"Here in my car
"I feel safest of all
"I can lock all my doors
"It's the only way to live
"In cars."
-- Gary Numan

If there's someone on your holiday gift list who loves his or her car almost as much as Gary Numan, there are any number of car gadgets, gizmos and accessories for them.

	The BodyGard 5-in-1 Emergency Tool from Swiss Tech combines an automatic glass breaker, a seat belt cutter, a sonic alarm, an LED light and an emergency flasher in a device small enough to fit on a key chain or in your pocket. Click photo for larger image.

When it's cold outside, the inside of your car could feel like the month of May with a remote car starter.

They can range in price from $200 to $350 installed, depending on the type of car and what other accessories are included with it, said Brian Poe of Poe Automotive in Brookline.

Some remote starters have keyless entry, a built-in panic button and/or a built-in find button to help locate your car in that crowded mall parking lot. Some even allow the driver to remotely turn on the rear window defroster.

One gift that has been big for the past few years is navigational systems. One of the most popular units is the portable Pioneer AVIC-S1, which goes for about $600. It's a compact unit that includes Bluetooth technology so you can talk hands-free on the cell. It features a 3 1/2-inch color screen with touch-screen control, 2-D and 3-D maps. For the directionally challenged, there's automatic route recalculation in the event of a missed turn.

On the other end of the navigational spectrum is Pioneer's AVIC-Z1 GPS Navigation System with voice recognition and Bluetooth. Drivers can retrieve registered locations by saying a command, such as "Go to my office" or "How do I get to the grocery store?"

Some of its maps are so detailed that it will let the driver know which lane to be in for the next turn.

You can also store your music collection in the system's music library and call up tunes by song name or by artist's name. This system, with a suggested retail price of $2,250, is touted as the only one that can be installed in almost any car.

Those interested in more entertainment choices during their day-to-day commute or long road trips would probably love a satellite radio system.

Whether you get Sirius or XM depends on personal preference, Mr. Poe said. Sirius has Howard Stern. XM may have a slight advantage because it utilizes three satellites, Mr. Poe said.

Portable units range from $50 to $250 for Sirius and $65 to $250 for XM. Permanently installed units range from $225 to $300 for Sirius and $250 to $300 for XM. Each service also has a monthly charge.

For considerably less, there's the New BodyGard 5-in-1 Emergency Tool from Swiss Tech. It combines an automatic glass breaker, a seat belt cutter, a sonic alarm, an LED light and an emergency flasher in a device small enough to fit on a key chain or in your pocket. It retails for $24.95.

BodyGard (www.swisstechtools.com) is available at Brookstone, Eddie Bauer, The Container Store, Discovery Channel Stores, Frys Electronics, QVC, REI, Boater's World and Restoration Hardware.

For someone who cares about the outside of her car just as much as the inside, custom wheels might put a smile on her face.

TC Customized Inc. in Jefferson Hills has the regular inventory of car stereos, alarms, etc. However, it is known for its customized wheels and claims to be the largest single retailer in the area.

They have wheels ranging from 13 to 30 inches, said owner Tom Compano. The size of wheel you purchase depends on the kind of car they're intended for.

For example, he said, the brand-new Chrysler 300 C is just made for 24s. One popular trend, according to Campano, is to put 24s-30s on old box Chevys.

The price for a package of four 20-inch wheels and four tires is $1,200; the same package for 22s would go for $1,800.

It's not all about looking good when it comes to cars; there are gadgets that can help diagnose what's going on under the hood and why that dreaded engine light is on.

CarMD is a car diagnostic device that looks like a flash drive. It attaches to your car's computer via a port under the dashboard. Information about the car can then be transferred to your computer via a USB port. Cars must be 1996 or newer.

Users then go to www.carmd.com to generate a report that will detail the probable cause, repair and estimated repair costs. It retails for $89.99 and can be purchased at www.carmd.com.

CarChip also serves as a diagnostic tool and a monitoring device. It records up to 23 different car readings and 300 hours of continuous driving time.

As with CarMD, you plug the device into the car's computer port. Using the software the comes with the device, you can generate graphs and reports.

But it also records how the car's been driven. For example, every time the engine is turned on, CarChip creates a trip log with the time and date. It also reports the speed at which the car was driven. Note to teen drivers: Better find out if your mom or dad got one of these for Christmas.

In the 1970s, Davis Instruments, manufacturer of CarChip, pioneered the data logging systems for long-haul truckers

The basic CarChip, which provides 75 hours of road details, sells for $139; CarChipEX, which includes 300 hours of trip information and an accident log goes for $170. CarChip with Alarm beeps when the driver exceeds user-set speed and breaking limits. The alarm can be turned on or off. It retails for $199.

CarChip can be purchased at Sears, Auto Zone and www.carchip.com.