Okay, How Would You Choose To Present A New Car To Your Wife At Christmas?

I've managed to squeeze our budget to the max and broke down to do my part to help the economy and got the wifey a new 2009 Mazda for Christmas. She has been driving around a beat up (thanks to two recent accidents) 1988Toyota with no air or heat. I fell she deserves it.

Now I'm stumped as to how to present it to her.

My original option was to just let her open the one very last gift from me on Christmas day which would be a blindfold and lead her outside and then take the blindfold off with her facing me, do my little "spiel" and then turn her around and let her see it.

The second option which I'm leaning a little towards is giving it to her a little before Christmas while the dealership is still open. Blindfold her at home, have some friends follow us to the dealership, do the little "Merry Christmas and I hope you like your 2009 Mazda" bit and present it to her with all of the Mazda team there too. They would give her the official briefing of the car as well and then take the sticker off of it.

I dunno. Either way she has absolutely no clue that this is in the works. She said someday she would be happy just getting a 1990's something or another, let alone new. I'll let you guys decide! Thanks in advance!

I never understood presents that were cars. Won't she have to contribute to paying for it in the bills? Thus I don't understand the present value, if she's basically paying for it.

But anyhow, it is a very nice thought, and I like the Christmas idea better.

Thus I don't understand the present value, if she's basically paying for it.

Wrong. We BOTH will be paying for it, but she'll have the luxury of driving it the vast majority of the time instead of me.

Taken that way ANY present I get her she is basically paying for along with me, and vice-versa since it comes out of a joint account.

To me it could be a $20.00 Timex watch or a $200,000. Mercedes - it's not the price tag that makes it a present, it's the thought behind the giver, hence the word "present".

To take it a step further, the newer car we have now I paid off with my own money before we got married and since then I titled it in both our names and consider it "our" car, not "mine".

To keep this all a secret I obviously had to get the car with my credit history only, not hers.

Thanks for the input!

I think its very sweet, I'm sure she will go crazy over it.

If I was you I'd go with giving it to her at home, just make sure to get a big bow to put on the hood!

I think going to the dealership and getting the car talk from the salespeople would take away from it a little - and it might be awkward for her with all those people around. Not to mention she will probably want to drive it right away - I know I would!

cover it in snow. hand her a shovel and tell her to dig it out and wahlah surprise surprise

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Originally Posted by mrmertz

Thus I don't understand the present value, if she's basically paying for it.

Wrong. We BOTH will be paying for it, but she'll have the luxury of driving it the vast majority of the time instead of me.

Taken that way ANY present I get her she is basically paying for along with me, and vice-versa since it comes out of a joint account.

To me it could be a $20.00 Timex watch or a $200,000. Mercedes - it's not the price tag that makes it a present, it's the thought behind the giver, hence the word "present".

To take it a step further, the newer car we have now I paid off with my own money before we got married and since then I titled it in both our names and consider it "our" car, not "mine".

To keep this all a secret I obviously had to get the car with my credit history only, not hers.

Thanks for the input!

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Relax, I wasn't saying it wasn't a good present, I just don't really understand as I would personally not enjoy having another monthly payment.
The thought makes the present, but to me, it would almost be a burden. That's all. If it's not going to burden your account, then I see no issue. I guess I'm just used to living simply and beating cars into the ground for 20 years.
It's a very sweet idea, and I never thought otherwise.

I think it's wonderful of you. I would want to get it at home, but you have to make sure you're up first and have full control of making sure the car is there and she doesn't see it.

Awesome gift!!!! I would definitely give it to her at home and just schedule a walk through on the car with the salesperson after the holiday. It will be hard, but it can be done. You are awesome!!!! As for hiding it...I am using the if you go near that specific place I will tackle your a$$ method. Works pretty good.

Being the receiver of such a gift last year----- AT HOME!!! Ya lose a lot of pleasure in the the beginning when there are a bunch of strangers around and you can't be 100% yourself. Also, coming from a woman that had to drive in a beat up no heat or air car..... she is going to LOVE you and think about you everytime she gets in that car!! Kudos man!! GREAT GIFT!!

BlackCrystal and Everyone -

Okay, I see where ya are comin' from BlackCrystal. No offense intended.

Actually it's kinda ironic what you said about the burden of having another payment! I'm the worrier about finances in our relationship since we decided long ago I'd be in charge of our budget. Don't think that I didn't second guess myself more than a few times on the decision to go through with it but when I found myself being able to sleep at night after negotiating with the dealership some more it all came together for me. She'll be okay with the payment thing since she'll probably decide that "If Jeff isn't loosing sleep over it at night, I know wer'e okay!" This is the second car I have purchased from the same dealership.

