Originally Posted by sapporo

this is where networking and bartering skills come into play. I often fix peoples cars for free in exchange for some manual labor (rake my yard, pull weeds, sweep my shop as I work on their car etc.). networking is getting to know people that know people that can help. Like the local tech school might be able to diagnose your vehicle as part of a class learning opportunity or maybe the tech school offers a hobby class where for minimal fee you can have access to the shop, tools, scanner and knowledge from an instructor. these are just some examples of how you can solve your money issues.