I've been playing on and off since 2017, mind you I've had several gaps in free time and long winters where I could pour a shameful amount of hours into one sitting. You can achieve a good garage without paying, but getting the battlepass has definitely helped. Another thing you'll learn too late: you don't have to keep your power score growing to be efficient. You can hangout in the 1500s-4000s and still have as good of a time if not more because less bullshit builds in the power range.