Just wondering what everyone has their list of must have/helpful tools.
Looking into getting some stuff, and was wondering.

Weird first post.

themadscientist wrote:Weird first post.

Makes sense to me.

A metric set of open wrenches and sockets. One or the other doesn't cut it.

It's not standard by any means, but I like my impact screw driver. It's a 100% hand tool, looks like a normal screwdriver but hardcore steel. You put your bit in, set it firmly and strait in the screw, twist the handle to the opposite direction of how you want to turn the screw, grab a hammer and give the back of the handle a good whack. Bought it for my injector screws, but good for all sorts of things. Mine also has a socket drive so if you're poor you can use it on any stubborn bolt, if you have impact sockets or don't mind risking your normal sockets.

Big torque wrench, little torque wrench.

About to buy a vaccum brake bleeder, it looks SO much better than bleeding with the pedal.... but I can't speak on it yet.

I have one. You will like it. You will hate yourself for not getting one sooner.

I want a garage first before I get any tools. I got two phillips and two straight screw drivers and I have a set of 1/2 drive metric sockets. Heavy duty bishes, too. They are the only real tools I have. If I need anything else heavy duty, I have the ability to borrow from a local shop for free so long as I return them the end of the day.

Gold Digger wrote:I want a garage first before I get any tools. I got two phillips and two straight screw drivers and I have a set of 1/2 drive metric sockets. Heavy duty bishes, too. They are the only real tools I have. If I need anything else heavy duty, I have the ability to borrow from a local shop for free so long as I return them the end of the day.

But it's soooo empowering to have your own tools and be able to do whatever you need. On a road trip, throw them all in the trunk, and have everything you need anywhere you go....

Also, a floor jack and jackstands are important. I rarely use them, at least all at once, but having them is a must.

Whatever you skimp on or delay purchasing will be the thing you need most, murphey's law dictates it.

I was wondering which kinds of tool that is emergency and should prepared all the time, and which kinds of tool I can just borrow. Some recommended me diagnostic tools, any of these tools that I may need prepare one? And my friend want to sell me Nissan consult 3 plus, is it useful? I already get the air compressor, jack, torque wrench, and one hammer.

mechanicalmoron wrote:

Gold Digger wrote:I want a garage first before I get any tools. I got two phillips and two straight screw drivers and I have a set of 1/2 drive metric sockets. Heavy duty bishes, too. They are the only real tools I have. If I need anything else heavy duty, I have the ability to borrow from a local shop for free so long as I return them the end of the day.

But it's soooo empowering to have your own tools and be able to do whatever you need. On a road trip, throw them all in the trunk, and have everything you need anywhere you go....

Also, a floor jack and jackstands are important. I rarely use them, at least all at once, but having them is a must.

Whatever you skimp on or delay purchasing will be the thing you need most, murphey's law dictates it.

While I agree with you on that, you've probably never lived in Japan. Owning enough land to have a garage, or a house for that matter, is damned expensive. I won't tell you how much my house (land purchase included) cost, but trust me, it's probably twice as much as what a house twice as big would cost in the U.S.

Tools are also stoopid expensive here. A 1/2 drive 6" extension for a ratchet/breaker bar is damn near $20. Sorry, that's a bit more than what I want to pay. I tried cheap tools once, but after having several sockets break, a ratchet lock up and stop working and a pair of pliers rusting closed (even after being kept indoors) I decided I wasn't going to buy tools.

I have just enough tools to do what little work I need to do on my car. I do have a 2 ton floor jack and 4 ton jack stands, so I am covered there.

Well that all does make sense, with land prices and tool prices.... that sucks, though.

I love auto-zone and their (cheap sounding) duralast brand. Good quality tools, with a lifetime warranty. You can exchange any broken duralast tool at any auto-zone for a brand new one..... but I've never heard of one breaking. By contrast my walmart type socket set, after about a week the ratchets stopped working so the head spun freely..... not cool. I went and bought a duralast torque handle to replace it.

Doesn't japan also have bad taxes designed to make you scrap awesome vintage cars and buy a new one every 2 minutes? I read that some of the more awesome sports cars just don't exist anymore there, simply because they all got crushed because they cost SO much.... Like the reverse of cash for clunkers.

But yeah, I have a tendency to carry all my tools in my trunk, and use whatever parking lot I happen to pull up in as my garage. Always worked for me.... About all you can't do is pull out a motor.

The taxes on cars are deemed by the size of the car itself and it's engine size. My car fits into the 300 series (license plate) bracket. My yearly tax is about $450-$500 or so. Not exactly sure.

What's difficult is the maintenance. Everything is super expensive here for car parts. If you were to have, say, an older Hakosuka Skyline or an S30 Z, you're gonna pay out the a** to keep it maintained and in good proper running condition.
Plus, you have the bi-annual insepection where you drop anywhere from $800-$1800 for paying your registration fee, another tax of some sort and the process for just doing the inspection. You can save money by doing it yourself, but most people take it to garages or full service gas stands to have it done. That's another $600 by most shops for their service.

You don't have to get rid of your car, but if you can't afford it, it's most likely the best choice.
For the record, there are A LOT of old classic cars still on the road from the late 80's all the way back to the early to mid 70's.

NOW...with all that said, with the expensive prices of the inspections, a lot of people will buy a brand new car, keep it for three years (you get three years before your first inspection if you purchase a new car), then trade it for a new car so as to avoid the inspections cycle.

People seem more inclined to keep spending money and rolling over their financing every three years and just blowing more money than to spend a chunk of change for an inspection. Makes no sense to me, but it's what people do.

Inspections are fine and all, but in general that sounds awful.... and designed to keep most people buying new cars to avoid hassle.

Wait, I thought engine-based 300 plates were like ju-man, body size-based ones yon-man like my 500 plate.

I've never paid that much for my GT-R when the yearly tax comes due.

Get a good code reader (Actron) for the CEL light and
a good multimeter (Fluke Automobile Version)

A large tool chest. Keep all your tools organized, it will save you time and money if you keep your tools organized.