Just curious how many of you do nada, a little, most, or all of their own service? I ask this because of the plethora of comments pertaining to dealer charges and problems. I always thought of the "G" as contant 'work in progress' that holds rewards for the "do it yourselfers" and real car guys alike. Just seems so many here use their dealers for everything from simple oil changes to the complex installation of floor mats Wassup?

 

I do everything I possibly can myself. If I'm not smart enough I round up a friend and we work through it together. I hate letting other people touch my car.

 

Simple mods like headlight bulbs, Ztube etc plus all fluids.

 

You can be an "enthusiast" and not be into working on your car. They can be mutually exclusive. I guess it depends upon one's definition of enthusiast. I have been into cars my whole life but other than real basic stuff on 79 and 68 Corvettes which I used to own, I have always left the "dirty work" to others as fixing a car doesn't ring my bell (plus I really am not good with mechanical things)-- driving it, admiring it, reading and talking about it are what turns me on.

 

I agree with you Corgidog. JBX, I can understand the satisfaction you get from the ability to build bikes from the ground up and having the knowledge to know your car inside out, but between work and a new baby I have little time to maintain my G. I'm in the Creative field so my love of cars and bikes comes more from a visual standpoint. When I was a kid I would go to the local Honda dealer just to look at the motorcycles or car dealer to see the latest muscle/sports cars. I have a long list of cars that to me are like pieces of art including the AC Cobra, the early Vettes, 65-67 Mustang Fastbacks, Shelby Mustangs and the old bathtub Porsche. I think the G35 is a beautiful car (of course 0-60 in around 6 seconds doesn't hurt either!). I think to some people the G is just transportation, but I hope they are in the minority.

 

Well, I for one don't consider car collectors enthusiasts. Like this guys I know who has 4 different Porsche 911s but drives a rusted out oil leaking subaru 80% of the time.

Nor do I call those who view cars primarily as expensive toys or transportation enthusiasts. Like those people I saw in the car club who have so much money that their "junker" car is a Porsche 944 and the only reason they own a F350 is to tow the trailerqueen Z06 to the occasional autocross. Sure, they are nice enough people, but they placed no value other than monetary on their vehicles.

And I guess that, for me, is the heart of it. Placing more value on a vehicle than it's monetary one. Whether it's a brand new G or a 10 year old econo-box, you can tell the people that value their cars.

 

I have to agree with this! Just because you don't do your own dirty work, doesn't mean you aren't an enthusiast! It's BS to say otherwise! Besides, this alleged poll doesn't have enough choices, like washing, waxing etc!

 

I think the title should just be DIY'ers and non-DIY'ers. I consider myself a DIY'er. I haven't done much to my G so far (coupe springs, Z-pipe, splash guards), but I do prefer to do what I can. It's enjoyable for me, it saves me money, and I'll admit it....I like to play with tools I did all the work on my former Maxima like halfshafts, trouble shooting, sensor replacement, spring swaps, intake manifold swaps, belts, plugs, pads/rotors, all the intake/exhaust work, fluids, and I even installed a leather seats kit which required pulling the old fabric covers and installing leather covers and door inserts. I also do all the work on my wife's 98 Subaru Legacy GT wagon too. I figure I've saved about $3000 in shop labor by doing the work myself over the past 6 years. All the work I've done on my cars has only required about $300 in tools and a $20 shop manual. Things I haven't done are internal engine/tranny work and clutches installs. I'd love to do that type of work also, but not until I get some sort of lift and air tools.

Doing the work yourself is quite rewarding and most importantly you gain a clear understanding of how a car operates. To the layman, popping the hood on a late model car is scary because of all the wires and lines. To me, I just see a bunch of vacuum lines and it all makes sense regardless of the motor I'm looking at. All late model cars have basically the same systems and I think late model cars are easier to trouble shoot because the ECU is so smart and you can use a OBDII scanner to watch parameters and get codes.

 

Amen to ABQ, cars are for driving in my book. Hard driving or merely commuting is the criteria for "enthusiast". Sure, lots of folks do their own work, and that's great, but not everyone has the time. Besides, what is the correct term for someone who likes "fixing up" cars but drives his concours etc in a sedate style?

Rename the poll to "unpaid mechanic"

 

Agree and disagree. I think your definition of enthusiast as one who places more value on a vehicle than its monetary value is an excellent description of an enthusiast. But I disagree that car collectors can't be enthusiasts. I used to be into classic Corvettes and belonged to a car club. These guys are the ultimate enthusiasts! Someone who collects cars just to say they have them is not an enthusiast.

 

It seems Jay Leno would fall in this catagory. Sure he makes tons of money and has more cars than any of us could dream of owning, but he seems a genuine car enthusiast. I wish I could afford a garage loaded with my favorite cars, but the tough part about owning a collector car is the fear of driving it. I would almost rather own a kit car AC Cobra because I feel I could enjoy it more.

 

After being trapped in an office all week its nice to get out and work on my car. So far I have done everything myself, spolier, z-tube, etc. I plan on installing my Eibach springs this weekend. I haven't ever paid for an oil change and I couldn't even imagine it.

I do most of my work in my parents garage since I live in the city. Every time I am changing my oil, my grandfather makes a sarcastic remark about how the $20 he spends at the jiffy lube is money well spent. Some people just don't understand.

 

Exactly! I take pride in my car, always keeping it clean, and driving it, just because I don't work on it myself, doesn't mean I'm not an enthusiast!

 

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to afford all those cars, he really has quite a collection! Maybe he can donate to all of us who fall in a lower income bracket, LOL!

 

Wow , I guess I did title my thread improperly lol. I didn't do it to **** anybody off (this time.. lol)....it's just that is what came to mind. I guess it shoulda' read "enthusiast vs. enthusiast to third power" lol. I've always found a greater appreciation for something that I've done myself, but I do understand that you can enjoy your car without actively being part of the mechanical equation . That wasn't where I was going anyway. My curiousity stemmed from some of the posts concerning dealer charges for some of the more basic maintainence items. JBX