Hello from Ohio

Hi everyone,

I am joining this forum to learn more about automotive labscopes and the function of electrical circuits. A little bit of background on me:

I ran a full-time 2 bay automotive repair shop from 2011 to 2016. I went part time after 2016 as I began teaching special education (my college field of study). I have no formal automotive training, but I learned to work on cars from the age of 16. I learned mostly from my father who was a pretty decent backyard mechanic out of necessity (always driving clunkers) and $20 paperback Chiltons manuals.

In high school, I removed the engine from my 1980 Toyota Celica and rebuilt it and tried to trick it out with what I knew or thought worked at the time. I still have the car to this day.

I still work on cars for customers. I would love to implement labscopes so I can make a confirmed call on parts that intermittently work. I know PICO scopes are desirable, and I'll get there one day, but I may have to start off with a used vantage pro or a Hantek for cost reasons. Any opinions on a good starter scope for diagnosing vehicles, specifically ignition coils, cam/crank sensors, and fuel injectors? I am all ears.

Welcome to the forum.
Any scope is better than no scope, as long as you use it. I use a Snap On, but it's far from the only name in the game.
Poke around the Diagnostic Tools and Techniques section to get an idea of what people using.

Welcome ! as Noah posted any scope is better than no scope for a really cheapy scope that works look at the Owon VDS 1022i the hardware is better quaility than the Hantek and the software is miles better and touchsceen aware.

If you decide a scope is for you you can go for something more sophisticated with deeper memory a faster processor and if you feel the need more channels

Welcome to the forum!