The PO of my car parked it outdoors most of its life and the trim around the dash and doors is foggy, for lack of a better term. Is this real wood or is it plastic made to look like wood? If it is wood has anyone had success sanding and refinishing it with varnish, urethane or whatever?

 

It's varnished wood veneer. You'll have to sand it down, then re varnish.
I did a thread 4-5 years back on my revarnishing fun

 

I refinished my original set. More trouble than it's worth, with how much work it takes to get through the protective finish and how easy it is to bite into the thin top layer of wood. Just buy a replacement set used. They're plenty common.

 

You could wax or ceramic coat the wood.