Tips on Learning About Cars

[Guest Jacob]

Hello!

I've recently come into interest of learning about cars; however, I'm trying to figure out how to do so. I love classics. I'm just trying to learn and I'm having some trouble.

For me it seems to get boring just reading a book over and over unless I'm reading quick little things every now and then while gradually fixing a car. My father has a '65 Beetle that I absolutely love to help him restore, but I can't look at a manual and keep my attention span. I need ideas on how to learn gradually over time to be able to eventually restore cars on my own. It's a dream of mine that I've wanted to do for a long time, and just recently I've really been trying to learn.

I'm thinking buying a Beetle that needs quite a bit of work for a decent price under $1,000 would be a good idea as they're pretty simple to work with and it could be a good first-time car. I've joined these fourms as well to learn and it's helped me a little bit. I've seen some things on how Top Gear is a good place to start learning.

All help is appreciated! I'm definitely interested in learning.

[keiser31]

One of the better things to do is to find a region of the AACA or other car club in your immediate area and go to a couple of meetings or shows. There, you will meet folks of like interest and may be able to make some friends to hang out with while they work on their cars. Hanging back and watching/helping others work on their cars will help you learn lessons that may not be found in any book. Plus, you gain friends and enjoy life more.

[Guest Jacob]

One of the better things to do is to find a region of the AACA or other car club in your immediate area and go to a couple of meetings or shows. There, you will meet folks of like interest and may be able to make some friends to hang out with while they work on their cars. Hanging back and watching/helping others work on their cars will help you learn lessons that may not be found in any book. Plus, you gain friends and enjoy life more.

I may actually have to check that out. Thanks!

[RichardR]

Hello!

 

You sound "young" so let me first say how wonderful it is to have some younger blood come into the hobby. I also wholeheartedly agree with the suggestion to join/attend a local AACA meeting/show.You don't say what part of the country you're in, but presuming that you are in the U.S., there are cruise nights and car shows just about every weekend during the summer, in almost every part of the country. If VWs are where your interest lies, join the VW club! I work with many people in the 20s and 30s who are into VWs in a big way, and while most of them like the water-cooled cars, I do think that the air-cooled cars have many young and old fans too. Good luck!

[Exhaust]

Top Gear is fun to watch, but I doubt you'll learn anything about restoring cars from it.  Fantomworks and Wheeler Dealer get into the process a lot more, and I highly recommend going to car shows and cruise-ins talking to car owners.  However, nothing prepares you better than getting your hands dirty.  Restore something - an old bicycle, a machine, anything mechanical - to get the feel for the process.

Edited July 26, 2015 by Exhaust (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

The "Standard Catalog of American Cars" by

Krause Publications is a superb reference book,

and you can sit down and read small pieces at

any time.  it is organized by make and by year,

so you can look at, for instance, Oldsmobile in 1955

or Mercury in 1979, or Volkswagen in 1965.

There are plenty of black-and-white pictures

so you can familiarize yourself with the cars, and

there are lots of statistics on quantity made, 

engine sizes, original prices, etc.  A few paragraphs

will give you an understanding of each car company, too.

 

There are several volumes you can buy separately,

all softbound:

--Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1806-1942;

--Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975;

--Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1976-1999;

--Standard Catalog of 4x4's, 1945-2000;

--Standard Catalog of Imported Cars, 1946-2002

     (This latter book would include Volkswagens.)

 

Learning is enjoyable.  I'll take an hour on a snowy or

rainy day and just read more about cars! 

Edited July 26, 2015 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[Guest Jacob]

The "Standard Catalog of American Cars" by

Krause Publications is a superb reference book,

and you can sit down and read small pieces at

any time.  it is organized by make and by year,

so you can look at, for instance, Oldsmobile in 1955

or Mercury in 1979, or Volkswagen in 1965.

There are plenty of black-and-white pictures

so you can familiarize yourself with the cars, and

there are lots of statistics on quantity made, 

engine sizes, original prices, etc.  A few paragraphs

will give you an understanding of each car company, too.

