Well, it pretty much started as my dad needing an extra pair of hands when making repairs on our cars (hte minor stuff, brakes, belts, hoses, fuel injectors, etc.). Always had a little interest throughout highschool, but our auto shop wasnt all that great, so it was just a little bit of an interest. Took a class or two my first semester at the community college, and have been taking some ever since. Luckily, the college is like 3 minutes from me, and is, pretty much without doubt, the best auto courses offered in the city/county. Excellent teachers, lots of classes, tons of garage space (and were adding more over the summer), and a half dozen or more of any tool you could want. And if they dont have it, they're probably working on getting it. In fact, it is one of, if not the, largest department at the school, and always has the highest enrollment rates.
If you want just general knowledge on the inner workings of you car, check out the auto section of
www.howstuffworks.com Its an invaluable resource of knowledge. If you wanna know stuff specific to the workings of YOUR car, i also reccommend heading to a junkyard, and tearing one apart. 1 buck admittance, and you dont hafta worry about getting it put back together correctly. And if you are serious about wanting to learn, hit up your community college and see if they have an auto program. Its a great way to learn a lot, and get some good hands on practice.