There is a deep satisfaction in troubleshooting and fixing a car that won't start all by yourself, even if it's something relatively simple like replacing a broken fuel pump on an old VW engine.
@kyle // agreed, getting your hands dirty and fixing something is therapeutic.
@kyle it’s a totally different feeling for me as well. Definitely makes sense to me.
@kyle In college (1983-ish), I had a 1972 Super Beetle. In that time, foreign car parts were a specialty that your local NAPA might not sell. I had to do a lot of repairs on that car with parts that weren't quite made for the car and tools that had to be modified. Quite the learning experience. Nowadays, parts and specialty tools are much easier to get.
It must be the tangibility. I've fixed countless computers over the years, but they rarely provide the same sense of accomplishment. Maybe it's because I take tech skills for granted, or maybe it's the visceral sense that this quiet engine that was dead now growls and is alive.