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Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 6:09 pm
by miswuevos
I am always wondering what the folks featured in " SuperStreet" " Modified", " Import Tuner", and all other prestigious car magazines do for a living and or if they even went to school. While in some featured pages, some claim to have occupations such as Car Technicians, Engineers and such, I wonder what the rest do and how they can affrod it. I am just curious as to how people can really put money into their cars, and enjoy a nice livestyle. I have tried to ask certain drivers, but most get sore about the subject (which is clearly understandable). So go ahead and just for the f.. of it list anything. I am just curious.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 9:05 pm
by ae90tuner
i'll take a stab at this, here's my life's story, although im not sure i qualify since my car isn't superstreet status nor is it even that much of a desirable car. i've worked at a dealership for about 10 years 5 of which i was single, 5 of which i was married and put my wife through school, now im going back to school. so i didn't have a high paying job like some of the more educated or lucky folks, but heck i'm changing that. the way i tuned my ae92 took awhile, actually it took 5 years which is as long as i've been married, the wife helps keep me maintain a balance with this hobby. how i did it was i have a yearly wish list, i would work towards that wishlist starting with the most realistic stuff first such as shift knobs or stainless steel brake lines. most of the guys here might be guilty of this as well with the tax refund, but some of the tax refund certainly helped with the larger purchases such as wheels/tires or lsd units.

i will be the first to admit had i saved all the money i dumped into my car i would have a sizable savings, but i think i learned quite a bit from this passion of mine. well the car actually is gonna be on pause til i finish school, but i started with just knowing how to change oil, now i can paint a car, do electrical work on it, rebuild transmissions, work on engines, entry level metal fabrication skills, have a good understanding of suspension geometry. its all car related still, but its knowledge i wouldnt have if i never did it.

also since i work at a shop i have access to hoist, alignment racks, press and other specialty tools which has made it possible for me to save a small fortune on tools and labor. as far as a nice living style, i'd say i live ok and not nice, i balance my stuff and this is the only hobby i have... yeah i guess i live sort of a boring life.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 8:51 am
by SidekickChuck
There are plenty of people who can afford to heavily mod cars, but do not. And there are plenty of people who can not afford to mod cars, but do.

I have always had the mod bug since my first 83' Celica which I bought in 1990. Bought with money I earned while in High School cleaning a dentist office after hours. Saved money as I was living with my parents to buy wheels, suspension, bolt-ons etc... Once off to school, I had a Civic Si hatch (1991 model) which I also modded pretty well.

Since then, I had an assortment of vehicles which I have always thrown money into, knowing that it would not necessarily increase its value. But its something I could never really stop myself from doing.

Once out of school, I started work as an Engineer at NASA/JPL and was kinda out of the import scene for a good while. Still reading online and in mags to keep my itch at bay, but didnt get back into performance until I purchased my e39 M5. While I could afford the mods for this car, I really cant bring myself to spend 15k for a supercharger kit, or some of the other expensive performance goodies available. I got what I wanted within the first year of ownership, which was an expensive Eisenmann exhaust, supersprint x-pipe, KW v3 coil-overs, wheels, and a CNS Carbon/Kevlar Racing Clutch Kit. Thats pretty much as far as I will go with this car.

Now, with the acquisition of the Corolla, after selling off my Supra, I wanted to keep things simple when it came to what cars I had and how much time and money I wanted to put into my cars. Didnt want to continue down a path of a money pit, and after selling cars and only keeping the Corolla and the M5, I am pretty much where I want to be.

I wanted to crop things down to only what I wanted before getting married and having a kid. I was able to do this, so it made things easier when the baby arrived. I had purchased my home back in 2002, so there was no added expense there. I have friends who have tried to buy cars and other purchases after marriage and kids, and it seems to be much harder to do. So I am thankful that I did it in the order I did. Still have money to play with, money to save, and a college fund to invest in, so the lifestyle hasnt really changed. I just need to dump more into my retirement fund. But I was never really a big spender when it came to "lifestyle" costs anyhow. I was never big on the club/bar scene aside from touring in a band for many years which covered drinks most of the time. And I was never a big spender on anything else except with stuff to my cars and guitars and guns.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 6:44 pm
by tiprock
socioeconomics

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 7:08 pm
by carbd7age
Bro.
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Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 1:40 am
by Crono0001
I'm 25. I am an engineer, three years working, straight out of college. Single with no kids. I take care of my mom, who knows little English and is quite elderly. My family was first generation immigrants to this country, and I am the second out of eight that got to go to college. I *own* my cars- paid cash for them up front because I don't like being in debt. The only debt I have now is miscellaneous credit cards which I pay off every month, and my mortgage. I own an AE86 swapped to F20C and a Porsche 986 with a 3.8 swap. Both swaps I paid for someone to do because I cannot afford the time to work on them by myself. I also lack the skill with a wrench, so I thought it prudent to get a professional to do it. Within 2 years, I reckon they will both be magazine-worthy.