It looks like a landslide already on the choice! Even Robert (who handles the purchase contract side of the deal at the dealership) said he wouldn't give it to her at the dealership, he said he'd give it to her on Christmas day.

Yeah, she's been driving that thing around for some 4 years or so now. We live in the desert southwest and riding around with no a/c isn't fun during the summer. Getting the unit replaced didn't warrant it because the car doesn't even book for that now. Then the front end got plowed into twice (once by her and once by the teen daughter who by the way has had her license voluntarily revoked until she is 18 after our insurance tripled) and it leaks power steering fluid like crazy now. Like I said, I wanted to do something really super for her and I feel with all she has put up with over the years she deserves something decent too. She'll probably faint on the sidewalk. Yes, my plan is to park it around the corner out of sight and then slip out during the morning's festivities and bring it around front. Covering it in snow is out as I think we only have had one white Christmas in Tucson. On the other hand the bow thing is a great possibility.

If this thread conitinues I'll post a pic or two of what she's driving now for you guys.

Thanks for all the nice comments! I'll keep checking back here from time to time.

I don't think she'll notice the poll here as she doesn't go onto the forums at all (I think). BTW, we have a RTB, CB and a BP too. And yes, we'll be able to swing the payments for the car and still feed the critters rats too!

Jeff aka mrmertz

Here's how I'd do it. Hang the keys in the tree and say something like honey I see something in the tree. If you have a garage have it parked with a big bow on it.

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

I never understood presents that were cars. Won't she have to contribute to paying for it in the bills? Thus I don't understand the present value, if she's basically paying for it.

I guess I'm just used to living simply and beating cars into the ground for 20 years.

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Gotta say something here. Who are you trying to "kid?!" aren't you only like 20 years old????!!!!!!!! While i do get what you are trying to say... I think you just don't have enough life experience to truely understand this kind of gift.


In my opinion you still have a child like view of christmas. To you it has to be something that is paid for in full and given to you. Or in other words something that you do not have to contribute to financially.

Not that I am an old man, but after being married for 10 years, divorced, remaried, and father two boys 6 and 11 and broke most of the way, I understand this kind of gift. The best gifts I have been given have not been purchased for me 100% or sometimes even at all. They were more of people being willing to rework the family budget so that I could get something nice. Yes, I ultimately ended up paying for most of it, but it was the opportunity to purchase it, that ultimately resulted in sacrifice for others.

Give her the car on chrismas morning. It will be the best christmas present she will ever get in her life. Let it be a TOTAL surprise. Don't even take her outside to see it. Just put it in the driveway with a giant bow. Wait for her to go outside on her own. If she doesn't go out after a couple hours tell her to take out the trash or something. Anything less then total suprise at home that morning would be cheating her of the greatest surprise of her life that you know she so deserves.

My mom was the best at doing "scavenger hunts" for a "big" gift (ie, expensive). She'd write up a rhyme with clues that lead you to another clue somewhere in the house, to another clue, and so on, until you got to your gift, hidden somewhere else in the house (or out in the garage). The first clue was in an envelope in the tree with our name on it.

Or, they'd run a string all through the house that you had to follow (and it crossed back over itself) until you came to the end, which was your gift. Always great fun!

I think presenting it to her on Christmas Day sounds like the best plan!

Haha! I have often done the scanvenger hunt game with my kids for their Easter baskets. Never thought about it for Christmas. LOL

Since there's so much discussion about the nature of the gift itself, I guess I'll throw my two pennies in as well. Something like this IS an awesome gift...for the right person from the right person. It really depends entirely on the individuals and the couple-dynamic. For instance, my husband and I work closely on ALL large financial decisions. If I were to buy him something this big as a "surprise" he would be very upset with me, no matter how good my intentions were. That's not a bad thing....it's just the way he is and the way we are together. We allow plenty of wiggle-room in our gift-giving budgets...but not $10,000+ worth of wiggle-room. :P

But on the flipside....I can entirely see how such a gift would be perfect for someone who trusts their spouse to make such a decision and is less worried about budgetary specifics.

Anyhow....all rambling aside....I think it sounds like a marvelous gift! And I think you should definitely deliver the gift at home on Christmas morning. (Personally, I'd be going nuts with the anticipation of the joy of that gift-giving! WAY better than receiving presents! LOL)

Try to get someone strategically placed with a camera or video to catch her reaction the moment it happens! :gj:

hey jeff aka mrmertz,

park the new car in a spot that has some kind of romantic significance for both of you guys then get her a gps for christmas. when she opens it on christmas day tell her its for the old busted toyota and that you guys need to test it right away. set the location on the gps to the romantic spot where the new mazda is located and let her drive there.

then let the surprise take its course.

pretty romantic eh??

