Good Morning my friends,
I made it back to FL, which is a blessing and a curse, and other than the dent not much has happened in the past week (I did almost wreck on the drive south though. Some dipshit didn’t properly fasten a ladder to his truck. Fell off at 80mph in the rain. I maintained traction the whole time, but the poor lady behind me spun out and into a ditch trying to evade my evasive maneuver. She was ok, no injuries, and miraculously no accidents).
The next big ticket item on my agenda is the DIY oil change. The “Do” and the “It” parts aren’t concerning... the “Yourself” part is. Also, the price of equipment is steep, and financially I’m trying to lay low for a bit.
This brings me to Garage Yourself:
It’s a workshop you can rent out, with mechanics on hand (this one guy named Todd has stellar Google reviews. People love him). For 30 bucks an hour it kind of sounds like a steal too. A typical oil change/tire rotation at Firestone will run me 60 - 80, but if I did it myself it’d be 90 (at least the first time around). For 10 bucks extra I’d happily learn something that’d last me a lifetime.
The alternative is buying my own equipment and doing it in my apartment complex. There’s one area that could work, though it’s not perfectly flat and also in my apartment complex. Not sure how the landlord feels about stuff like that, but we have an old, matte black Corvette that certainly hasn’t been serviced on site.
So, let’s compare and contrast...
Garage Yourself:
Pros:
- Professional workspace/actual help from people who know what they’re doing.
- Every tool I’d need, they even sell oil and can get parts shipped in.
- Significantly cheaper in the short run.
- Gets me out of my apartment complex and into a space suitable for wrenching.
Cons:
- Recurring payment (every oil change, just like if I got my oil changed at Firestone).
- Professional tools I’ll never be able to afford in my lifetime (probably). Wouldn’t be working with the common man’s toolkit.
- 3 hours away (not a big issue).
- Would likely look very stupid (but at least I would have people to tell me I’m an idiot and help me not look like an idiot).
Buy It And Do It Myself
Pros:
- Will have the tools forever (though they’ll take up a lot of space in my apartment).
- Could make mistakes on my own (though they’d be costly).
Cons:
- Incredibly expensive upfront (though, with enough use, the tools will last me).
- Do I really trust myself? Even with YouTube?
- My neighbors would probably think I’m a nut... rather than highly skilled mechanics...
At the moment, I’m leaning towards Garage Yourself, at least until I nail the principles of an oil change/tire rotation, before investing in tools. The path to me is as follows:
- Garage Yourself to learn
- Get a job
- Move (which is happening in a little over a year)
- Buy my own equipment with my own money in my own space
- Profit (not really)
I need you all to either tell me I’m a genius with a fantastic head on my shoulders, or slap some sense into me and call me an idiot. Personally, I just like the idea of having someone by my side who actually knows what they’re doing. The tools being provided in the fee is an added bonus.
Thoughts?
Take care folks!