like for me, I know like, you know, honestly, or obviously now that we're older,
right, a lot of the gifts that I get these days when it comes to car stuff
is like parts usually my dad will be like, you know, a few months before Christmas,
you'd be like, so what what parts do you maybe need for the GTO or for this?
You're like, you know, what's coming down the pike?
And it's like, well, I'd like to do like this weather strip
or I'd like to maybe update the radio from a M to a M F M or, you know,
do do just little things or it needs a new tail light lens gasket
because it leaks or just little stuff.
And then you start getting Christmas comes and you get like, oh,
a tail light gasket set, like, all right, you know, it's like, I just got to listen.
So yes, that's true.
They'll talk about it.
Yeah, I'm working on the old four.
Yep. She needs to tune up some figures.
Well, you know, get them a gift card to O'Reilly's or something.
There you go. That's true.
I mean, yes, I think, especially as adults,
gift cards go a long way because then you can just, you know, get whatever you need.
And I actually, I think it's gotten harder to to buy gifts for people.
Yes, 20, 25.
Like, yes, I just usually default to gift cards or cash because it's like
most people when they want something or need something, they just buy it.
Well, and you're right that I think it's that we in such the instantaneous world
between Amazon and other outlets where it's said, like, if somebody needs it,
like, I'm just going to go buy it and it's going to be here in two days.
There's not this anticipation as it used to be with the holidays of like,
oh, I've always wanted this.
Like, here I am, oh, yeah.
And then it's like, I'm just, yeah, it is that does make it more challenging
to actually try and find something that I mean, yeah, it's become much more
commercial to write, you know, it used to be Christmas was like,
oh, like they really need a new jacket.
So like, you know, when it comes to Christmas, like you're going to save up
and, you know, get dad or whoever, you know, and it's just changed a lot.
But that's neither here nor there.
The one thing I'm still waiting on is for someone to give me a car.
So that's that's that's when we're really like, oh, Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Indeed. Yeah.
That you open up the garage and that the big red bow on it.
Yeah. Speaking of that for me.
Yeah. Speaking of that, we got to talk about like I those commercials
on TV that are always around this time of year, whether it's Cadillac
or Audi or BMW or whoever.
And they're like, show like the husband and wife on Christmas morning
and they come outside and the cars get like a big red bow on it.
And they're just like, and they're so happy.
It's like you liars.
It's like, if you're married, there's no way that you just bought a car
without talking to your spouse about it.
And it was just like, yeah, they'd be like, I can't believe you bought a car.
And then tell me. Right.
What's like, let's think about how.
I would love, please, anyone that's listened to this podcast,
if you ever bought a car as a gift for someone, please let us know how that went
because I'm right here.
Yes, just what was the circumstance?
And yeah, was it was a surprise?
Was it for a child?
Was it for, you know, other reasons?
Like, I just I would love to know because I've got to imagine
if you just try to surprise a spouse that there's got to be some like,
you probably shouldn't have done that, honey.
Oh, wow. Wow.
We we didn't talk about this. Exactly.
Like, so how much was it?
80 grand? Oh.
Yeah.
Can you return it?
All right.
That's the gift receipt.
Yeah. Can you keep the receipt?
I've always thought that's just like, I mean, granted,
I've always wanted to be gifted a car.
Oh, sure. Yes. Right.
I wouldn't turn it down.
I'd like to have a say in what the car may or may not be.
So yes, because it's so subjective for someone was like,
oh, I gifted you a Saab 9000.
I'd be like, well, they're all right.
But yeah, well, OK, I'll take it.
Yeah. But if they're like, I gifted you a Jeep Grand Cherokee,
I'd be like, well, that's OK.
I'll take that and I can do with that.
A bit of a sidebar question.
If you for a wish list car,
since we're talking about the holidays here.
Yes. What's what are we wishing from Santa?
Yes. What is the the wish list car for you?
It's since you just as you just all drank me in you.
Yeah.
Dark blue. You don't say.
Yeah. I could give me
wink, wink, nudge, nudge a car like that.
Wow. Wow. Exactly.
And it was just freshly serviced and everything ready to go.
Yeah. Got the winters on it.
Yeah, it sure does. Yeah.
Yeah. OK.
Well, you too could be an all track owner.
Well, I mean, I'm wishing we'll see what happens.
OK, yeah.
Better go get that red, but that giant red bow.
Yeah, exactly.
No, I mean, so no, so the car wish list.
I mean, let's well, let me ask you this for a clarifier.