 

There are several volumes you can buy separately,

all softbound:

--Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1806-1942;

--Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975;

--Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1976-1999;

--Standard Catalog of 4x4's, 1945-2000;

--Standard Catalog of Imported Cars, 1946-2002

     (This latter book would include Volkswagens.)

 

Learning is enjoyable.  I'll take an hour on a snowy or

rainy day and just read more about cars!

That seems like a great idea honestly. I'm definitely going to check that out! I have been looking for some good magazines to subscribe to for cars so that sounds great.

Hello!

 

You sound "young" so let me first say how wonderful it is to have some younger blood come into the hobby. I also wholeheartedly agree with the suggestion to join/attend a local AACA meeting/show.You don't say what part of the country you're in, but presuming that you are in the U.S., there are cruise nights and car shows just about every weekend during the summer, in almost every part of the country. If VWs are where your interest lies, join the VW club! I work with many people in the 20s and 30s who are into VWs in a big way, and while most of them like the water-cooled cars, I do think that the air-cooled cars have many young and old fans too. Good luck!

Yeah, I'm definitely pretty young. I'm going to try and find some good car shows to go to here pretty soon! I was actually in New Mexico the other day and checked out one. They had Corvairs (A car that I'm going to aim at getting in the future. Love them.), GTO's, '57 Chevy Pickups, some good-looking Porsches, and a freaking beautiful red C1 Corvette. (I would love to save for a couple years and sell some beetles and attempt to pick one of those up.)

I was also in Delta, Colorado and found a used car dealer with cars from a '37 Hudson to a Corvair. I love checking these kinds of things out. Car shows would be great!

I stated earlier about selling Beetles for a Corvette C1. Just to clear that up, I don't actually have a Beetle. Now, my father has a butterscotch '65 that I help him with if possible, but I haven't done much with it personally. Sadly I haven't as I wasn't really interested in this stuff until recently when I started opening up and looking at some of the amazing cars in a couple books I have, which, honestly, I need to read those books more as they could have some good learning points. Back to the point, I want to try and pick up a Beetle for a lower price that I could put a lot of work into it to learn from and it'd be a great first car (Guess what? I'm not old enough to drive yet xD.) In the future, if I get more knowledgable on this subject, it could be fun to fix up classic Beetles and sell them for money eventually. The future is not the present though, as I hope a wise man once said so that I don't sound stupid right now. As of right now, I'm interested in learning as much as I can, so that in the future I can start collecting a bigger variety of classic cars to restore with Beetle money .

Thanks guys!

[John_S_in_Penna]

Also, get a good price guide for old cars.  There are a few

on the internet, such as at www.hagerty.com and www.nada.com.

Car values vary tremendously according to a car's condition.

Another one, on magazine stands, is Old Cars Report

Price Guide, which is widely used, and their #1 to #6

condition descriptions have become the standard of the hobby.

 

Often, asking prices are 'way optimistic, so don't let

high asking prices demolish your dreams!  Sometimes,

asking prices are actually double a car's value--

even if the car isn't especially desirable!--

so it pays to look around, compare a couple of price guides,

and use patience in seeking a car to buy.

 

It's a great hobby!

There are so many different, interesting cars around.

If you avoid what is "popular"--and it sounds like many

of your choices, except for the Corvette, do that--

your money will go much farther, and you can

have a very nice old car for used-car money.

Edited July 27, 2015 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[edhd58]

You may also look into your local schools. some of our local schools offer auto mechanics classes, everything from basic maintenance to engine/tranny rebuilds etc.

Many years ago I also volunteered at a local service station, but those are few and far between now.

Even if you get your own car, with little experience expect to be doing a ton of reading and research (so you don't mess up more than you fix up) get used to it.

I have a 42 Ford Fordor I've been working on for three years, I'm a decent wrench man, but it's been a ton of internet scouring, reading blogs, Youtube watching and asking questions on here.

These guys are awesome in their knowledge and willingness to help a newbie to the restoration addiction.

Take your time at whatever you get, do not hurry it just wastes time, trust me i know. 

[Guest Jacob]

Also, get a good price guide for old cars.  There are a few

on the internet, such as at www.hagerty.com and www.nada.com.

Car values vary tremendously according to a car's condition.

