Thinking of giving it up (a bit of a rant)
is the car hobby harder now or "before". before what???
Back when you could actually still find parts in junk yards before the gubmint made it almost impossible for junkyards to operate.
Back when you could go on the outskirts of town, drag race with no problem from cops, raise a little hell and if you did get caught all you got was a "you better get home"
Back when you could buy an intake manifold new for 75 dollars, camshafts for 45 dollars and piston sets for 100.
Back when you knew which junkyard dogs to stay away from, because ALL the junkyards allowed you on them, because there was no worry from the insurance companies.
Back when local law enforcement even blocked off roads so you could race your buddies on a weekend night.
Back when you could actually assemble a hot street engine for under a thousand dollars, parts, machine work and all.
Back before the internet when your 30 plus years of experiences weren't instantly nullified by one click of a mouse.
That's just a start.