My Summer Car Tips & Guide: Build Your Dream Satsuma Without Dying

Forget Dark Souls - My Summer Car might be gaming's most brutal survival challenge. Picture this: you're stuck in rural Finland with nothing but a bare car chassis, some basic tools, and a desperate need to keep yourself alive.

The game's genius lies in its unforgiving blend of car building and survival mechanics. One wrong move while assembling your Satsuma could leave you stranded miles from home. Even worse, neglecting your basic needs turns your Finnish adventure into a quick trip to the morgue.

Most players tap out before experiencing what makes this game special. The brutal learning curve hits hard when you're staring at hundreds of car parts scattered across your garage floor.

That's where this guide comes in. We'll walk you through those brutal first days, show you how to keep both yourself and your Satsuma alive, and help you actually enjoy becoming Finland's next master mechanic. Ready to get your hands greasy? Let's fire up that engine.

My Summer Car Basics: Don't Die While Building Your Ride

Your first steps in rural Finland need serious planning, or you'll end up face-down in a ditch before finishing that Satsuma. The player attributes panel in your top-left corner isn't just fancy UI - it's your lifeline.

Here's what you need to watch:

Thirst meter - Chug water, beer, or milk to stay hydrated
Hunger bar - Grab those sausages and chips before you pass out
Stress level - Hit the sauna or chain-smoke to keep cool
Sleep gauge - Don't sleep-drive that tractor
Dirt tracker - Nobody likes a smelly mechanic

Controls? Pretty straightforward. The F key is your best friend here - it's basically your "do stuff" button. Left-click grabs things and opens doors. Plus, you can hook up a steering wheel if you're feeling fancy.

Hit F1 or Esc for settings. Crank those graphics down if your PC's struggling - trust me, you'll want those sweet vehicle mirrors more than fancy bloom effects.

Starting fresh? You'll need a driver's license. Slap down a name (three letters minimum for both first and last). Pro tip: disable permadeath unless you're a masochist - this game's got enough ways to kill you already.

Once you're in, don't expect any hand-holding. The game throws you into the deep end with nothing but some cryptic notes on your fridge and random posters for guidance. At least you've got basic tools and that beast of a tractor to get around.

Stay Alive: Your First Days Won't Be Pretty

Think you'll just waltz into Finland and start wrenching? Your first challenge is staying alive long enough to touch that Satsuma. Water's your best friend here - crouch under taps like a thirsty gremlin, or keep beer and milk handy. Just watch the beer intake, unless you fancy rebuilding your engine while drunk.

Hunger's another beast to tame. Load up on pizza and chips for those late-night repair sessions, but remember - chips will dry you out faster than a Finnish summer. Smart mechanics keep their sausages and milk chilling in the fridge.

Teimo's shop runs on that sweet shopping bag system. Grab your goods, stuff 'em in one bag, then hit F to unpack like it's Christmas morning. Hold F if you're feeling lazy - everything dumps out at once.

Your survival stash needs organization:

Fridge for the good stuff that spoils
Garage for your wrench collection
Pantry for those emergency munchies
Vehicle stash for roadside disasters

Day one's your money move. Snag that sweet uncle cash random gift money from your uncle's place, then roll up to Teimo's with both jerry cans. Shopping list time:

Grub (sausages, chips)
Car juice (fan belt, coolant, oil)
Fix-it fuel (brake fluid, fuses)
Life savers (mosquito spray)

Time flies when you're not dead. Shops keep it real with actual hours. Pro tip: yank that phone cord before bed unless you love 3 AM wake-up calls. Save your progress at every toilet - each flush jumps time forward an hour.

Stress turning you into a rage quitter? Hit the sauna, chain smoke, or just mash that N key to swear your problems away. For proper sauna action, sauna process involves turning both knobs to full and waiting it out. Seven minutes later, you're looking at 100 degrees of pure Finnish bliss. Splash some water around with that ladle - each steam cloud scrubs 5% of that garage grime right off.

First Town Run: Don't Blow Your Uncle's Cash

Teimo's shop runs Monday through Saturday, 10:00 to 20:00. Show up early? Kill time behind the shop - there's a toilet for saving progress and skipping ahead two hours.

Prep Your Supplies

First store run needs serious planning. Grab those jerry cans - diesel in one, gas in the other. Bonus tip: that crusty old battery in your garage's back corner? Slap it on the charger now. Trust me, your future Satsuma will thank you.

Pick Your Ride

Three beauties waiting to carry your broke self to town:

Tarja (The Boat) - Lake-crossing champion that laughs at those wimpy dirt roads. Runs on two-stroke fuel and won't try to kill you.

Kekmet Tractor - Slow but steady wins the race. Comes with a sweet trailer for hauling loot and actual windows. No helmet required for this beast.

