Many people have asked me where I learned so much about cars. To answer the question, I have to reveal some personal secrets.


I bought my first car, a seven-year-old Zhiguli 2101, a decade ago. It was the first model produced by the Tolyatti factory. From its very first days, that car gave me trouble -- it was simply too old and something went wrong with it every day.


Car repair stores run by the state were expensive at that time and there were only two or three of them in Moscow. The only way to fix your car quickly was to form close friendships with the mechanics at these places or pay out incredible sums of money.


But six years spent at Moscow State University taught me to hit the books. I was trained as a specialist in Middle Eastern history and I knew that if I looked hard enough I could find everything I needed in specialist literature. Books were very cheap in those days and I bought lots of them, with titles like, "How to Repair Your Car With Humor if You Don't Have Money." This was the beginning of my training in my new profession.


These books taught me basic facts about car repair, like how the engine works and the functions of the ignition and suspension. But even as I was learning, I faced a new dilemma: How to get spare parts when they weren't available in stores. Sometimes I bought parts on the black market and when I really was stuck I relied on the wisdom and advice of older drivers. It was during this time that I learned many of the tricks described in earlier columns.


My first car died after an unfortunate meeting with an army truck. I can't say this caused me undue grief, and I went ahead and bought my next car, a second-hand Zhiguli 2106, a model that is produced to this day. This car was a small step up in the world: It was more modern, with a more sophisticated engine.


I still had trouble finding spare parts for my new car, but it was only four years old and for the first six months it ran smoothly. This taught me an important lesson: To avoid problems, only buy used cars that are relatively young.


Unfortunately, the nightmare started after six months -- my new old car started to discombobulate like something out of a Disney cartoon. This taught me another lesson: If you buy a second- hand car, make sure you buy it from a responsible owner who hasn't raped his vehicle.


I eventually sold the second car and bought my first foreign car, an eight-year-old Opel Manta sports coupe that had already been driven for two years in Russia. This car taught me many lessons that I still use today.


The Opel didn't cause me any major problems and whatever glitches came up I was able to solve myself, which taught me that an old European car is better than a three-year-old Zhiguli. I also realized that although most European cars run better than Russian cars, the basic components of all cars are the same and most problems aren't connected to what country they come from.


Even while I was driving my first Opel Manta, I was lucky enough to buy another one for $450. It had been abandoned for months on end in a diplomatic parking lot -- without wheels and seats -- and I bought it for spare parts. It had never been driven in Moscow.


A few weeks later, the first Manta was seriously damaged in an accident and I ended up refitting its seats and wheels into the second Opel. I quickly found out that the second Opel drove much better than the first because it had never been used in Russia. This was another important lesson and I never had a major problem with the second Manta.


I now drive a BMW 325, a model produced in 1987. I still take advantage of the lessons I learned 10 years ago from my first car, but not every day. My new car was expensive and spare parts are expensive -- but it doesn't break down very often.


By the way, if you are wondering whether I now make my living through my knowledge of cars, the answer is yes. Besides writing these columns, I am the editor of "4x4 Club," a glossy magazine about four-wheel drives.


So, of course, my next step is to buy a British or American off-road vehicle, which I'm sure will teach me new tricks.