Even if you’re shopping for someone a little easier to shop for, a remote starter for their car isn’t a bad idea at all. They’re not likely to expect it but they’re sure to appreciate it.

Why are they so sure to appreciate a remote starter? There are several reasons, including:

• It can warm up the engine before they start driving without sitting in the driveway waiting for the car to warm up; it warmed up already while they were getting dressed, fixing that cup of coffee for the road or saying goodbye to the family before heading off to work.
• It will manage climate control before they get in the car. In the winter, if they’ve set the heat to run when they got out of the car, by the time they get back in, the car will have warmed up. Likewise, in the summer, by setting the AC to run when the car starts, they’ll come out to a car that is comfortably cool on the hottest of days.
• It will soften that ice or frost on the windows and windshield. Who looks forward to scraping ice off their car’s windows and windshield? Obviously, not too many people. In fact, it would probably be quite a challenge to find one person in six billion who actually enjoys scraping the ice off their windows. With a remote starter, the ice is either melted or considerably softer and easier to handle. Frost hardly stands a chance.
• It helps to avoid that vulnerable time scraping windows in parking lots. If you can go out to the car after shopping, hop right in and drive, that window of opportunity for assailants to assail is far smaller. In that way, remote starters promote personal safety.
• It still requires a key in the ignition to drive the car. Some worry that a remote starter would make their car easier to steal. That’s not the case. Without the key, a thief would not be able to get the car into gear.
• It can also add keyless entry. Even if the car didn’t come with keyless entry, adding a remote starter, in many cases, will also add keyless entry to the car. If the car already has keyless entry, it will work along with the remote starter.
• It may even come with a security system. The better remote starters also include a security alarm that will detect the kind of impact or activity with a car caused by a thief or vandal.
• It helps with the resale value of the car. That’s a nice option in a car, the value of which is easily appreciated by potential buyers of a car. Not only does it increase the amount you’re liable to get for the car but it also makes the car more attractive to potential buyers.
• If you’re testifying in a federal case against a mobster, a remote starter will protect you from … well, this isn’t likely, but it would work.

In any case, if you know someone who’s hard to shop for, or someone who is merely deserving of a special gift this holiday, a remote starter is an excellent and unexpected gift to give.