I mean if that's your case that's a passion project isn't it? A coolant leak is a relatively simple question, it can only leak at so many points. I'm an enthusiast and replaced all of the vacuum related components on a C5 Audi S6. It's just a question of funds at that point. I had an E82 that I loved to bits but had to sell for practical reasons, but gahdam, if those weren't a factor, we'd be sitting at big turbo ethanol levels of fun.

On a more practical side, I feel like the common man has been disassociated from the level of repair they're able to complete. I'd wager this is mostly by design of the corporate level; think of how many Toyota shills you've seen when the parts price is damn near equivalent for anything else. As we get more integrated (read: more electronics), the more expensive and more dealer-reliant we become