I sell a lot of car decals. More than anything else in the shop, honestly. And every year around this time the messages start coming in, and they all sound the same: my boyfriend is into cars, I have no idea what to get him, help.

I get it. Car people are hard to shop for. The stuff they really want is a turbo kit or a new set of wheels, and nobody is putting that under a tree for thirty bucks. So you end up at the auto parts store holding a tire gauge, trying to decide if that's a gift or an insult.

Here's my honest pitch. A decal is cheap, it's personal, and if you pick the right one it stays on the car for years. Every time he walks up to it, there it is. That's a better run than another air freshener.

I cut everything below myself, here in Southern California, after you order. Nothing is sitting in a warehouse. Most of the car decals come in white, black, blue, red, pink and green, so you can match the car or go loud on purpose.

For the JDM kid

If his car has an exhaust tip that sounds like a leaf blower and he's very proud of it, start here.

i Boost i Drift is the easy pick. Short, clean, goes on a rear quarter window and looks like it came home from a car meet. 4banger is for the guy who knows he doesn't have a V8 and is completely fine with it. I like that one a lot because it's a little bit of a self-roast.

Eat My Rice and I See Slow People lean more toward trash talk. These are for the friend who passes you on the on-ramp and then waves. Both are $11.

And I Love Radar might be the funniest gift on this list for anyone with a speeding ticket stuck to the fridge. You already know who you're buying it for.

For the guy who's put way too much money into it

Every group of car friends has one. The car has been apart in the garage three times this year. His partner has opinions about it.

Far From Stock is a 4x22 inch banner that runs across the top of the windshield or the back glass. It says exactly what he wants everybody at the gas station to know. Turbocharged Edition is the bigger version of that energy at 6x28 inches.

If you want to get a laugh at the family gathering, Financial Mistake is the one. It's a 5x28 windshield banner and it's the most honest sticker I make. If he has ever called a car part an investment with a straight face, this is his sticker.

For the truck guy

Truck guys don't want a cute sticker. They want something that says the truck works for a living.

Dirty Truck Clean Money does that. I make it in a few lettering styles. There's the regular one, an outlined block letter version, and a varsity lettering version that's bigger and bolder. Block letters look right on a work truck. Varsity looks right on a lifted one. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

For the one who swears it's just a daily

The Grocery Getter decal is for the guy with a lowered hatchback who insists he only uses it to run errands. Sure. We all believe you.

You Snooze You Lose and I Have The Need For Speed work for pretty much anyone who likes a little attitude on the back window without going overboard.

When none of those fit

Sometimes the car has a name. Sometimes it's a crew name, a shop name, or an inside joke from a road trip ten years ago. That's what the Design Your Own Text decal is for. You tell me what it says, I cut it in script. If you really know the person, this is the one I'd pick, because nobody else is going to have it.

A few tips before you order

Look at the car first. Go stand next to it if you can. Most of these go on a side or back window, and a decal that's too big for a small quarter window just looks crowded. The long banners are made for the windshield strip and the back glass. Smaller is the safe bet for side windows.

Pick a color that shows up. White on dark tint is the classic for a reason. Black kind of vanishes on tinted glass, so save it for a light colored body panel or clear glass.

Tuck the instructions in with the gift. I have a full how to apply decals page. The short version is clean glass, don't do it in the freezing cold, and peel the transfer tape slow. Print that page and fold it in the card and you look like you planned this weeks ago.

Get a couple. Decals ship for $5, and orders over $50 ship free. At $11 to $15 for most of these, it's pretty easy to cover the car guy, his brother and the friend who keeps borrowing his tools in one order.

Everything lives in the car decals collection. If your list has people who don't care about cars at all, the holiday gifts collection has the aprons and everything else.

Thanks for keeping a one-man shop busy this season. Go get your car guy something he'll actually stick on.

— Brian