Like I and I'm sure with you two, like I have the running list
of cars that I would like to have.
And I probably true within like the next five to 10, 15 years.
Like there's a list of like I want a 69 Riviera and I want a 68
Deville convertible and I will write, you know, 2001 BMW 750.
And like, you know, there's the list that's going. Yes.
So is it that same list?
But I'm just hoping Santa gives it to me or is it something different
to clarify it, make it a little bit more specific.
We're just talking about these commercials that come around in the holidays
and it's got the giant bow on the top and it's like, oh, the season of Lexus.
Yay. So I'm thinking, OK, brand new car, like brand new, like 2025 or 2026.
Because it's always like, OK, I can answer that.
I get it. So if you had to pick a brand new, yes, Santa wanted to give me
a brand new car, Scott Fridge is Brandon.
Thanks for being a great guy.
I would take a.
I'm going to go more practical, but also not, but more practical.
2025 or six Escalade V Blackwing.
Wow, because I love a big SUV, but mine is well get one with 700 horsepower.
So you might as well.
Yeah, that's a baller choice.
Wow, would it be? I mean, I mean, that's a great.
Oh, yeah. I mean, and it suits you very well.
Would it be a beamer that I was thinking Mercedes, I was thinking Ferrari.
I'm like, nah, I'd drive that Escalade.
I'd put a hundred and fifty thousand miles on it.
A heartbeat. You kidding me?
Yeah. Do you have a color in mind?
Oh, that's another good question is I can't remember.
Don't they have a dark red?
They do.
I would just in honor of Santa, dark red with a tan interior.
That's nice. Yeah.
I mean, yeah, keep that in mind, because you did ask earlier of like,
what would Santa drive?
That's a pretty darn good choice.
That's that is up there.
He'll like right now.
You wouldn't even need the reindeer if you had one of those puppies.
Exactly. He will make it around the world.
Five thousand slaves.
Yeah, you will make it around the world.
No problem. Oh, yeah.
He won't even need one night.
He'll get. I mean, it's a freaking rocket ship.
Yes. Oh, that's a good choice.
Yeah. Yeah.
But no, that is.
That's actually so.
No, I love that you brought up what would Santa drive.
But first, no, you have to be your car.
So what is it on your list?
Like if if someone was going to gift you a brand new car today,
would you go practical, semi practical like me or not practical at all?
Because I don't have the all track, right?
Which I'm inclined to just go not practical at all
because I do have the all track covered.
Oh, wow. There's so many good choices.
There's so many.
There's so many.
Would you get one that you just drive the wheels off of?
Or would you get one that's like fun and sporty, like with a manual?
Or would you get a truck because you don't have a truck?
Or would you I mean, there's so many.
So many options.
I would go with oh, yeah, I know what I want.
All right, well, tell me, we'll see if we can't make it happen.
Twenty twenty five.
Porsche seven one eight came in.
Oh, my God, what a choice.
Last year, seven one eight came in.
It's the last they're actually it's the I think it's the last year of the seven one
eight and the flat six is potentially going away.
But can you get that with a manual or no?
You can get it with a manual.
OK, thank you.
What color?
Yeah, that's I love Porsche's silver.
I think it's better than Mercedes, but that's just me.
Yeah, that's really good.
And they have I do have a blue that I really like.
Yeah, it's not their light baby blue.
It's their dark blue.
Mm hmm.
Oh, I didn't come as prepared as I should have.
But let's say colors.
I just really I'm still hell.
I because I sat and well, I sat in a 2016 came in GT four and just was was just
for you before it was right.
Oh, man. It's amazing.
It's like a glove.
It was. Oh, exactly.
Exactly. Yeah.
Oh, it was so good.
Let's see. Oh, that might be.
Oh, I mean, if we're saying on theme for me, Carmine red.
Oh, go ahead. Oh, the Carmine.
Carmine red. Yeah.
Oh, wow. Oh, you know, for me, for me, it's the it's the Gentian blue metallic.
That's my favorite Porsche.
Oh, yeah. That's blue. Love it.
It's this dark metallic blue.
Yeah. Oh, that is great.
But no, that red, though.
Oh, Carmine red.
Carmine red is absolutely stunning, stunning.
Carmine red.
And you know what?
Let's make it a GT for might as well.
Well, yeah.
Well, yeah.
Yeah. Mm hmm.
Yeah. And then for me, the second favorite is GT silver, just the classic
Porsche silver, beautiful car.
So if anyone's listening, so there we go.
Something really nice for Ian.
