Best Way to Learn About Cars/Car Repair?

[Deceptive]

Experience, local guys, forums, books, magazines, manuals, and a willingness to make (at times expensive) mistakes. When I bought my house, I did my first oil change. I paid my car off a few months later, traded my beater for a reliable DD, and now my Mustang has no transmission, no engine, etc...

 

[Camaro_94]

Buy a beater. Like a fox body wirh a 5.0 that needs some work.

Also, community colleges sometimes offer college courses and programs. Theyre usually much better than UTI and wyotech and a shit load cheaper.

 

[ARC]

Thanks for all the replies that provided a lot of ideas. I think I'll try joining the Mustang Club here in my city. If there are people there willing to help, that's cool. I don't know about spending a couple grand on a beater. That would put me back. I might have to just start with the reading and such and then save up for a beater. Don't know yet. I of course want to mod my '14 GT, but that takes money and time.

 

[oldmodman]

So far every answer has been the correct answer. Anything you do that helps you learn and adds to your automotive knowledge is going to help.

Experience is the best teacher. When you were a kid did you like to take stuff apart? Were you able to put it back together again and get it to work? Then you are already on your way.

One thing I must stress. You do not need an enormous toolbox full of expensive tools to become a decent basic mechanic.
One of those Craftsman sets when they go on sale is all you need to get going. Just a basic set, keep them clean and oiled and put them back after every use and that's all you need to get going.

 

[derklug]

If you want to learn about motors, buy a junk engine(3.0 Taurus engines can be had cheap since they never die) tear it down and put it back together. With a manual next to you, you will see what all the parts are and how they go together. And buy decent tools, cheap tools will cause you grief when they round off bolts or break in the middle of the job. You don't need Snap-On, Craftsman or S&K will work fine. Don't have any Huskies, but I've heard they are ok also.

 

[ARC]

Option #1
http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/4463741879.html

How is this for a "beater". This looks like a damn steal.

Or (option #2)
http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/4467481108.html

 

[Mjavant1985]

Option #1
http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/4463741879.html

How is this for a "beater". This looks like a damn steal.

Or (option #2)
http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/4467481108.html

And these are lesson #2. Scams.
No way someone is selling an 07 accord for $3500 or an 99 CRV with 8x,xxx miles for less than 2 grand and both be advertised as perfect.

 

[Mjavant1985]

Go get a mid 90's accord. You can practically take the whole car apart with a 10,12,14mm wrench set.

 

[ARC]

And these are lesson #2. Scams.
No way someone is selling an 07 accord for $3500 or an 99 CRV with 8x,xxx miles for less than 2 grand and both be advertised as perfect.

Well....that's why I'm inquiring about them. I know it sounds too good to be true, but maybe they're just stupid people for selling it so cheap? lol. Or maybe I'm the idiot for even inquiring..but I guess that doesn't hurt, right?

Go get a mid 90's accord. You can practically take the whole car apart with a 10,12,14mm wrench set.

Interesting....that is nifty, haha.

 

[ARC]

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/4467225871.html

That doesn't seem like a horrible deal. Mileage is sky high, no idea how long that engine would last. I guess that's the point of buying a beater? heh

 

[Mjavant1985]

Well....that's why I'm inquiring about them. I know it sounds too good to be true, but maybe they're just stupid people for selling it so cheap? lol. Or maybe I'm the idiot for even inquiring..but I guess that doesn't hurt, right?



Interesting....that is nifty, haha.

The second one actually has a phone number, so it possibly might be true, doesn't hurt to make a quick call.

And yes, a majority of any maintance (brake jobs, suspension, oil changes) on those model accords can be done with those sizes. And they are probably the simplest and basic of cars to work on.

 

[ARC]

The second one actually has a phone number, so it possibly might be true, doesn't hurt to make a quick call.

And yes, a majority of any maintance (brake jobs, suspension, oil changes) on those model accords can be done with those sizes. And they are probably the simplest and basic of cars to work on.

I just called even though it's fairly late. No response, but it's thundering like hell here so I tried to call because I figured no one is sleeping through this.

 

[KILRSVT]

The world wide web is an amazing resource you can you tube almost anything . I have been working on cars for 8 years now ... Always something new. I installed my roll bar last Monday what a pain in the ass but it's nice to save money

 

[Mjavant1985]

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/4467225871.html

That doesn't seem like a horrible deal. Mileage is sky high, no idea how long that engine would last. I guess that's the point of buying a beater? heh

Thats not a bad deal, that same car here in nc with those miles would probably sell close to double that.

And again, hondas are built to go forever. As long as the timing belt has been done, and keep the oil changed, that motor has another 150,000 left.

 

[Mjavant1985]

I would testdrive that car, drive it to autozone to check the engine light, make sure its the IAC only, and now you have a beater and something to fix, lol.

 

[ARC]

Thats not a bad deal, that same car here in nc with those miles would probably sell close to double that.

And again, hondas are built to go forever. As long as the timing belt has been done, and keep the oil changed, that motor has another 150,000 left.

I think I'd need to bring a mechanic or my aunt's boyfriend with me though. There's no way in hell I'd know whether it's going to break down on the way home or last for another 10 years, you know? Hah..of course I'd test drive it though.

 

[ARC]

I would testdrive that car, drive it to autozone to check the engine light, make sure its the IAC only, and now you have a beater and something to fix, lol.

You are a smart man. Would the people at Autozone be able to check that engine light as well as a quick overview to see if the car is working properly? I still think my aunt's boyfriend would be better since he knows about fixing shit.

 

[Mjavant1985]

You are a smart man. Would the people at Autozone be able to check that engine light as well as a quick overview to see if the car is working properly? I still think my aunt's boyfriend would be better since he knows about fixing shit.

I wouldn't trust the people at autozone to look over a car, most of them just have the basic ability to type in the year, make and model of a car into their computer and pull a part.
Leave the actual looking over a car to an actual mechanic.

 

[ARC]

I wouldn't trust the people at autozone to look over a car, most of them just have the basic ability to type in the year, make and model of a car into their computer and pull a part.
Leave the actual looking over a car to an actual mechanic.

Will do, sir.

Might have found a possible gem:

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/4454280850.html


Think this is worth pursuing?

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/4442268106.html

 

[Mjavant1985]

Will do, sir.

Might have found a possible gem:

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/4454280850.html


Think this is worth pursuing?

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/4442268106.html

The maxima doesn't look too bad, though the mileage is not listed. The 3.5 V6 is a great engine, but good lord, you need to have circus carney hands to work on it.

And im going to say no to the dsm, if you want to work on cars then thats all you will do with that car. Lol

I had a 96 gst eclipse, and it was always some little gremlin with those cars. The trans in the fwd are crap if you start making any kind of power, the motor would last forever, but everything around it would fall apart.