Jonnez ES Moped - This 80cc screamer hits 90 km/h. Great for speed runs, terrible for grocery trips. Hope you packed light.

Shopping List (Don't Forget It)

Roll up to Teimo's colorful shop at Peräjärvi's crossroads with this hit list:

Car Must-Haves:
- Alternator belt (295 mk)
- Motor oil (149 mk)
- Brake/clutch fluid (35 mk)
- Battery (495 mk, skip if charging grandpa's old one)
- Oil filter (59 mk)
- Spark plug box (99 mk)
Stay-Alive Stuff:
- Two-stroke fuel for your boat/moped adventures
- Ground coffee (19.95 mk)
- Sausages (10.95 mk)
- Pizza (9.95 mk)

Hit the register when you're done shopping. Small stuff goes in the shopping bag - just tap F to unpack later. Big items? Pure manual labor. Park close unless you fancy a Finnish strongman competition.

Your Garage Fleet: Every Ride You'll Need & Why

Starting your Finnish adventure means picking your poison - three very different rides, each ready to either save or wreck your day.

Meet Your Motors

Right off the bat, you're getting three beauties: that zippy Jonnez ES moped, a chunky Kekmet tractor, and good ol' Tarja boat. The Jonnez ES rocks an 80cc two-stroke heart that'll hit 90 km/h if you're brave enough to try. That Kekmet? Pure Finnish muscle based on the Valmet 502, complete with a front lift that'll handle anything you throw at it. Tarja's your water taxi, chilling at Kesselinperä, ready for those lake shortcuts.

What's Hot & What's Not

Let's break down these beasts:

Jonnez ES Moped

Sweet Stuff: Zips around like a caffeinated bee, sips fuel like a gentleman
Not So Sweet: Carries about as much as your pockets, helmet required or your head's toast

Kekmet Tractor

Sweet Stuff: Tows like a champ, drinks cheap fuel oil
Not So Sweet: Slower than your grandma's walking pace, that hand throttle's a pain

Tarja Boat

Sweet Stuff: Lake-crossing champion, won't try to kill you (mostly)
Not So Sweet: Cargo space? What cargo space? Two-stroke fuel only, princess

Keep 'Em Running

Want these babies purring? Here's your survival kit:

Never Leave Home Without:
- Your wrench family reunion
- That spare tire you'll thank me for later
- Emergency juice (fuel, not beer)
- Snacks (because hunger strikes at the worst times)
- Light source & backup juice
Your Regular To-Do List:
- Fluid check every few trips (yes, all of them)
- Spark plug inspection (biweekly, no cheating)
- Fresh bulbs monthly (night driving's scary enough)
- Brake & clutch fluid checkup (monthly, or else)

Keep your ears open for weird noises - your ride's trying to tell you something. Fix small problems before they become big ones, and always pack tools like you're expecting trouble. Trust me, in Finland, trouble finds you.

Cash Grind: Your Guide to Finnish Fortune

Need money for that Satsuma build? Finland's got plenty of dirty jobs waiting for a desperate mechanic.

Quick Cash Routes

Want the fastest path to profit? Grab that sewage truck. Each septic job pays 1,200 mk clean cash, and you can hit four houses before the tank screams uncle. Full route nets you 3,371 mk after dumping fees.

Feeling crafty? Kilju brewing's your ticket to passive income heaven. One bucket = 20 bottles = 3,400 mk when fermented right, at 170 mk per bottle. Zero fuel costs means pure profit.

Got towing skills? Fleetari pays serious cash for hauling wrecks. Small cars net 700 mk, but those big boys? 3,200 mk straight to your pocket.

Jobs That Keep Paying

Your Finnish job board looks like this:

Regular Money Makers:

Haul firewood - 3,200 mk per loaded trailer
Pick strawberries - 40 mk per box (stack up to 1,600 mk daily)
Feed grandma & maybe Jesus - 1,500 mk with that sweet church bonus
Play taxi for drunk locals
Spam those mailboxes
Sunday driver for church folks

Plus those one-off gigs - harvester delivery, helping movers, special missions that'll make your wallet happy.

Time Is Money, Friend

Shop hours matter - Fleetari's wrench paradise runs 8:00-16:00 weekdays, while Teimo keeps it going 10:00-20:00 Monday through Saturday.

Money-making pro tips:

Park that poop truck close to town - fuel ain't free
Stack jobs like Tetris - firewood & sewage runs make perfect partners
Start brewing before other jobs - kilju needs 4-6 days to get tasty
Keep that phone handy during business hours
Save at every toilet - time jumps forward an hour each flush

Perfect day? Start pumping tanks at dawn, stack some wood, check your killer kilju setup. Need quick cash? Those strawberry fields are always calling.