I came to this forum wanting to buy an AE86, and that I was interested in an F20C turbo swap. I was met with a lot of negative feedback/comments/memes. Skepticism, sure, I get it. But I've delivered thus far. And plan on continuing to do so.

Moral of the story? Stay in school. You know those little kids that used to get picked on a lot as little kids? Those kids are the ones people work for later in life. And they usually turn out okay when they get older. I did. I'm 5'10 200 lbs now, and I don't have the gut most jocks back in school now have.

Image
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Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 10:33 am
by miswuevos
Finally I get to hear some real shiznit, growing up sucks big bolas, but steady I go. I just thought I was the only one with the same situation but I see that most folks are on the same boat

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 12:54 pm
by yoshimitsuspeed
Crono0001 wrote:I'm 25. I am an engineer, I also lack the skill with a wrench,

Image

What kind of engineer?

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 2:15 pm
by SidekickChuck
Lol there are plenty of engineers who Cant change oil. I work with electrical engineers and systems engineers who don't have tools. Even mechanical engineers who only focus on their area of expertise. My degrees are in electronics engineering and robotics, but I am a nasa systems engineer, but I've always worked on my cars to a certain extent since I had my first car at the age of 17 back in 1991.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 3:14 pm
by yoshimitsuspeed
SidekickChuck wrote:Lol there are plenty of engineers who Cant change oil. I work with electrical engineers and systems engineers who don't have tools. Even mechanical engineers who only focus on their area of expertise. My degrees are in electronics engineering and robotics, but I am a nasa systems engineer, but I've always worked on my cars to a certain extent since I had my first car at the age of 17 back in 1991.

I think it's becoming more and more like that sadly. I don't think an engineer should be allowed to design something they haven't built themselves.
I also think they should be directly involved in building anything they design.
Most of the older engineers I have talked to say these things were a required part of their education and expected parts of their job roles a few decades ago.
Now you do see a lot of kids coming out of school who couldn't name half the tools required to make their design.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 6:33 pm
by Crono0001
I am a process module engineer. There is a line of modules (machines that do things) which I manage, troubleshoot, and program. My job requires lots of math and critical thinking. When it comes to wrenching things, I turn to the techs that operate the processes.

Times have changed, no doubt. The word "engineer" has different connotations now than it does 20 years ago. It is a much more effective use in industry to have "engineers" design something, and then have someone else build it while the engineer goes to another project. They aren't paid for their manual labor abilities. They are paid for their knowledge and thinking skills.

It's not so much that I lack the capacity to learn how to wrench on my car, it's more along the lines of me not having time to learn or execute. I would very much rather pay someone to do it. That way I don't have a car project that sits around for years. Mind you, I've only owned my Corolla since October.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 7:03 pm
by ae90tuner
Crono0001 wrote: Moral of the story? Stay in school. You know those little kids that used to get picked on a lot as little kids? Those kids are the ones people work for later in life. And they usually turn out okay when they get older. I did. I'm 5'10 200 lbs now, and I don't have the gut most jocks back in school now have.



while i totally agree with this sometimes life happens and it changes things for you. i also don't think the whole picked on and picking on thing is true, i know plenty of people who's been picked on as kids and they aren't really having anyone work under them, in fact those people are now in the work world still getting picked on. then there's the A holes who were doing the picking on still doing it 20 yrs later while managing people. things happen differently for different people, but staying in school i do agree gives you a great edge on a career. unless you won the lottery like me....

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 9:31 pm
by yoshimitsuspeed
Crono0001 wrote:I am a process module engineer. There is a line of modules (machines that do things) which I manage, troubleshoot, and program. My job requires lots of math and critical thinking. When it comes to wrenching things, I turn to the techs that operate the processes.