Judy makes an excellent point that this is an awesome gift...from the right person to the right person. Since only the OP knows the details about his and his wife's relationship & finances and how his wife is likely to respond, it makes sense to me to assume he knows what he is doing as far as choosing the gift.

There is no doubt that the best time & place to present her with the gift is at home on Christmas morning (or whenever you usually exchange gifts...some people have slightly different traditions). The only question is how to make it the most fun & special.

BTW, if you like the snow idea, it would not be impossible... there are snow making machines, artificial snow, etc. The image of a car-sized pile of snow with a big red bow on top, in the middle of the desert, is a rather cool one!

If you are creative, there are endless possibilities with the scavenger hunt, solve a riddle, etc. My grandfather never gave presents, just cash, and we all knew exactly how much we'd be getting (his children got one amount, grandchildren a different amount, etc.), but the fun was in discovering how we would find it each year.

There is also an awful lot to be said for the simplicity of simply taking her outside the way your described in your original post, or hanging the keys on the tree, or something similar.

It goes back to what works for you & your wife. As Judy said, it depends entirely on the individuals and the couple dynamic, not just whether this is an appropriate gift, but also the best way to deliver it.

maybe there's a toy model of the exact same car that you can purchase and then place the real keys inside it. Wrap up the model and give that to her as a gift :)

Good luck with everything.

By the way...covering it in snow sounds like a fun idea, but having her dig it out with a shovel....ya - not smart...unless you want scratches and scrapes. :rolleye2:

Have you seen that commercial where the guy gives the girl 3 gifts - 1.) a box of tissues, 2.) a brown paper bag, 3.) a trampoline? I THOUGHT THAT WAS HILARIOUS... So, for you who haven't seen it, the girl opens the presents and is kinda disappointed/confused. Then the husband walks her to the window where her brand new car is parked, she starts crying, so the husband hands her the tissues, then she starts hyperventilating, so the husband hands her the paper bag, then she faints right onto the trampoline! It's awesome!!!

Anyway, I think this is a WONDERFUL gift that needs to be opened at home. I'd go for the simple method. Put the keys in a jewelry box (will probably fit in a ring box), then put the box in a cereal box amid newspaper or packing peanuts, then put the cereal box in a big packaging box with more newspaper or packing peanuts and some rocks to add weight... First, she'll get the idea that it's something special because of the big box. Then she'll think it's just a trick for a stupid gift when she finds the rocks and the cereal box. Then she'll get excited when she sees the jewelry case (if your wife is like most girls, they'll be excited over jewelry), then total surprise/confusion when she sees the key inside. She'll probably look at you like, "huh?". Don't give it away, don't tell her where the car is (hopefully, it is safely tucked in the garage sight unseen). Just smile and let her figure it all out...

Now, an added touch would be to put a boquet of her favorite flowers inside the car...

I would love this method. Really, really, love it... :-)

I would swap out her old car key for the new one, and have the car parked were she normally parks her old one. The Christmas mornng toss her the keys and tell her you couldn't get her present through the door so you left it in her car. Have a giant red ribbon around the car and a Christmas card in the window with a personnal message for her.

How sweet! I say Christmas day! :)

I would NOT do the jewelry box thing... no need to confuse her emotions by adding disappointment that it wasn't jewelry. Sure she'll still be delighted with the car, but why dilute that happiness?

I like the idea..

I would love to get my wife a new car for Christmas but this year we gotta wait a few more months.

Anywho GREAT idea you should put some real mistletoe on the rear view mirror. ;)

Haha...this is FUN! We've got almost a whole month to plan your Reveal!

Awsome gift! I voted for Christmas Day!

I think that the 'follow the string' game or treasure hunt would be great!

What a great gift!! I had been driving a very old Volvo for years and years and years. It had no heat which meant no defroster. Lol!! I had to keep pouring cold water on my side of the windshield, as I was driving, to be able to see in the winter time!! Oh gosh...memories. Anyway, hubby gifted me with a truck and I was totally blown away and astonished and so so so happy!!!!

Your wife will adore you and love your thoughtfulness!! What a happy Christmas at your house!! Way to go!!!

