As I told a young car enthusiast who was inquiring about his first lathe purchase a few years ago; make sure you can grow into the lathe vs growing out of it very quickly. Most guys I know who purchased lathes for automotive restoration and general shop work quickly outgrew their machines within just a few months/years. In addition, many don't realize that the cost of tooling can often exceed the lathe purchase price by multiple factors. That is an expense few new owners take into consideration. For example, I could buy two new lathes for what I spent on tooling for my unit.