Times have changed, no doubt. The word "engineer" has different connotations now than it does 20 years ago. It is a much more effective use in industry to have "engineers" design something, and then have someone else build it while the engineer goes to another project. They aren't paid for their manual labor abilities. They are paid for their knowledge and thinking skills.


The thing that gets overlooked in the modern production environment is how important the hands on aspect is for learning and improving designs.
Not saying the engineer should spend all day on the assembly line but when the technicians need to spend 10 minutes getting a bolt in that should take 10 sec it will often get overlooked. If the engineer has to do it once they will say "Damn, I'm not going to do that again."
I have seen too many situations where something went together easy in the CAD model and the Engineer/Designer didn't have enough understanding to see the real world pitfalls such as access or maintenance.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 10:28 pm
by Crono0001
yoshimitsuspeed wrote:
Crono0001 wrote:I am a process module engineer. There is a line of modules (machines that do things) which I manage, troubleshoot, and program. My job requires lots of math and critical thinking. When it comes to wrenching things, I turn to the techs that operate the processes.

Times have changed, no doubt. The word "engineer" has different connotations now than it does 20 years ago. It is a much more effective use in industry to have "engineers" design something, and then have someone else build it while the engineer goes to another project. They aren't paid for their manual labor abilities. They are paid for their knowledge and thinking skills.


The thing that gets overlooked in the modern production environment is how important the hands on aspect is for learning and improving designs.
Not saying the engineer should spend all day on the assembly line but when the technicians need to spend 10 minutes getting a bolt in that should take 10 sec it will often get overlooked. If the engineer has to do it once they will say "Damn, I'm not going to do that again."
I have seen too many situations where something went together easy in the CAD model and the Engineer/Designer didn't have enough understanding to see the real world pitfalls such as access or maintenance.


No doubt, that's what separates a good engineer from a bad engineer.

We're taking it to the extremes. There's some misunderstanding with my earlier statement, "not good enough with a wrench." It doesn't mean I lack the ability to use tools proficiently. But if I were to fabricate mounts for my F20c, pound in the firewall, install the motor and tranny, and then wire everything, I am admitting to the fact that I do not know how. I couldn't afford to spend that much time on it even if I did. I would much rather spend my time elsewhere doing/learning other things. That is what I implied from my first post.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:43 am
by SoCalTunerLife
My turn to pitch in, I come from another spectrum of the working world. Currently, I am a pharmacy student and I hate my life. I live in a state which I hate with a passion. I had to endure crappy weather, food, people, and weather. I have given up everything (including my AE86) to be here. On top of that, I had a close relative who I cherished so much pass away this March, so life's been hard. People always tell me the pay is going to be worth it, I guess. The pharmacy profession isn't exactly pretty. The only light at the end of this crappy tunnel is an AE86 to start with...I'll move up later. So yeah, education is important only if you want to land a high paying job to pay for your toys, otherwise its useless right now. Just don't go into philosophy or psychology or some crap like that. Also, if you want a higher pay, you gotta go further...Sorry for the brashness.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 4:31 pm
by chohdog
Just don't go into philosophy or psychology or some crap like that. Also, if you want a higher pay, you gotta go further...Sorry for the brashness.


Like areas of study have anything to do with success. Just because you hate your life no need to take it out on areas of study that you don't understand.

It sounds like you compromised your happiness to do something you think will make you money and now you hate yourself for it. The AE86 certainly won't fix that.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 6:23 pm
by Crono0001
chohdog wrote:
Just don't go into philosophy or psychology or some crap like that. Also, if you want a higher pay, you gotta go further...Sorry for the brashness.


Like areas of study have anything to do with success. Just because you hate your life no need to take it out on areas of study that you don't understand.

It sounds like you compromised your happiness to do something you think will make you money and now you hate yourself for it. The AE86 certainly won't fix that.


I disagree. Area of study is paramount in deciding your career, which in turn, decides your salary. Psychology, history, and communications are a few I can name that have very low paying professions. You can love your job all you want. I love money.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 8:27 pm
by Jeonsah
Honestly, I think education is just one of many stepping stones to being successful. Whats really important is being motivated and to have goals/the want to accomplish things in your life. Without those, nothing good will ever happen. You have to be mentally ready to make change. For almost everyone on the planet, we have to make a sacrifice to do what we want to do. So if you want a high paying job, you are probably going to have to give up some happiness as well. The reverse is also true. The way I see it is you find a job that you dont mind and that you can enjoy somewhat but realize that a job is there for you to be able to do things you truly love.

