The Worst Cars To Get As Holiday Gifts, Ranked

A Lexus is a good car, but even if you legitimately want a specific Lexus, you don’t want to get one during the holidays. The big, red bow is simply too large. What are you supposed to do with it? Store it until your child turns 16 so you can put it on the car you give to them? Throw it away? Plus, your friends and family members won’t let you hear the end of the December to Remember jokes, none of which will actually be funny.

Not everyone is going to know your exact taste in cars, and even the most generous gift-giver may miss a thing here or there. Even if they listened to what you wanted and did their best to find it, maybe they missed a couple of key packages or bought the wrong color blue. Whatever it is, the car will probably still make you happy, but it’ll also always bug you that the car’s slightly wrong. At the same time, you can’t get too upset because you just got a free car you already wanted.

Hey, I heard you wanted a Ford Mustang, but in my mind, that just meant “sports car,” so I got you this Dodge Challenger instead. It was a really good deal, and I hope you like it!

Again, it’s a nice gift, and it would probably be rude to sell it immediately, but at the same time, why couldn’t they have just asked? Or let you buy the car you actually wanted?

This one can be deceptive because at first, it’ll look like they got you an incredibly nice, thoughtful gift. You wanted a Toyota FJ Cruiser, and they got you an FJ Cruiser. Until you notice it isn’t actually in the kind of condition you that you thought it would be in. Before you know it, your nice holiday gift has become an expensive obligation.

Maybe they tried to guess on something you’d like. Maybe they just saw a good deal and didn’t realize it was nothing like what you actually wanted. Maybe you used to want it, but now life’s changed, and it just doesn’t fit. Heck, it could even be something you liked but wouldn’t actually want to own. Sorry, 6'8" guy. I hope you enjoy the Miata you don’t actually fit in. At least it’s the thought that counts?

Even if it’s a car you would have wanted otherwise, if you get someone else’s project as a gift, there’s no way to know what they actually did to it until you get in there and figure it out. Maybe they did high-quality work that you won’t have to redo, but odds are, they didn’t. After all, they gave up on their project at some point, and now it’s your problem.

Some people just want an excuse to get something for themselves without having to admit that’s what they did. Maybe you were looking for a practical hybrid and now you’ve got a big off-road SUV. Maybe it’s the other way around. Regardless, it doesn’t really matter. It’s not what you wanted, and even worse, it isn’t really for you in the first place.

It probably sounds awesome to be close enough to receive a free car from someone with enough money to afford one. At least until you walk outside and see the cool car you thought you’d received was ruined by Mansory. It would be wasteful to throw the whole car out, but turning it back into something you’re comfortable being seen driving is going to take both time and money.

Whether it comes armored or not, what the hell are you going to do with Rezvani Vengeance? Join the Proud Boys? People will think you’re a total douche if you pull up in a Mansory, but they’ll assume far worse things about you if you’re driving a Vengeance. There’s also a good chance whoever gave it to you is about to be indicted.

At least the Vengeance starts out as a real car vehicle. It may be unrecognizable as an Escalade, but the Escalade is still under there somewhere. The incEl Camino, on the other hand, is a trash vehicle that only appeals to the most divorced losers you’ve ever met. The money also goes toward making the richest man in the world even richer, giving him even more opportunities to destroy our democracy. Walking may take longer, but it’s worth it compared to driving a Cybertruck.