Thats an awesome gift. I hope to be able to do this for my lady sometime.

i LOVE your idea of her last present being a blindfold and taking her outside. whatever you do..get it on CAMERA. a car? she is going to freak out! lol.

the real trick will be trying to get her back out of it :D

but if you're worried about her seeing the car before the presents are done, i would park it on the next street and drive her too it blind folded (that way you could even leave it there overnight so you don't have to worry about waking her up when you go to do your secret agent stuff in the morning), but you would still have to do the big bow on top of it in the morning so she knows whats going on and which car is hers.

you're amazing. most guys will stumble upon the perfect gift once in a blue moon, but you are actually working on the presentation. she will love it!!

i think you should drive it through the garage door while shes pulling in the driveway like straight out of jackass!

i would let her open all her presents then after take her out to lunch, but before you leave for lunch ask her to warm up the car and when she goes to the garage to warm up the car... Suprise!! there is the new car.

You let your wife drive a car with no heat? You could afford a new car but couldn't afford to fix the heater?
My wife would make me fix it the day it went out.

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Originally Posted by Darkice

You let your wife drive a car with no heat? You could afford a new car but couldn't afford to fix the heater?
My wife would make me fix it the day it went out.

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I think that is more a matter of not wanting to dump money into a piece of junk car.

My heat went out in my car - why waste the time or money to fix it when the repairs would cost as much as the car is worth?

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Originally Posted by SecurityStacey

I think that is more a matter of not wanting to dump money into a piece of junk car.

My heat went out in my car - why waste the time or money to fix it when the repairs would cost as much as the car is worth?

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ditto, i'm not putting a penny of anything but gas into my beater. not till i get a better car.

I voted for "give it to her at home" but either way you would come out looking like a hero and can't go wrong.

if you really want it to be the best presentation of a present then do the basic present ritual .


spend a few more bucks buy enough 1x8's from hardware store and build a frame around the car .
then gift wrap the frame like a present with a bow on it . then take her outside and tell her to unwrap it .

guaranteed her look on her face will hit the floor so hard and you'll get the reaction your looking for from her ..

what you would have to do is pre build the frame partailly and after she goes to sleep put it together and wrap it then when morning comes its ready to go ..

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Originally Posted by Darkice

You let your wife drive a car with no heat? You could afford a new car but couldn't afford to fix the heater?
My wife would make me fix it the day it went out.

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I take that back. It has heat - it's the a/c that is out. My mistake. It's the a/c thing that would cost more than the car's worth, and out here in the southwest when it's still in the 60's during December there's not a whole lot of months that call for heat. She's the opposite of me - she loves the heat and hates the cold. She moved here from Iowa waaaaay back when. Me, I like it cooler rather than hotter.

Yeah, I have had to let a few things slide in the short run, but the payoff is she gets the car in the long run. Me, I won't be using it that much at all. As long as the temps stay a little in the 40's I ride my Yamaha. It was 47 degrees when I rode into work this morning, and for us here that's chilly.

Good suggestions out there! I've got more options than I thought, I'll have to print this all out and I'm going to give it to her to read so she can see all the hard work you guys and gals have put into this. Oh yeah - definately will have the camera standing by - even better, a video! Hmmmm...I feel some YouTube coming on for you guys...

Jeff

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Originally Posted by mrmertz

To me it could be a $20.00 Timex watch or a $200,000. Mercedes - it's not the price tag that makes it a present, it's the thought behind the giver, hence the word "present".

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You are a wise and kind man :) I completely agree!!!

But.. now onto the fun part hehehe I'd put the key(s) into a small box, wrap it up and place it inside the christmas tree. After the other presents have been opened, you then say "i think there's one more" and then look at it, she will follow your eyes and then see it. Then once she sees its a car key, then walk her outside blindfolded.

thats what i'd do! :)

PS
I think a new car is an AMAZING gift!

Hand her a box on christmas morning. Make it feel heavy!!! Put some books in there on Auto Detailing, or... General, Auto stuff..... Tape the Key to the bottom of the box in side a pretty envelope! This way... she wont have a CLUE, but will open the card to see a shiny new KEY! Let her figure that one out :D


I think this is a GREAT gift! Forget the humbugs that say "because shes paying for it"

Id KILL if my boy got me a car.... even if it was one more bill... just the fact that he went out, and made it work... THAT is the best part!!

CONGRATS! Christmas Morning for sure though!!!!!

Ok....Christmas is past....you've gotta tell us how this story ends!!!! :D

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Originally Posted by JLC

Ok....Christmas is past....you've gotta tell us how this story ends!!!! :D

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AMEN!!!

Im wondering too! :D Do we get a shot by shot view of her reaction on Christmas morning? :gj: