i think half of the struggle is caused by pure laziness. people are so quick to open up a summit and just order shit out of it instead of bargain hunting. it doesnt hurt to buy a used set of headers, or maybe a used cold air intake... especially if youre just looking to get some extra power out of a motor. once you start to build a race car and push the limits of the motor, it doesnt hurt to have new parts where the motor needs them. but that doesnt stop you from fabricating some of your own parts. it costs like $300 or $400 for a alternator relocation bracket for my car. i bet it would take at most 4 hours of R&D and torch/welder time to make one and that is starting from scratch.

what really sucks about the average car enthusiast today is their lack of interest in learning how to make their car go fast. instead they just want to buy shit that makes their car go fast.