So if you wanna build a bad ass rolla on the front of import tuner, your gonna need a few things:

1. motivation
2. $
3. more $
4. experience with cars

Lastly, another thing to point out is that just because a car is on the front of an import tuner magazine doesnt mean its a cool car. The main reason why you want a car like that is for the babes haha. Otherwise, there are a million + 1 other things you can do that are just as cool but may not be on the front of a magazine. I really enjoy hearing everyone's struggle to get their cars to where they want them to be. Its not about the end result, its about the journey. Focus on having fun more than anything.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 1:03 am
by maxpham
Very interesting topic/thread. Before this thread goes downhill I'd like to share my experience with tuning and car life.

I bought my corolla as a winter beater. At first as things broke I took it to the local mechanic and he mended it up. After a water pump replacement (which I think he charged about $200 for), it didn't make sense to have a mechanic fix everything wrong with a beater that I was just going to sell anyways... especially since any repair work would easier be half the value of the car. I started finding car forums and asking friends with more car smarts and then car repair became a hobby to me. By the time I was ready to leave and sell the car, it was the middle of winter and I couldn't get a single interested soul to buy a light RWD corolla... so I did what any foolish guy would do; I road tripped the car with intentions on giving it an honorable roadside death. Surprisingly with 200k on the 4AGE the car lasted through the cross-country trip with only squeaky belt (which was tightened in Montana). I was scared shit-less that it might be my coffin but I was both younger and more foolish back then. Along the way I bonded with the car because we both endured a dangerous trip together. At the end of the road trip, I decided that I was going to keep the car and begin learning how to resto-mod the corolla.

For the most part, I've done all the engine, suspension, and chassis work in my garage but left the body and welding stuff to the professionals... you know, people with god-given talent. I'm proud of what my car has become and I'm not done yet with it. It would have been much cheaper for me to work on a different car with less problems but this specific problem-laden corolla and I are survivors from an older generation. A generation where we fix things that our broken rather than throwing them away.

When it comes to having hobbies which can consume a fair amount of money, my strategy has been to setup a bank account specific to the hobby. I setup a fixed amount of money that goes into that account for repairs/upgrades. This also has the extra benefits of reducing any tension between the wife on fiscal responsibility as well as keeping you free and clear of any car related debt. It's not for everyone but this worked for me.

Higher education is important to land yourself a higher paying job (for the most part)... but I've read once that if you choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

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Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 3:17 am
by Crono0001
maxpham wrote:but I've read once that if you choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.


I see that line all the time. But I have yet to meet a person who wakes up going "yay, time to work!" who lives with a comfortable profession, without taking it to the extreme.
Don't get me wrong, my job is fun. I love the things I do. I sometimes stay late and sometimes get in early, but I don't wake up looking forward to work.

You can live on the beach and paint if you love to paint for money, but I would much rather have a steady job and keep painting as a hobby, no? The last thing you would want is to hate painting because you made it your profession. You run into these guys too. Skills to pay bills is the first and foremost thing. Responsibly saving, investing, and living within your means is what people should be worried about before blowing money away.

Moderation in all things.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 8:10 am
by oldeskewltoy
Crono0001 wrote:I love money.




:(

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:07 am
by SoCalTunerLife
chohdog wrote:
Just don't go into philosophy or psychology or some crap like that. Also, if you want a higher pay, you gotta go further...Sorry for the brashness.


Like areas of study have anything to do with success. Just because you hate your life no need to take it out on areas of study that you don't understand.

It sounds like you compromised your happiness to do something you think will make you money and now you hate yourself for it. The AE86 certainly won't fix that.


Don't mean to go into a war with you buddy but if an AE86 doesn't bring happiness to your life then why are you here? **** happens in life is all I'm saying, but its not the majority of your life like most people have mention. The AE86 is my goal...Don't defer my dream.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 1:03 pm
by Zissou
Interesting thread for sure. I think it's funny that you listed technicians and engineers at the same level. Yes they both have higher education, but the pay scales are vastly different. It seems that most cars you'll see in magazines are from young professionals with extra money to burn, or some one more established in a career with again, disposable income. No offense to any one, but if you're uneducated with a wife / kids, odds are you just don't have the money to throw at an old toyota or other project.

