Here's ideally what I'd like to be able to do. Assuming I have the right tools and stuff, I want to be able to fix the vast majority of any car problem I encounter.

Unfortunately I'm at.. pretty much ground zero. I can check the fluids and I can change a tire. That's about the extent of my car knowledge.

My plan, just based on some brainstorming, is to take an introductory car fixing class at a community college, and once I have my foot in the door so to speak, buy a piece of junk / scrap car and just fix the shiz out of it.

I was wondering if you guys had any advice on

- what kind of car I should get (I want to stay away from cars where everything is kind of glued together or otherwise not readily accessible, like my current corolla, but at the same time I love the reliability and fuel economy they yield. I want to buy a car to kind of fix up, y'know?)
- ways I could learn more efficiently (I reaaaallly hate reading, I'd rather just see it done right in front of me. I was thinking along the lines of finding someone who's enthusiastic about cars and just paying em to teach me)
- any other thoughts / comments

Thanks in advance!

get a chilton auto repair manual and get your ass outside and do what it says thats how i learned

buy a civic d16 parts are everywhere
buy hand tool set from craftsman or mastercraft
check honda forums when ur shit goes wrong and learn

ez pz

go to the junk yard and start working on cars


take engines out etc..

If i was to set someone up to learn basic stuff. I would tell/get you a job at a local junker yard and start processing cars. Its actually really fun and you learn lots. Just a weekend job or few hours a week is all thats needed.

You strip the car down to make more $$. Remove trannys, cut the cats, remove all the wiring, lots of cars have brass and ballasts . Start here because there really is no wrong you can do, rip/cut/ unbolt what ever. But you see what makes the car, and how much is actualy going on under the hood and behind door pannels.
I did it for a sunmer + some and loved it. Id do it again np


After that, move up to removijg parts people want to buy and use. After that, you just keep moving up. Theres lots to learn, guys work their entire lives and never stop learning.

This post was edited by IB0T on Mar 3 2014 10:38am

Just get some tools. Buy a car and take it all apart. Then try to put it back together . You will learn a lot lol

You forgot to mention the part where you lose all the nuts and bolts and have to order/buy new ones

Buy a $300 beater and just start taking it apart. Fixing cars is mostly easy. It's the diagnostics that gets most people. Anyone can hang parts with a little bit of practice.

wrench with friends

"I Know Next To Nothing About Cars"



great you'll fit in with 95% of the people here