When someone asks a car question, some people question their collage plans or funeral costs, depends on age.
Focus on the question seems to be impossible.
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Only if the person in question has decided to major in Visual Art.
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You HAD to say that during the week I have my appointment at the funeral parlor for some “pre-need” planning 
Car Talk, remember? Tom and Ray get a call: “My husband thinks I slam the car door too much!”
Tom: What color of car?
Ray: Has your husband always been a jerk?
Diverting from the original question is the normal thing here at Car Talk. The yield is a little levity from time to time.
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As in anything one may find with a little experience that the path they are on is not a good fit. Too often kids are steered to college, because that is what we do. And too often they end up w/ nothing but a BIG debt. A trade is a good way to go as any and better then many for many.
Or just get a scholarship .
Other ways to save $$ on college
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Take classes all year, including summer. Less time spent in college means more time for getting a job and earning money later.
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Some colleges don’t charge extra for credit hours over a certain limit. If the limit is 20 hours, take 25 hours rather than 15. Then you get 5 hours free. 25 hours a week of classes isn’t much of burden; remember when you get a job after college you’ll be working a minimum of 40 hours a week, probably more.
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Because that’s what happens on this forum: some very good advice with too much off subject opinion. Do yourself a favor and forget the Z for now. Civics and base pickups are easy to work on and have affordable parts and friendlier insurance premiums. Concentrate on not hurting yourself first, not breaking anything second. Starting with a decent combination wrench and socket sets buy the best quality tools you can afford. Get and read a repair manual for whatever car you get. Get any car you are thinking of buying looked at by a real mechanic. Don’t forget you will have other demands on the money you have saved including helping your mom. Then have fun working on your car.
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Hello!
You are very ambitious for your age and I have to disappoint you but your goals seem to be very unrealistic and naive also dangerous for someone with no experience. I would suggest that you start with something smaller and easier instead like a old Scooter or something like that.
My first project was a Scooter from 1965. A beautiful KTM Ponny 2 two-stroke Scooter with 1,6HP. Easy to understand, reliable and very good looking aswell. Its slow yes but it does it´s job.
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I don’t mean to be a downer here but I think this is going to turn out to be a big mistake. Very young, that much money into a Z car, no mechanical experience, and talking about engine work and adding a turbocharger has me thinking the car will end up in pieces and stay that way.
With no mechanical experience it would be so easy for any one of a number of minutiae to snowball into a destroyed engine. Best of luck anyway.
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