Another one, on magazine stands, is Old Cars Report

Price Guide, which is widely used, and their #1 to #6

condition descriptions have become the standard of the hobby.

 

Often, asking prices are 'way optimistic, so don't let

high asking prices demolish your dreams!  Sometimes,

asking prices are actually double a car's value--

even if the car isn't especially desirable!--

so it pays to look around, compare a couple of price guides,

and use patience in seeking a car to buy.

 

It's a great hobby!

There are so many different, interesting cars around.

If you avoid what is "popular"--and it sounds like many

of your choices, except for the Corvette, do that--

your money will go much farther, and you can

have a very nice old car for used-car money.

I'll definitely keep this in mind. I'm going to start my search for a classic car to learn from by restoring it and find some good car shows, which happen quite often here. I'll get to know some people and hopefully gain some knowledge . As for the magazines, definitely going to find some.

[Matt Harwood]

Nothing can replace time and experience. Just go out and start doing stuff with cars. Get an old car and start tinkering. I'm sure you have a basic understanding of how things work, and you can glean a lot from the internet and books, especially on specifics, but nothing beats getting your hands dirty and getting real-world experience. When I was 16, I had a '76 Cadillac Eldorado that I put back together over time, and I learned a LOT just by getting in and doing. The manual was helpful and when I got over my head, I'd call friends or take it to a shop, but nothing beats learning what that screw on the carburetor does or what happens when I set the timing wrong. Experience is the best teacher, but sadly, it takes a lot of time. I'm 45 now and far from an expert, but I can troubleshoot and fix a great many things on just about any car simply by knowing the basics that I learned by messing around with an old car.

 

Join a club, find an inexpensive car that's functional, and start tinkering. Don't go big with your first one, get something affordable that you can fix up, and once you're more confident, then you can move up. There's a lot to learn, but the basics are universal and you can apply what you learn from any car to just about any other car. Get involved, get your hands dirty, and turn to the internet when you're in a jam. It's served me well for decades!

 

Good luck and have fun!

[Guest Jacob]

Nothing can replace time and experience. Just go out and start doing stuff with cars. Get an old car and start tinkering. I'm sure you have a basic understanding of how things work, and you can glean a lot from the internet and books, especially on specifics, but nothing beats getting your hands dirty and getting real-world experience. When I was 16, I had a '76 Cadillac Eldorado that I put back together over time, and I learned a LOT just by getting in and doing. The manual was helpful and when I got over my head, I'd call friends or take it to a shop, but nothing beats learning what that screw on the carburetor does or what happens when I set the timing wrong. Experience is the best teacher, but sadly, it takes a lot of time. I'm 45 now and far from an expert, but I can troubleshoot and fix a great many things on just about any car simply by knowing the basics that I learned by messing around with an old car.

 

Join a club, find an inexpensive car that's functional, and start tinkering. Don't go big with your first one, get something affordable that you can fix up, and once you're more confident, then you can move up. There's a lot to learn, but the basics are universal and you can apply what you learn from any car to just about any other car. Get involved, get your hands dirty, and turn to the internet when you're in a jam. It's served me well for decades!

 

Good luck and have fun!

Been mainly looking for a classic Beetle as of right now. They're simple, fit in budget, and a great car to learn from as I've heard. Thanks for the advice .

[60FlatTop]

I'd pick up a really nice Porsche Boxster, based on your interests. Pay a little extra for one that has lived on a pedestal from a hobbyist . Then just drive it, enjoy it, and learn to maintain to optimum performance of all systems and fix what happens to go wrong.

 

Look at the general concept of this hobby. Someone bought a new car, used it, let it deteriorate, and the car hobbyist comes along and fixes all the wear, tear, and damage. That's a pretty crappy job to wish on anyone. And some people spend years "restoring" something only to find it wasn't much of a car to begin with. They never knew. They just pulled a hulk out of a hedgerow.

 

If your budget is too low for something nice get a part time job and pay on a loan. It's better than hours and hours after work of cleaning some rusty project that you may never see run. Even a VW has an appetite for $100 bills.

