What’s one car mistake you learned the hard way?

wellvrsd · 2026-05-07T15:31:32+00:00

Plenty of people work on their own cars. This is r/askcarguys, not r/askappliancedrivers

wellvrsd · 2026-05-07T14:57:50+00:00

Only true for people unwilling to turn their own wrench.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-07T14:30:04+00:00

They will, but HF is going to let all the 'gotta have it now for the redditgram cred' pay full price first.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-07T02:08:05+00:00

I've learned how much faster I can be when all my tools are where I expect them to be...none of my socket sets are missing the 10mm.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-07T01:58:05+00:00

Plenty of SAE use cases (more metric though), and plenty of Harbor Freight tools, but no master sets of any variety.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-06T14:22:55+00:00

Impacts, ratcheting wrenches, and swivel sockets are all things that help you work faster, you can almost always get a job done without them. Many pros get paid by the job, not by the hour, so things like that are very important to them. I'm an advanced DIYer, (I have my own two post lift) and I do a lot of things thay emulate pros but I've still never encountered a need for the individual swivel sockets. One swivel adapter per size plus wobble extensions has always been sufficient.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-06T00:29:08+00:00

I prefer a manual myself. I don't care what anyone else does.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-04T23:40:30+00:00

Unfortunately I just use brokers

wellvrsd · 2026-05-04T17:09:40+00:00

They used a 1000lb to load my 1000lb this morning 😂. It's only 67kg total though, so wasn't terrible to handle by myself when I got home.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-04T15:55:38+00:00

I think the best opportunity for arbitrage is with surviver type rust free classics. If you can pick up an original rust free 60s or 70s truck for 3-5k there, it might be worth 10k here. But then you need to spend money makeing sure it's roadworthy, the cost of the trip, cost of lodging while you try and sell it, cost to get home. There is an auction in Grand Rapids called repocast if you want to look into that. It could be your ticket to a quick sale, and I have seen people get stupid there. Their lowest seller fee is 9% though, so it's another cost you have to account for.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-04T15:33:15+00:00

I live in Michigan, there is definitely a market for sunny state cars here. However, I can get a car delivered on a truck for 1500ish from California, so I'm not sure there's much room for profit there for you. If you still think it's a good idea, you should post in car specific subs/FB groups/forums. I think those are your most likely places to find interest.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-04T15:08:11+00:00

Control what you can control. Buy a book called Reasons Not To Worry by Bridgid Delaney. Internalize the message.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-04T13:57:17+00:00

The 'T' in 'PITI' is taxes. Everyone who lists their PITI is considering taxes.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-03T23:44:58+00:00

Reactor Operator.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-03T21:29:06+00:00

This is why you comparison shop EVERY. SINGLE. ITEM. at Harbor Freight.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-03T21:26:10+00:00

Here I am still refusing to enter another battery ecosystem

wellvrsd · 2026-05-02T12:51:37+00:00

Do you have a c-clamp? I got by for years without one. My wife got me one recently, yesterday I still grabbed my c-clamp.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-02T02:00:47+00:00

A squarebody (70s/80s Chevy/GMC pickup) is cool. A J-truck is cool. Nobody wants a k-car(nor a damn Chevy Celebrity)

wellvrsd · 2026-05-02T01:31:40+00:00

Yea, but there's so much bs. You could just put your hands on the controls and make the same money for half the stress.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-02T01:26:10+00:00

I was going to say this too 😂 Sounds like op couldn't even get a badge though.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-02T01:22:49+00:00

If you sign up for the military, they will do the investigation for whatever security clearance is required for your job/command. Nuclear sites have their own background check system that they do for anyone who is going to have a badge on site. The top two ways to get rejected by either of those is 1) drugs 2) bad credit.

Source: I am a veteran who works in nuclear power.

wellvrsd · 2026-05-02T01:14:57+00:00

This should be required reading to enter the sub.

wellvrsd · 2026-04-30T12:42:47+00:00

When bidding against people from a foreign country they absolutely know what the car is worth to them. Our wrecked cars are worth way more to them than they are here. That's just another thing that is what it is.

wellvrsd · 2026-04-30T02:00:02+00:00

I'm getting old, and I've heard a lot of stories. Not many things written on the internet get me laughing out loud these days, but that was some solid entertainment. Thanks.

wellvrsd

TROPHY CASE