Hey, here is what i have on my plate. I dont have anything to do this summer, and i turn 16 in july. I really like cars, nd I want to get a 3rd gen. I want to get a job, but i dont know where to start. I wish i could work in somehting automotive in the weekends, then into the summer, but i have no idea where to start out. Does anyone have any good ideas for me? and then when i scratch some money together, i want to buy a running ****ty *** third gen and fix it up, where should i start out trying to find that? or is it the kinda thing where i just keep my eyes open till someting surfaces? thanks for reading this, and the help, see ya.
mike

 

save your money for your education in the automotive field. then buy a camaro to play with because you'll make enough money to feed it parts and build anyway you want

 

First off, where do you live and secondly what kind of field did you want to get in to? If it is anything automotive, try the local parts stores or warehouses that supply the chain stores with 'out of stock' parts. You could also search for employment at a local repair shop changing oil and doing light maintenance (no engine rebuilds until you have more experience). What skills do you currently have that you think can help you achieve employment in the "auto industry"?

 

 

Labor laws make it very hard for anyone under 18 to work on cars or around machinery.
How screwed up are they, under 18 can cook fries in boiling oil but cant run a skillsaw.

 

Not being mean, but I would rather have my hand burnt in hot grease than have my whole arm cut off due to irresponsible actions.

I wanted to become something in the automotive field, but my Government teacher put it into perspective for me when you think about it. This is in no way intended to be a racist post, but all of the Mexican folk who are willing to get paid minimum wage to work on cars are going to take all the jobs first. There is no way in hell you would ever want to be paid $6.75 for working on a car, but an illegal alien would absolutely love to. The only automotive jobs which show any promise are in diesel/industrial engeneering, and even with that you have to take college courses or be trained heavily in order to go through with them. It's just not worth it, if you think that all the good jobs are taken now, wait for another 10 years, you wont want to live in California anymore.

 

As far as I'm concerned, that's a mistake. I bought my Camaro in December, and it looked to be in fairly decent shape. In the short time since I bought my car, I've spent thousands of dollars restoring it and now building it up. Take it from someone who knows, once you spend the money just to get it back to stock, then you're gonna want to put more money into it to modding it. Save your money and buy one that's in good enough stock shape that you'd feel comfortable driving people around in right away without feeling like you're driving a ****mobile. You'll save money in the long run.

 

Rome wasn't built in a day. I got a 2nd job solely to buy a thirdgen, and after 7 months I scored my trans am. The one I got was fortunately in better shape mechanically than bodily.

If you REALLY wanted to you could probably ****** up a thirdgen for $500. Heck, Alex here bought one for $100 if I recall. But the less you pay, the more elbow grease you're gonna need to fix her up. Just remember that you'll have to keep your job even if you fix her yourself, cuz car parts ain't free, even from the junkyards.

 

One thing to keep in mind when buying a "fixer-upper" car — get one with a good body. Body work is the most expensive part of a build-up.

Mechanical parts can be had cheap until you want to get really serious, but replacing body panels or repairing rust will add up fast. This will make your "cheap" car expensive real quick.

Add to it that you'll be working a low wage job at first and that car will be looking crappy for a long time. Do yourself a favor and find one with the straightest body possible.

As far working in the "auto industry" — it seems many people are enamoured with shows like Monster Garage, OverHaulin' and Rides and want a career building custom cars. They want to be like Jesse James or Chip Foose. Keep in mind those types of jobs are few and far between. There's also a line of people competing for those jobs.

Art Center College of Design has an awesome Automotive Design program, but few of the graduates find jobs in that field. There just aren't that many opportunities available.

Not trying to discourage you, but just keep it in mind. It will take hard work and some struggling at first.

 

Exactly, it is a very hard goal to reach but if you are determined and the right opportunity developes, you may have a career in the auto industry ... like someone I know.

On a side note, I think he is just talking about the near future not a serious career, just something to get him going. Like a part time job.

 

hanks a lot guys, 12 sec ss said somehting about "If it is anything automotive, try the local parts stores or warehouses that supply the chain stores with 'out of stock' parts. You could also search for employment at a local repair shop changing oil and doing light maintenance (no engine rebuilds until you have more experience). What skills do you currently have that you think can help you achieve employment in the "auto industry"?
how would i go about looking for that kinda job? i was thinking about applying at like kragen or autozone, would they hire a 16 year old?

 

im 17 now, and was 16 last year. My father works for a dealership, and has been with gm for almost 20 years. You can not work at a dealer, or a shop (pretty much) untill you are 18. Kragen hires at 17, and autozone hires at 18. Autozone dosent say so, but they do. Its really really hard to get started in this industry without knowing people, or going to a school like uti (YUCK!). If you do go to college for automotive, go to redlands community college, and attend the GM Asep Bsep program. It is tons better that UTI, and you will learn the things you will be doing. Trust me, UTI is a joke, they take 25,000 from you, and you dont really learn jack crap.