How sweet, driveway sealer!

PHOTO SUPPLIED

This hand crank LED flashlight has a built-in digital tire pressure gauge.

PETER BLEAKNEY

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Gifts for me. under $50

Flashlight

Canadian Tire sells a handy-dandy safety item I'd like for both my family vehicles – a hand crank LED flashlight with built-in digital tire pressure gauge made by Sunforce. Never having to worry about dead batteries is a good thing. $12.99

www.canadiantire.ca

Driveway sealer

Call me romantic, but a couple of big buckets of black goo would make me happy on Christmas. I'm speaking of driveway sealer. I like having a nice black driveway, and staring at those pails all winter will keep me dreaming of spring. Black Knight Airport Grade Driveway Sealer, $27.49 at Home Depot.

www.homedepot.ca

Plunger

Puhleeeze. Somebody buy me the Auto Art Design six-speed toilet plunger. $29 at Auto Grotto in the Distillery District.

www.autogrotto.com

Gifts to give, under $100

Satellite radio

I know my better half would love satellite radio in her Mazda5. Best Buy offers the Sirius Starmate 5 Plug and Play Satellite Radio and Car Kit for $99.99. It costs $14 a month to subscribe.

www.bestbuy.ca

Gas card

My wife says my cooking sometimes gives her gas. Why not give the real thing with gas gift cards? Esso sells $25 cards that can be used for fuel and merchandise. Toss one in the stocking and hide others in some presents.

www.esso.ca

Wine tool

Testing cars can be a treacherous business. My wife is so enamoured with the Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC that I fear she may sell one of my kidneys to get one. The best I can offer is the Mercedes-Benz wine tool by Richartz. This stylish stainless steel corkscrew includes a bottle opener and foil cutter. Available for $97 from the Mercedes Lifestyle collection.

www.mercedes-benz.ca

Gifts for me. no limit

Swiss Army Knife

This is one of the nuttiest things I've ever seen. It's the world's largest Swiss Army Knife, available through the Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue for $1,400 (U.S.). It holds the Guinness World Record for "The Most Multifunctional Penknife," with 87 precision-engineered tools spanning 112 functions. With a width of 223 mm, it's hardly a portable thing, but it does have a cigar-cutter, laser pointer, fish descaler, tire-tread gauge and enough screwdrivers, allen keys and pliers to perform a roadside engine rebuild. www.hammacher.com

Porsche Watch

Porsche Design describes its Worldtimer watch as "an ideal companion for cosmopolitans." I like the simple, elegant design. Its ability to display two time zones at once would be useful for the occasional overseas press junket. At $27,000, the rose-gold casing is a bit much. I much prefer the titanium for a more reasonable $9,800. Available at La Swiss in Toronto.

www.laswiss.com

Volkswagen Polo 1.4 TDI BlueMotion hatch

Volkswagen claims its Polo 1.4 TDI BlueMotion hatch (not available in North America) is one of the most fuel-efficient cars money can buy. Powered by a 1.4-litre three-cylinder diesel that generates 78 hp and 149 lb.-ft., it returns a combined fuel consumption rating of 3.8 L/100 km, seats four, and will carry all my music gear. Santa, sign me up. About $23,600.

www.volkswagen.co.uk

More videos from Wheels.ca and our partners