How to Get Into Cars and Become a Car Person – Full Guide
Are you getting interested in cars, but you are not very handy with a socket wrench? That’s no problem. In this article, I’ll show you how to get into cars and become a car person.
One of the best ways to get into cars is to follow online forums about cars written by car enthusiasts. An example is the car forums on reddit.com. Many car guys and gals have started and learned many things about cars and culture by reading and following these forums.
In getting into cars, you need to start easy. You should learn the fundamentals of cars first, such as how a car works, what ICE means, and how you can keep it running. You are lucky because there are all kinds of information about cars that you can get from the internet.
Read on to learn more about how you can get into cars, the many ways you can start, and how you can become a real car person.
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How to Get Into Cars and Become a Car Person
Read and Follow Online Car Forums
If you want to get into cars as a hobby, a good way to start is to read and follow online car forums. There are many car forums on the internet where you can get good information about becoming a car guy or girl. An example is reddit.com.
Many car people have started to learn many things about cars by following such car forums. There’s a huge volume of information about cars available on the internet. But for you not to be overwhelmed, you need to start easy.
Learn the Fundamentals of Cars
Learn the fundamentals of cars first before going into the details. You should have a basic grasp of what ICE means, the basic parts of a car, and how you can keep it running. These are common to all cars, whatever brand, make, and model year a car is.
Concentrate on the Parts You Are Interested In
Once you are already well-founded on the basics, you can now choose to concentrate on the parts you are interested in. If you are interested in cars, you will find that getting into cars will be very enjoyable and fulfilling.
Interest in cars can only take you a certain distance as with any subject. Sustaining your interest is a different matter. If your interest in cars is not that deep, you will quickly lose interest when encountering difficulties:
1. Have Fun While Studying
To counteract this tendency, you need to start easy. It will seem fun to be learning new things about cars. You should maintain that interest and joy of learning as you continue on your way to becoming a legit car person.
So, right before you even start, promise yourself that you will still become a car person, whatever difficulties you may find along the way. You must have this goal etched in your mind so that whatever obstacle comes your way, you will push through and forge ahead.
2. Learn Easy Things First
The key to sustaining your interest is to learn the easy things first. For instance, don’t go right into rebuilding an engine.
You need to know first how a car engine works. And to understand how an engine works, you need to know its basic parts. You can learn the different types of engines and so forth.
If you sustain your interest in cars and continue learning how they work and how to maintain them, one day, you will wake up and realize that you have already become a legit car person.
Note that you also have to invest in tools, such as a battery tester and OBDII scanner:
The first thing you need to understand is how a car works. What are its parts? What are the functions of these individual parts? How are they connected? What are the systems that make a car run?
In learning a certain device, you need to have a sample of that device on hand to understand better how it works. Reading about it and watching videos will only take you so far. You need to handle that device to see how it works.
Get an Actual Car You Can Work On
That’s the same thing you need to do to become a car person. You need a physical car that you can touch, work on, and operate. That means you must have a car. But since you are just starting to learn about it, you don’t need to have or buy an expensive car.
Look for a cheap but functioning car that you can work on, preferably a rear-wheel, manual transmission car. It doesn’t have to have all the bells and whistles that modern cars have. If it runs fairly well with all the necessary instrumentation, that will be Ok.
Part of being a real car person is knowing how to fix things when the vehicle doesn’t operate efficiently. As you learn how to fix things in a car, you will slowly build up your knowledge and skills in making a car work. Your confidence as a car person will also grow.
Also, knowing your car’s status will help you in driving confidently. This head-up display will help you monitor your car’s vehicle speed, driving direction, voltage, and more:
The fundamental things that you need to learn about a car are the following:
ICE – this is not the thing that makes your drink cold. It is an acronym coming from three words: Internal Combustion Engine. That’s the technical name of a car engine or any other vehicle engine. You need to know the basics of how an ICE works.
Horsepower and Torque – Horsepower and torque are the two most important specs of an ICE. Horsepower is about the speed capability of a car, and torque is about how fast the engine can get to its top speed.
Car Systems – a car is composed of many different systems. These systems work together to make the car run. Some of the systems of a modern car include the transmission, clutch, brakes, lights, and so forth. You need to know how these systems work and how they relate to each other.
4. Subscribe to a Car Magazine or Watch YouTube Videos
There are many sources where you can get information about each specific. A lot of this information you can get for free on the internet. Many YouTube videos teach about how a car works, its many parts, and the problems and fixes.
Read Periodicals and Magazines
You can buy copies or subscribe to a car magazine if you have the money. Some periodicals and magazines are focused on cars and vehicles. You can learn many things about cars by reading through these publications.
Watch YouTube Videos
As for car repairs, there are a lot of videos on YouTube that give out tons of information for free. Examples are the YouTube videos of Scotty Kilmer, Eric the Car Guy, ChrisFix, and many more. Take advantage of the free car repair tutorials they provide without any subscription price.
Again, how to get into cars and become a car person? To get into cars and become a car person, you should follow and read online forums, such as Reddit.
