Hello c/cars
tl;dr: I'm looking for knowledge of a cheap simple car (with cheap parts) to break/fix/learn.
My apologies if this is semi-rambley. I've been forever stuck at "too afraid to break my daily driver" and only really feel comfortable changing the oil and refilling various fluids.
I want to change that.
Problem is... I'm a hands-on type of learner. I need to break/fix something to really get the knowledge (and confidence) so I was thinking of getting a project car to work on and dispose of. Something I would be proud to repair over time but also not care if I miserably fail and have to get it scrapped. My neighbor highly recommended that I don't touch anything past the 90s, as the electrical systems in modern cars are apparently terrifying even to skilled mechanics, but I feel like the older the car gets the rarer (more expensive) the replacement parts would be. I want it to be as cheap and simple as possible. I'm only trying to learn... I'm not restoring a show car.
That's why I'm here. Do you have any suggestions at what I should look at?
I'm thinking something compact or subcompact just so I don't have to take up a huge portion of my garage storing the vehicle itself. (and yes, I realize there will be plenty of parts and tools involved). My neighbor recommended I look at various auctions to choose one of the totaled vehicles available at clearance pricing, which... seems a little extreme for me. I'd rather choose something neglected and go from there. I want to figure out how to replace a window by disassembling the door. Find out to plug a leak in the windshield washers lines. Replace the alternator and recharge a battery. Flush the brakes and change the rotors. Restore a headlight or brake light unit. Change the stereo. Fix a seatbelt. That kind of stuff.
The hobby is full of people willing to dump $20k into a vehicle worth $2k so you'll be in good company at least.
I also vote for an older Honda as a project car. They're pretty reliable plus you can transition over to performance mods and have some fun with it. My daily is a Camry (the other user's other suggestion) and I love the thing to absolute death, as I've already put 200k miles on it since buying it used and it just keeps going on fluid changes and basic maintenance, but it wouldn't be a very fun project car. Alternatively there's trucks from the '80s-'00s that are plentiful and can potentially be cheap. Stuff like the S10/Ranger/Tacoma
I'd think about what you see yourself doing with the vehicle when it's "done" like cruising, going fast, offroading, cornering, etc. Also what kind of cars draw your attention when you see them out on the road?
I'd really try to avoid something too rusty or crashed as paint and bodywork is a whole other beast and many people get way in over their head with projects like these and never finish them even after dumping thousands into it. Get something you can work on in small chunks while still being able to drive and enjoy it. You're not going to enjoy wrenching on something for months and years without ever driving it.