Bernie

[Guest Jacob]

I'd pick up a really nice Porsche Boxster, based on your interests. Pay a little extra for one that has lived on a pedestal from a hobbyist . Then just drive it, enjoy it, and learn to maintain to optimum performance of all systems and fix what happens to go wrong.

 

Look at the general concept of this hobby. Someone bought a new car, used it, let it deteriorate, and the car hobbyist comes along and fixes all the wear, tear, and damage. That's a pretty crappy job to wish on anyone. And some people spend years "restoring" something only to find it wasn't much of a car to begin with. They never knew. They just pulled a hulk out of a hedgerow.

 

If your budget is too low for something nice get a part time job and pay on a loan. It's better than hours and hours after work of cleaning some rusty project that you may never see run. Even a VW has an appetite for $100 bills.

Bernie

I know what you mean; however, I do want a Beetle. A Porsche wouldn't be as great for a first-time driver, nor would it be the easiest to learn from. Aside from all that, I do want a Beetle, as I actually do like them.

[Rusty_OToole]

VW beetle is an excellent choice. There are lots around, you can pick one up reasonable, they are simple, and all parts are available.

 

Some of the parts are of questionable quality, if from Brazil or Mexico but they are available.

 

A good repair manual is a must, and you can find lots of info on the net. Look up the Samba web site if you have not seen it. They know VWs .

[Guest Jacob]

VW beetle is an excellent choice. There are lots around, you can pick one up reasonable, they are simple, and all parts are available.

 

Some of the parts are of questionable quality, if from Brazil or Mexico but they are available.

 

A good repair manual is a must, and you can find lots of info on the net. Look up the Samba web site if you have not seen it. They know VWs .

Yes! I've already joined the Samba and it's proved to be quite useful .

[cahartley]

When I was going to tech school in Milwaukee, WI, in 1969-70, WI, my roommate from Holland, MI, had a early 60's VW Bug.

We had more fun with that thing than you can imagine.

Over the years I've thought about that car 1000's of times.

If that's what you want I think you should get it!

I guarantee YOU will have as much fun as we did....... 

Edited July 28, 2015 by cahartley (see edit history)

[DAVE A]

Jacob;

     I didn't see where you live but if you are anywhere in the North East, this weekend is Das Awscht Fescht in Macungie, Pa.  Over the 3 days you have the opportunity to see a large variety of cars.  It is likely to see almost any car you can imagine there.   Stop by and talk to as many owners as you like...they are usually very happy to talk about their cars.

[Restorer32]

First car I bought new was a '68 Beetle. Not a very good car but I sure learned a lot working on it. Had the engine out twice due to transmission troubles. We are currently finishing restoration of a '49 Beetle. There is a lot of genius in a Beetle, just as there is a lot of genius evident in a Model T. You will learn a lot working on an older VW, especially how to weld if the heat boxes are rusted out as they usually are. You might also try finding a job at a restoration shop. They often have need of a "gopher" to strip paint, clean up, etc. are.

[Guest Jacob]

Jacob;

     I didn't see where you live but if you are anywhere in the North East, this weekend is Das Awscht Fescht in Macungie, Pa.  Over the 3 days you have the opportunity to see a large variety of cars.  It is likely to see almost any car you can imagine there.   Stop by and talk to as many owners as you like...they are usually very happy to talk about their cars.

Sadly I don't live in the northeast, but I'll keep an eye out for anything going on here!

 

First car I bought new was a '68 Beetle. Not a very good car but I sure learned a lot working on it. Had the engine out twice due to transmission troubles. We are currently finishing restoration of a '49 Beetle. There is a lot of genius in a Beetle, just as there is a lot of genius evident in a Model T. You will learn a lot working on an older VW, especially how to weld if the heat boxes are rusted out as they usually are. You might also try finding a job at a restoration shop. They often have need of a "gopher" to strip paint, clean up, etc. are.

Yep. Looking for something that'll take a lot of work so that I can learn as much as I can from it and it seems the Beetle definitely fits that! Not to mention it looks pretty good. The handling on it would more than likely be pretty good for a first-time driver as well.

 

Just curious. Do you happen to have any pictures of that Jaguar in your signature?