They could just gift him a Porsche 718.
And that'd be great.
No problem. I would.
Yep. He even would for he would be OK with any color.
Just if you give me I would take any color.
Yep. Just make sure it's the six speed flat six.
So now to go back to what you said.
Now, that's a red car.
What would Santa be driving?
All right.
This is something I want the listener to chime in on, too,
is what would Santa drive?
Like, Ian and I were talking about this the other day, like Santa.
There are lots of commercials out there.
We're like like Mercedes, especially.
Yes. Right.
Where they always depict him driving like the AMG or like the SLS or whatever.
And he's the red one.
And then there's all the silver ones in front.
Right. Like the reindeer.
The reindeer, quote unquote.
And he invented a commercial with Mrs.
Claus, but like what like realistically take the marketing side out of it?
Like, one would see the drive.
It seems like it should be a mix of utility and
sportiness and functionality.
I mean, it's got to be quick because he's got a lot of he's got a lot of stops to make.
Oh, yeah.
I mean, yeah, I mean, let's be fair.
Obviously, he's not flying around the world in one of these cars.
But like, what would he drive?
Like, and I immediately think like, you know, I go to pop culture.
Yes. Right.
So like what have different Santas and different movies driven?
So like that Tim Allen movie, the Santa Claus,
like he drives a Ford Taurus, S.H.O.
Like fantastic.
It's like, that's a unique car.
It is. Right. Not one you think of.
But that movie came out in like what, 94, 95?
It's like, all right, think, you know, would Santa drive that?
I don't know. But he technically wasn't Santa when you see him driving it.
That's true.
Yeah. But then another movie that has Santa in it and a car these driving
and funny enough, Tim Allen's in it Christmas with the cranks.
Oh, yeah. What's he drives a beetle or a super beetle beetle.
Oh, Christmas with the cranks.
Yeah, Christmas with the cranks.
Remember the very end, the Santa.
Oh, yes. Old guy.
He's actually Santa.
He gets in his beetle.
Oh, that's funny. Yes.
Oh, man.
So I have one thought.
This is I'm just inspired by him, you know, living up in the North Pole.
And, you know, you need a rugged vehicle to bomb around in there.
I feel like something like a Ram TRX would be pretty.
Pretty like a bright red Ram TRX.
Oh, that would be awesome.
Just sending it over the, you know, the snow banks.
That's that that that one pops to mind.
I could definitely see that.
I don't know.
I think I honestly think that Santa being the man he is that he's he's all about
practicality, but he also likes comfort and he wants reliability.
I'm just I'm picturing like big SUV.
Yeah. Ford excursion, navigator, escalade.
I could see him driving the escalade black wing.
I could see that.
Yeah, I think that is a great choice in that red.
I think that that would suit him well.
Oh, yeah. And it's a little I mean,
because Santa has to fly under the radar a little bit, right?
So yeah, I feel like he wouldn't be driving like a Range Rover or a Bentley
Bintega or whatever. No, none of that, none of that.
Yeah, I agree.
I think that would be, you know, subtle enough.
Most people don't know what it is.
They just think, what's that SUV idling there?
That's a great choice.
I feel like we keep coming back to that one.
Yeah, I think I got to think that's the way I think we have a winner there.
Yeah. Yeah. Mm hmm.
Plus, yeah, he has plenty of space in the back for for the toys.
And yeah, Santa, get a Cadillac, buddy, look back.
Escoid V, man.
That's a yeah, that's a good choice.
I think I'm sticking with that one, too.
Yes, I think that's the way it goes.
The Cadillac Escoid V Blackwing.
That's Santa's sleigh right there.
Give it in that nice dark red color.
Yeah. Yeah.
Mrs. Claus will like it.
Yeah, you just you can't beat it.
That would look great up at the North Pole.
Well, the real question is what does the listener think Santa would be driving?
Yeah. I mean, there's so many options out there.
Yeah. So what do you what do you think, listener?
Let us know. Yeah.
Thank you for joining us on our episode of Christmas and cars.
If you have a car person in your life that you're trying to think of a gift for,
it's all depends on what they're into.
If they like to work on them, they got to love tools,
Harbor Freight, Craftsman, anything like that's always a good option.
Just into the beauty of cars.
There's always books out there and magazines.
And that's actually that was one of my favorite Christmas gifts, too.
As I remember, I got a subscription to Car and Driver one year.
That was pretty good.
And that's a great choice.
Yeah, it's just something as, you know, as cousin Eddie says in Christmas vacation.
