wrencher wrote:
The number one tool for doing your own vehicle maintenance and repair is a spare car. You can do pretty much anything yourself if you have enough time. The hard thing is when you only have one car and you have to have it put back together and running every morning so you can get to work.
Yeah, this helps a ton. My wife and I have always had three cheaper cars, giving us a spare when I need time to work on something.
It takes quite a bit of time to get good at working on cars.
Tools don't have to be that expensive, so that's not a big deal - I really like Kobalt (from Lowes, made my Gearwrench) for a starter set. Wait for a sale. The basics are:
3/8" socket set, 8mm to 19mm
Combination wrenches, 8mm to 24mm
1/2" "breaker bar" and a cheap set of large (14-32mm) 1/2" drive sockets
Floor jack and 4 jack stands (Harbor freight is fine for these)
PB Blaster or other penetrating oil
A local auto parts store with someone behind the counter willing to dispense advice. This can be very valuable as a newbie. On older cars, there are often lots of short-cuts that will keep you on the road for less. Examples:
Things like exhaust can often be hacked together with generic parts.
If a strut is blown, price out a pre-assembled strut and spring assembly. It might only be a few bucks more, and is WAY easier to install.
If you have a popular model, internet forums often have really detailed DIY info on common jobs.
If you have the patience and aptitude, it can be very enjoyable. I am looking forward to putting new strut mounts in my car this weekend - it'll be a nice quiet few hours with a sense of accomplishment.