What do y'all think would be a good alternative to having a project car? I have tried and tried again to get my parents on board with getting a project car, to no avail. Recently, I attempted to pitch getting a motorcycle, which also got shot down.
My parents understand that I am very mechanically minded and are open to suggestions. What would scratch the same itch as a project car but not take up the same amount of space and money (I'm a broke teen). I would love to hear your thoughts.
bicycle? they're endlessly customizable
Vintage project bike. Less complexity, less expensive, smaller footprint, fully depreciated already, etc.
Make friends with a car person near you that you can help wrench on their car projects?
Rc car? Its a project, it can be cheap, it can always be worked on, and it can be brutally fast.
When I was your age, I played with high-end electric RC cars (not the department store toys). If there is a local club for some competition, even better. Touring cars and 2WD trucks were all the hotness in my day but now stadium trucks are the popular class it seems. It was a blast and it looks like you can get a much nicer setup for your money now than you could 15 years ago. There are lots of upgrades and tweaks you can do and it's a great way to ease into wrenching and learn about setups and vehicle dynamics.
Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saHfCL5s21M Truck package here: http://www.horizonhobby.com/LOS03002 (that would have been $500+ in gear back when I was running a Losi XX-T Graphite Plus...)
In reply to BlueInGreen44:
That's close to what I'm trying to do. I am working on trying to get a summer job at a local mechanic shop or something similar to that.
Maybe present a better project car? When I was young I thought I could fix the world in a weekend and because of that I bought projects that I never should have. Maybe show them your drive by getting a job to save up for the project? At 8 my son already knows that not only will his first car be a cheap project car but that he'll have to put up some of his own money to get it. Show them how much it means to you and what you're willing to do to make it happen. But asking for a motorcycle at your age is a red flag to me.
Threaten to get into motorcycles. All of a sudden cars will sound good!
In reply to Stampie:
The only problem with that is the fact that I too already know what my first car is going to be. While it will be free and extremely reliable, which i'm very thankful for, it isn't something I can wrench on. 2006 Honda Ridgeline.
Maybe a go cart or riding lawn tractor....
I tend to have the young guys that want to learn join me for working on stuff. They learn how to do something, and stay out of trouble.
I typically find them at cruise nights, or they come and strike up a conversation when I'm driving something odd.
Don't know where you are, but I would be happy to let you hang out with me and wrench on junk.
If I'm not local, there's probably a car club or something where you can meet a local like me.
Alternatively, carpentry. Make sawdust.
Cyclekarts? Not too fast or dangerous, but fun and good for building fabrication/mechanics skills.
In reply to Kreb:
Now that's a thought
In reply to Dusterbd13:
As much as I would love that, it seems that you're not too close to me. I live in Birmingham. But striking up conversations at car meets is something I love to do, so that's a good idea.
I 2nd the cycle kart.
Kreb wrote:Cyclekarts? Not too fast or dangerous, but fun and good for building fabrication/mechanics skills.
Im in Starkville, ms if you want to wrench on junk..turbo volvo goodness. Thats if you could get out here.
I second, or fourth, whatever. The notion that you get a job at any local repair shop, you will learn so much and have experience under your belt for a decent wrenching job by the time your driving age. That and a lot of cheap project cars go through the local shops and you would be in a good position to pick up something you run across or maybe some junk from out back.
Whatever you do dont ask mom and dad for money, do it yourself and you will not only prove to them you have the ability, they wont be as bothered about you blowing money cause its your own. I more or less did what you want to do, i had owned 6 or 7 cars by the time i was 18 and only two were in my parents name. Heck at 18 i had 3 cars at once titled to me and all three were running projects haha
Edit: cheap wrenching junk i have in my back yard i need to sell. Its a go cart id sell cheap, with a $99 harbor freight 6.5hp to replace the tecumseh and about $100 in hop up parts and you got yourself a 9hp go cart for screwing around with and/or rallycross (they race rallycross in birmingham but idk if they allow carts, i assume but check for yourself)
I took all the Agri classes I could, especially the mechanical ones, i.e. metals and welding, small engines, etc. That way "projects" were also school and easily got the parental stamp of approval. I had friends in high school who took a paint and body class at the local Vo-tech, 4 guys did all the body work and paint on one of the friend's Skylark, did okay too for a bunch of teenagers.
I had a lawn mowing business, family, friends, church members, etc. Folks always seemed sympathetic for me and whatever derelict mower I had brought back to life to use at the time, that they were always donating "better" mowers to me. I eventually was a 16 year old with an account at NAPA, and a self proclaimed "Briggs and Stratton Whisperer."
There were a whole slew of us with various and sundry ATVs, friend and his dad actually raced, and I got to "help" on occasion, everyone else had quads and three wheelers. I had a Mule, back before side by sides were, cool, I've always been a trend setter. 
Between all of that, I lived on a farm, and grandpa ran a machine shop, so there was never any shortage of ways to get my mechanical fix.
Why can't you wrench on a ridgeline? They're not junk at all.
How about something like a vintage Vespa scooter?
This may be off the wall, but give it a shot.
Start bringing a bunch of different girls around. Tell your parents you found a non-mechanical hobby and ask for money for rubbers.
It might just be crazy enough to get you a project car.
In reply to akamcfly:
I know they aren't junk, but there is not much of an aftermarket and I have a plan to sell it when I turn 18. I feel like major modifications would knock-down some resale value. Of course I'll do some small stuff to it though.
Bicycles and RC cars are what I cut my teeth on as a teenager living in an apartment. I still have and use some of the tools I bought for wrenching on bikes 30+ years ago. While I was never that good at RC cars, I know a world-renowned bicycle suspension engineer who often said he learned a lot about suspension geometry and set-up by racing RC cars.
Even living in an apartment I worked on my cars. Although I didn't think of them as "project cars" - they were simply the cheap, used cars I could afford at the time. I replaced the trunk floor (badly) in a Dodge Demon while living in an apartment. More stereos than I can remember. Even installed a 6" lift kit on my truck while living in a apt (although I did much of the job at work. Outside. in December).
In reply to former520:
In reply to chiodos:
I would love to take the kart off your hands. But as for the rallycrossing, our branch of the SCCA is trying to find a new location. We got booted out of our previous one. A kart would be fun to wrench on though.
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