Now we come to the details of how to become a car person. You should have a burning desire to know, understand, fix, and build cars to become one. It does not necessarily mean that you should fulfill all these four criteria.
But it does mean that you are interested in making your car work as efficiently as possible. You can truly become a car person by doing the following:
1. Find Your Dream Car
I don’t mean that you should buy your dream car but rather search for a car you want to own and operate. Maybe you’ve seen a gorgeous car in a magazine or a car display store or running on the street.
It should be a car that excites you and make you eager to know more about it, its power and performance, and its features. As you do your research, you will find more cars that you can fascinate about. The point here is that this step will lead you deeper into cars and sustain your interest.
2. Start It Out Easy
Start your road to becoming a bona fide car person by watching TV shows about cars. For example, you can watch Top Gear, a UK TV show containing excellent car information.
You can learn many interesting things about cars in this show – which is more effective in sustaining your interest in the subject. This is also why it is popular.
3. Read Cars for Dummies
If you are starting this project of becoming a car person, it is understandable that your knowledge about cars is minimal.
If you have minimal knowledge, try reading the book “Cars for Dummies.” This book is written in very plain laymen’s language. It has avoided overly technical words and explains technical things that you can easily understand with your present level of understanding.
4. Explore YouTube Videos
Countless YouTube channels give out information about cars and their upkeep. Whatever car make and model you are driving, you can find a YouTube channel that contains helpful information about it.
It is not just theoretical knowledge that you will learn in these videos. They will show how the car fixes are done. The vloggers of these videos even give handy advice on solving specific car problems.
You can even ask these vloggers about your particular problem or needs, and they will personally answer you on their vlogs. Vlogs are blogs done with videos instead of blogs only with written content.
5. Enroll in an Online Class
If you are a person who is looking for a more structured way of learning a subject, then you can enroll in an online car course. One such venue is Udemy.com. They are offering free or affordable courses on cars.
The car courses offered on this online platform are good for beginners and those taking a refresher. These are self-paced courses, so you will not be pressured with deadlines or like stuff. Their courses cover the mechanical as well as electrical aspects of cars.
6. Get Updated Information with MotorBiscuit.com
If you want up-to-date information about the car you are fascinated by, you can visit MotorBiscuit.com. This site always dishes out the most current news in the automotive industry.
They also provide beneficial information about cars, car reviews, car buying tips, and all things about cars. If you want car comparisons, they have that too. The thing is, all the information you will get on this site is up-to-date.
7. Follow Car Enthusiasts Forums
If you want helpful information about a certain car, find out if there are online forums that are focused on this type of car. Most probably, there is. Follow these forums, and you will get the information that you need at this time.
If you happen to access a live forum, you can even ask your questions and get answers right away from forum members. Just be open to their ideas, and you will be able to get the information that you need.
It could be that your questions have already been answered in that forum. So, it will help if you search for those answers by forwarding your questions to the search bar.
8. Get a Shop Manual for Your Car
If you already own a car and want to know more about how to care for it in detail, you need to get hold of its service manual. Your operator’s manual does not contain the technical details you need to be a car person.
You can get a copy of this service manual from the dealer where you bought your car. You can get a used copy on eBay at a discounted price if you are lucky. So, if your vehicle is due for an oil change, you can look up the page on an oil change.
Study the procedure, and if you think you can do it, this could be your start as a car person. Gather all the tools you need, the right motor oil, and the right amount. Then perform the oil change yourself. Just be sure that you are sure of what you are doing.
9. Attend Car Shows
Car shows are glittery, showy, and inspiring. If you want to be a car person, you should attend such shows. During the event, it will be hard for you not to feel the vibes of everyone there. And you need this if you find it difficult to sustain your goal of becoming a car person.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some answers to several often asked questions about how to become a car guy or girl that will help you remember the points I gave in this article:
How Can I Become a Car Person?
One of the best ways you can become a car person is to read and follow online forums of car enthusiasts. A good example is the car forums on reddit.com.
Many people have learned about their cars and their upkeep in such forums. You can also watch YouTube videos about cars. A lot of free information is available on YouTube that you can use to become a legit car person.
How Do I Start Becoming a Car Person?
Don’t go into much detail at the start. You need to start slow and easy. Just focus your learning on the basics of cars, how it works, their many parts and systems, and their basic care.
You can start by reading the book “Car for Dummies.” This book presents this subject in laymen’s terms that you can easily understand.
How Can I Sustain My Interest in Cars?
You can keep your love for cars by being with people who love cars. You can do this by attending car shows, car events, and the like. The people’s vibes will rub on you and help you sustain your interest.
Owning your car is also one way of keeping your interest up. You can practice what you learn from books and videos in your car. And that will help you keep your interest up.
In Closing: Learning About Cars and Becoming a Car Person
You can start learning about cars by following online forums about cars that car enthusiasts write. One example of such a forum is reddit.com. Many car guys and girls have started learning, fixing, and building cars by reading and following these online forums.
In learning about cars, you need to start easy. Learn the fundamentals of cars first, such as how a car works, what ICE means, and how you can keep it running. You are fortunate because today, there’s so much free information on the internet about becoming a car guy or girl.
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