I know nothing about cars.

hey man it's always good to see somebody interested in cars. i was in the same situation as you in August until i got my Mustang and since then i've been learning more and more about cars.

To say you want to learn about cars is EXTREMELY broad. Not only is there a lot to learn about a single car, but there are so many cars out there and it's crazy. My interest is American muscle cars. i joined a mustang forum and have learned a lot about performance and the mustang engines. i've watched youtube videos on cars racing, and beyond all that bickering and name calling in the comments, you can learn a good amount of info there as well.

first you gotta find what you like. do you like muscle cars, european engineering, or japanese engineering? do you like all three? do you like muscle and european? or maybe you like japanese and european? maybe you don't give a shit which is better and you just like going fast? or maybe you prefer looks over performance and you want to learn about luxury cars?

personally i'd like to learn about the engine more and what each thing does. once you pick your preference my best bet would be to pick up a book on engines (if you're into performance). I'm still kind off lost on what a lot of things do, but I know a little. I could tell ya what engines and body styles on the mustangs from 79 up and the third generation camaros and up. joining a car forum will help ya too.

you're not gonna learn about cars in a week, it takes time. but you still got your whole lifetime ahead of ya so you got plenty of time to read up.

 

well if you want to avoid the shop, a book on engines is your best bet. no point in paying a shop two grand when you can do the job yourself for 500 bucks and a day or two worth of time tops. not only that, but from there you can learn about performance. since you'll know about the engine, you'll know how a part works instead of having to look it up and then probably forget a day later. i'm still yet to get a book about engines, but one day i will... one day.

but forums are a great source of info. instead of posting "hey what does a ________ do?", lurkin is your best bet. they are full of great information (GC has anything you need for growing, for example).

and for the record, I agree with you when you ay the new mustang body style looks lame as HELL. And also, the 5.0 liter will be in the 2011 Stangs!

 

Risky's got it. I didn't like car's untill I fell in love with my first RX-7. Then I just HAD to know everything about it. I joined a few different forums and started learnin. 6 years later I know basically everything about rotary engines and 7's.

I took the classes in high school and they were definetly worth it. Sorry you missed out on those bro. You can still take classes from a community college for relatively cheap (i know, no money, but maybe later) The CC classes are just about the same as high school ones.

One of the best things I could suggest to you right now though. Is going and getting a couple magazines. Car and Driver is a good start if you don't really know what you're into. Once you figure it out there's a mag for every flavor of the car world. You got imports, domestics, mustangs, exotics, turbocharged, drag racing, etc etc. Book stores have crazy huge selections of car mags.

 

I would say the best education you can get about cars other than reading mags or books is just simply workin with one. I mean if your financial situation allows it maybe find a cheap free-500 dollar car and start tinkering with it, also if your space allows it. Start askin your friends if you can help them work on their cars. Really cars are no different than the computers you work with. Instead of a power supply it's an alternator, instead of a cpu it's an ecu?

 

ha you sound just like this friend i know. "man i dont know what you guys are talking about but it sounds very interesting."

anyway, for a start, watch Top Gear... its an auto show by BBC. it doesnt get very technical but its a good way to start getting into cars. they do anything from new car reviews to mechanical challenges and races. fact is you dont have to know anything about cars to enjoy the show =)

edit: i never took any auto classes, but i believe i have a damn good knowledge on cars.. just from pure passion!

 

I would say Top Gear is for people who understand what they are watching. My buddy doesn't know a whole lot about cars and he watches hasn't learned a damn thing except which cars drive faster than others. Good show none the less for anyone that wants to watch it.

Well there ya go man, you're all set than as long as it's not your daily driver.

 

man the fact that you can change your oil is better than alot of people, and you can get a general knowledge of cars from the internet probably these days, maybe some books, go browse the auto section at a bookstore.

 

Step 1: Buy a car, shop manual and find a few tools.
Step 2: Take the car apart.
Step 3: Put the car back together.

Honestly, you can learn a lot by reading the internet. That's all book smarts though. You need experience to see the wonders of being a gear head. Get your hands dirty.

I got into it because my parents, and I love them for it, bought me a cheap old car. I was already interested, but it gave me the freedom to drive, break things, and then fix them. Since the car was old and my 16 year old self had a lead foot and a death wish, there was plenty to fix.

Then eventually I started making things better with modifications. I started autocrossing, and imporoving my driving. So, if you want to get into cars, hands-on is the real way.

If you just want to know what an alternator is, stick to the Internet.

 

haha dude i don't know anything as well i barely passed drivers ed.

 

start with going on more educationally-based sites such as howstuffworks and shit like that. Research the basic functions of a car, such as how the main parts work and how they do it, and learn basic specs of any car, go from there. spend a lot of time on motortrend.com they have a lot of shit about a lotof different cars