That's the gift that keeps giving all year long.
Yes, absolutely.
Yeah. Yeah.
Real bad.
I think that's lime.
Yeah, she wrapped up her cat.
Oh, wow.
Yeah, I think it is as you mentioned, like how your dad says, like,
what do you what do you need for the the GTO?
What do you need for the cars and such?
I mean, as it goes with so many things,
I think there is less of that sense that it's got to be just like, oh, my gosh,
the surprise like, oh, well, that's amazing.
Like really, I think people are more so inclined to be like,
oh, like this is what I actually need.
And I think car people tend to be of the more practical sort
with when it comes to like maintaining vehicles and giving them what they need and so forth.
So yeah, you have a car person in your life.
There's so many things you can do.
And even something as simple as a matchbox car and stocking
is means a lot to the right person.
So yes, exactly.
Yeah.
Finding the car, that little, you know, model of the one that they have
or used to have or one they're dreaming of.
You can still have a little bit of that whimsy of Christmas,
like when we were kids and ripping open the package and seeing the car there
in the box and just capturing the magic that is the holidays.
I mean, I think that was the whole idea of this episode was capturing
some of that whimsy of being a kid and waiting at the top of the stairs
and then running down and there are all the presents.
And you just can't wait to see what's in the boxes.
Yes, yes, that that wonder that comes with the Christmas holiday.
Yeah, we're all just chasing it as adults trying to get back to that simplistic time.
Right, exactly.
Like we can all still be big kids around this time of year.
Exactly. No matter no matter what age you are.
Yes, very well said.
As always, listeners, if you have any thoughts or Christmas memories
or the holidays plus cars, cars plus holidays, traditions, whatever it may be.
Think of the holiday road trips people.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, we could do a whole episode on that.
Please send us wow.
Yes.
Driving up to see grandma and grandpa or going to see your uncle
in East Texas for Christmas and the car breaks down.
We want to hear it, please.
There are some good ones that got to be out there.
Yeah, because there's one way or another.
You'll be doing some kind of traveling at the holidays.
So that's absolutely.
Yeah, it might very well involve a car and it usually does.
Yeah, let us know at lifepluscars at gmail.com.
And just always remember that the weather outside may be frightful,
but hanging out with Ed and I and life plus cars quite delightful.
Oh, so delightful.
So thank you for tuning in and a very happy holidays, Merry Christmas.
All of it to all the listeners out there.
We really appreciate it.
Yeah, thanks for tuning in.
And it's been a real freak and to share all these stories with you.
And we look forward to many more to come in the new year
and curating those conversations on the next episode.
So thank you and we'll talk to you then.
About this episode
Brendan and Ed dive into the nostalgic connection between the holidays and cars, sharing cherished memories of car-themed gifts from their childhoods. They reminisce about Matchbox cars, remote-controlled vehicles, and slot car tracks, highlighting how these toys sparked their love for automobiles. The duo also discusses what Santa might drive, landing on the idea of a Cadillac Escalade V Blackwing, and they explore practical gift ideas for car enthusiasts today. The episode captures the joy of childhood wonder and the magic of holiday traditions centered around cars.
BMW 7 Series
Buick Riviera
Cadillac DeVille
Cadillac Escalade
Chevrolet Bel Air
Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet Chevelle
Chevrolet Corvette
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Dodge Ram
Ferrari 550 Maranello
Ford Excursion
Ford Mustang
Ford Taurus
GMC Hummer EV
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Land Rover Range Rover
Lincoln Navigator
Nissan Versa
Pontiac GTO
Porsche 911
Porsche Boxster
Porsche Cayman
Saab 9000
Volkswagen Golf
Original notes
It's the holiday season, and Brendan and Ian are back for a special episode celebrating the holidays...plus cars!
On this holiday episode airing on Christmas Eve, the two hosts:
-remininsce on their favorite Christmas morning memories
-fondly remember the toys and playsets they received as a kid (spoiler: they all have to do with cars)
-discuss the best kinds of gifts for the car people in your life
-share which brand new car is at the top of their wish list
PLUS: Which car do you think Santa would drive? Brendan and Ian have a few ideas. Tune in to find out their picks!
Life Plus Cars: Curating Car Conversations!
Instagram: @lifepluscars
For more of our car content, visit https://www.lifepluscars.com/
What do you think, listener? What are your favorite car-related Christmas or holiday memories? Email us with your stories at [email protected]
Life Plus Cars
Ian Henry and Brendan Bailey
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