Hello c/cars

tl;dr: I’m looking for knowledge of a cheap simple car (with cheap parts) to break/fix/learn.

My apologies if this is semi-rambley. I’ve been forever stuck at “too afraid to break my daily driver” and only really feel comfortable changing the oil and refilling various fluids.

I want to change that.

Problem is… I’m a hands-on type of learner. I need to break/fix something to really get the knowledge (and confidence) so I was thinking of getting a project car to work on and dispose of. Something I would be proud to repair over time but also not care if I miserably fail and have to get it scrapped. My neighbor highly recommended that I don’t touch anything past the 90s, as the electrical systems in modern cars are apparently terrifying even to skilled mechanics, but I feel like the older the car gets the rarer (more expensive) the replacement parts would be. I want it to be as cheap and simple as possible. I’m only trying to learn… I’m not restoring a show car.

That’s why I’m here. Do you have any suggestions at what I should look at?

I’m thinking something compact or subcompact just so I don’t have to take up a huge portion of my garage storing the vehicle itself. (and yes, I realize there will be plenty of parts and tools involved). My neighbor recommended I look at various auctions to choose one of the totaled vehicles available at clearance pricing, which… seems a little extreme for me. I’d rather choose something neglected and go from there. I want to figure out how to replace a window by disassembling the door. Find out to plug a leak in the windshield washers lines. Replace the alternator and recharge a battery. Flush the brakes and change the rotors. Restore a headlight or brake light unit. Change the stereo. Fix a seatbelt. That kind of stuff.