That being said I'm a little on the other side of the fence, I recently left a well paying job to go back to school for something I enjoy, philosophy, oddly enough some one called it out. When I left highschool I wanted money for cars, racing, moving out, partying, traveling, whatever, and it was fun for a while. But now that I've done lots of those things, and am in my late 20's, I want a career I enjoy, even if the difference in pay isn't significant.

At some point you have to realize there is no second go around. It would be rad to be a bum, a fighter pilot, a journalist, or any other job I've bee interested in, but ultimately I only really get to dedicate my life to one, and I'd like it to be something I enjoy, not just a paycheck. Fitting cars or hobbies into you wage isn't difficult as long as you enjoy what you have and don't get consumed with wanting more. You'll always want more.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 5:10 pm
by SidekickChuck
Image

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 5:23 pm
by jrae82
How shall I start. My life is very simple yet interesting. My first interaction with the world of cars started when I was 19. I bought my first Ae86 gts coupe. Man was I in for a surprise. Everything I can imagine went wrong with that car. Long story short during college I supported my car interest with part time jobs. After school I went through alot jobs nothing fancy. Some being part time and full time employment. Currently im a manager at autzone which helps out in the maintenance and tunning of my current ride. I've gone through 2 Ae86's, 5 miata's, and my present whip, which is an Ae82 (corolla fx16 gts). Yes in some occassions I have made bad decisions like spending my cash on the car rather then other things. Hey im not complaining. Employment is just a medium in which to survive in this system called society. In the one side it brings joy like cars but dont let it consume or define you. Enjoy your past and currents rides. We all come from all walks of life and some how come in contacts with one another through our interest. So have a beer / smoke a joint and enjoy what you have.

Really enjoyed reading others background keep them coming

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 5:49 pm
by ae90tuner
so far from this thread you can see that there is already a verity of way people tune their cars with their income. some save and chip at it, some put it on the card and pay for it later than others with the money pay for it up front. having saved and built my car myself from scratch i guess i can have a sense of pride about it. getting a bit philosophical i guess, but to me my car is an extension of my mechanical knowledge and not something to show how much money i've dumped into. its not my sole happiness in life, but rather its my thinking, knowledge and theory in a physical form. not sure how many see it that way.

and to those that can afford it and have more money than time, more power to you, maybe someday ill be the one making the parts your buying.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 7:56 pm
by SoCalTunerLife
Zissou wrote:oddly enough some one called it out.


I'll take responsibility for that. I accidentally read people's minds. I have ESP which I don't know how to control. Anyway, best of luck to you and to everybody out there with a purpose in life.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:01 pm
by Crono0001
oldeskewltoy wrote:
Crono0001 wrote:I love money.




:(



Haha. Don't take it the wrong way.
Remember, I come from a first generation family as youngest of eight, and only the second to attend college. I'd like to say I've seen a broader spectrum of social standards than most people.
The term "money doesn't buy happiness" only really applies to people who have always gotten what they wanted... born into wealth, if you will.
For someone to actually work and earn and acquire wealth with their own means... Well, for me, that brings me more joy than anything else.

And it's an experience that we can all relate to. Unless your mommy and daddy bought you your AE86, you are happy with your car which you pour your blood sweat and tears into. It doesn't take money to be happy. It takes the satisfaction of knowing you made the machine yours. And that makes us all happy, no?

Money doesn't buy happiness. But, man, am I happy when car parts ship to my house.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:08 pm
by Crono0001
In regards to your pursuit of philosophy, I am glad to hear that you at least have a career planned out after you acquire your degree, and that you know of prospective salaries. That is the single most common problem most college kids run into when they get their degree in psychology, philosophy, communications, or history. They finish their education, get thrown into the real world, can't find a career in anything, and end up moving back in with mom and dad.

Re: Education and Car tuning, yeah a boring subject.

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:42 pm
by tiprock
Crono0001 wrote:The term "money doesn't buy happiness" only really applies to people who have always gotten what they wanted... born into wealth, if you will.

actually i think only broke people say "money doesn't buy happiness." jk
"money doesn't buy happiness."
"i love money."
"bob marley quote."
how about:
"don't talk about money."