Best way to learn about cars?

Cairnsey said:
Thing is I literally don't have a clue so I'm going to look into the college route like amigafan said. Cheers for the ideas - BTW how does a Pug 205 sound?
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You will soon learn how things come apart..
The key is having a good enough memory to know how it all goes back together, no one can teach you that!
I say get stuck in..
If you have somewhere out of the wind like a car port or garage, get going, otherwise in this country you will be left wondering why you bothered very quickly.

205 sounds good but would say gti would be best bet / most sought after one. if worried about the Insurance etc get the XS, virtually the same.
 
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Yes! a Mk1/Mk2 Golf is the correct answer! The non-GTI versions are really cheap now too.
 
It was a 70cc moped engined go kart that got my enthusiasm going when I was about 6 or 7.
As soon as I had enough body mass to press the pedals down I was allowed on it... then came the farm implements, tractors etc.
Shovelling **** was never so much fun.. :D
Then dad bought me a Moggy Minor traveller when I was 13-14 to restore. OMFGG it was a pile of rust. Never did finish that one but sure as hell learnt to weld and swing on a spanner properly.

College doing agricultural engineering was a bit of let down, I knew more before I started TBH.
 
You need to get a copy of the fundamentals of motor vehicles book.

Doesnt really matter what year it is, but they are so easy to read in nice simple words. You can learn so much from them and they are really quite cheap off a famous auction site that is named after a river ;)
 
Lum said:
Yes! a Mk1/Mk2 Golf is the correct answer! The non-GTI versions are really cheap now too.
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The GTI versions are cheap too. We only paid £350 + the wheels for this one:

Golf10.jpg
 
Cool. Thats sounds like a bargain. I was wondering how much It would be worth spending on :

1. The Car
2. Fixing it up

Was thinking about £300 on a car and spending £200 on it or is that way too optimistic? obviously it depends on the faults, so, how far could £200 get me on a jiggered car?
 
Completely depends on what is wrong with the car / what you want to do to it as to how much it'll cost 'fixing' it. It also depends where you go for parts if you need them, I go to scrappies for parts that I know will be cheap there and will be next to no difference to a brand new part, but go to local motorfactors (not halfords, real motorfactors) for any parts I need new.

Older cars are nice and simple to work on which means they are brilliant to learn on. Yesterday Phate, -westy- and I pulled the doors, bonnet and rear door off a 205 in a couple of mins and only needed the angle grinder once (door stay's splitpin was stuck fast, so cut the stay). :D

As -westy- said to Phate, 205s are just like lego, really simple and easy to work on.

The same can be said for most/all hatches from the 80s, they are all small and simply put together and great to work on and learn on. :)
 
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That's the plan I'm thinking...

For a skint car n00b, what are the faults to avoid? i.e. is there anything that wouldn't be cost efficient or too difficult to fix?
 
Cairnsey said:
That's the plan I'm thinking...

For a skint car n00b, what are the faults to avoid? i.e. is there anything that wouldn't be cost efficient or too difficult to fix?
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Depends how in depth you want to go, if you got the tools to have an engine out then the world is your oyster! However if you haven't then avoid anything with bottom end damage and possibly gearbox (depends on the car, some are real simple to get the box out, some require the engine to be lifted slightly, or completely out.

Old german car would be a good route in my opinion.
 
also rust needs to be considered. This will cost you an arm and a leg if you are not prepared to have a go yourself.
You could get a second hand welder off the auction site for the cost of one big, professionally done welding job..
 
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Nah thats all too above and beyond my means.

I think I'll stick with either the 205 or a Golf with 'mildish issues'

Where's the best place to look?
 
tried eBay motors and autotrader but apparently broken bangers are hard to come by where I live! they all seem to be 200 miles away
 
why broken banger.

buy something like a d16 civic and boost it. You'll learn a ton and be amazed by how quick it is.
 
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