To be fair I feel like this requires being a homeowner so that you have a garage to work in

Many localities have co-op community workshops where you can use their space to work on your car. They may even have a lift, common tools you can use, and someone there who might know enough about car repair to help you. Or not, but check into it.

There is also old-fashioned community. Most people know a friend or family member with a driveway.

When I rented a room, I did my auto maintenance on the curb. Now that I have a home, I still do that because I don't want oil stains on my driveway.

I get that some people don't have space for an oil pan, but tons do. Brake pad replacement doesn't require anything besides the jack from your car and a socket wrench.

I don't have a garage.

Do you own a home? Every apartment I've ever lived in prohibited doing any car maintainance on the property.

Yes, and my unique qualification for owning a 1100 sqft home was “no HOA”

No garage. I have a driveway, but do most of my auto work in the street because I don't want stains on it

I once put my old E36 BMW back together in the parking lot outside of my apartment following a front-end crash.

I'd have probably been more comfortable in a garage, wherein: I could leave things as they sat and would know that they'd be exactly where I left them when returning the next day.

But I didn't have a garage nearby that I could use. I kept the area clean and picked up all of my tools and detritus if I went in even for as much as a sandwich, and worked as expediently as my time would allow as I puzzled out this new-to-me problem of "bodywork."

I didn't get hear any complaints. The owner of the place would stop sometimes on his way through to make sure I was doing OK and would ask if I needed anything, and soon enough the car was put together better than it ever was on my watch.

I think you and I had a disagreement the other day. It's nice to see we also agree on things.