Buy a cheap car (i.e. a MX5/Miata) and go racing (on a racetrack). Stuff will break and you will have to fix it, since it's not your daily car there is no pressure in having it fixed on time, just take your time and figure out how to fix whats broken. Youtube is a great source for instruction videos. Even if the car does not break, you will still need to wrench on it to upgrade the brakes, engine, transmission, suspension etc, make it more suitable for racing. In the end you'll have the knowledge, a racecar, a great new hobby, a lot of fun and meet a lot of cool people.
Or next time you buy a new car, just keep your old one as a project.
That's what I did when my old car died. I was originally going to sell it for parts on Craigslist, but then I got the crazy idea in my head to buy some tools and attempt the repair myself over the summer. Got it back in working order and I've been wrenching on it ever since.
Like you said, no pressure in having it fixed on time if it's not your daily driver.
This is actually how I became a programmer; cutting my teeth on problem solving physical systems, and learning how to self-teach using Haynes manuals fixing a classic F-body Trans Am.