Pro tip: Game time flies 12x faster than real life - two real hours = one Finnish day. Plan those jobs right or watch your profits vanish faster than warm beer at a sauna party.

Satsuma Assembly: Your Finnish Jigsaw Puzzle From Hell

Think you're ready to build your dream machine? Hope you like puzzles with over one hundred different car parts. Let's turn that pile of parts into Finland's finest speed demon.

Your Tool & Parts Checklist

First up, raid your toolbox. You'll need the whole family - wrenches from 5-15mm, screwdrivers, spark plug wrench, and that ruler you haven't used since high school.

Shopping list before you wreck your ride:

Fresh battery & oil filter (the old ones hate you)
Full spark plug set (all of them, not just the pretty ones)
Four bottles of brake/clutch juice
Double trouble: two each of coolant & motor oil
That precious alternator belt
Enough gas to drown a moose (18L minimum)

Building Your Beast

Time to play mechanic. Flip that engine block like a Finnish pancake and start the fun:

Crankshaft goes in first - main bearings & 9mm bolts are your friends
Camshaft needs two 5mm bolts, then four pistons at 7mm each
Head gasket's next, topped with cylinder head (ten 7mm nuts)
Rocker shaft wants five 8mm nuts, because why make it easy?

Timing's everything - get that camshaft gear pointing to 10 o'clock like you're late for sauna. Chain goes on next, covered up nice and tight with six 6mm screws.

Electrical stuff? Distributor needs your screwdriver's love. Alternator mounts with one 7mm and one 10mm nut because Finnish engineering.

How to Mess Everything Up

Want to create a fancy Finnish firework? Try these:

Battery hookup backwards - negative before positive (instant light show)
Loose bolts = fluid fountain
Valve adjustment guessing game
Using grandpa's worn-out parts

Wiring's your friend until it isn't. Double-check those connections - starter, alternator, ignition circuit need perfect harmony. Fluid levels matter more than your coffee intake.

Parts playing hard to get? Save and reload might fix those glitchy attachments. Lost something? Check the landfill - gravity's been stealing your parts.

Keep Your Satsuma Alive: The Ultimate Maintenance Guide

Your Satsuma's either purring like a kitten or screaming for help - there's no in-between. Let's make sure it's the first one.

Tuning Your Beast

Valve adjustment's your ticket to engine happiness. Grab that screwdriver, scroll down each valve screw till it stops, then scroll up exactly seven times. Like setting up perfect mouse sensitivity, but for your engine.

Distributor timing's next on the hit list. Loosen that hold-down screw, spin counterclockwise until you hear the sweet chirp. Want pro numbers? Scroll up full, then down 27 clicks for that perfect timing.

Alternator belt's gotta sing the right tune. Loosen up, scroll down till it squeals like a pig, then up two clicks. Too tight? Your belt dies. Too loose? Everything dies.

Fluid Dance

Oil's your engine's lifeblood - check that dipstick like you check your Discord messages. Dark oil? Time for an oil change party:

Pop that size 13 bolt
Watch your old oil sins drain away
Slap in a fresh filter
Pour in the good stuff

Coolant's your temperature guardian, keep it topped up or face the consequences. Brake and clutch systems? They're thirsty for two and a half bottles of brake fluid. Skip this, and you'll find out why Finland has so many lakes.

When Things Go Wrong

Engine making weird noises? High-pitched chirping means your distributor's crying for help, while metallic clicking screams "fix my valves!". That camshaft gear better be pointing to 10 o'clock like it's coffee time.

No-start blues? Check these:

Silent treatment? Battery connections or starter bolts playing hide and seek
Cranking but no party? Fuel levels or spark plugs being shy
Starts then dies? Distributor timing or fuel pump having a bad day

White smoke? Coolant's taking a vacation. Black smoke? Your air-fuel ratio's gone wild. Engine running hotter than a Finnish sauna? Water pump or head gasket's probably given up on life.

Your maintenance hit list:

Spark plugs need love every two weeks
Oil filter changes with every oil swap
Monthly headlight check or embrace darkness
Brake fluid inspection or test your prayer skills

Fix small problems before they become big ones. Work through issues like you're debugging code - systematic and thorough. Your Satsuma's not just a car - it's your ticket to Finnish glory or shame.

Level Up Your Game: From Rookie to Finnish Racing Legend

Your summer in Finland isn't just about building cars - it's about becoming a local legend. Let's map out your path from garage newbie to respected gearhead.

Story Checkpoints

While you're wrestling with that Satsuma build, the game's cooking up some wild plot twists. Every fixed engine and beer run shapes your story in Alivieska. Hit the right marks, and this sleepy town opens up like a treasure chest.

Grandma's got all the hot gossip about family drama, while Sirkka spills the tea about your uncle's adventures with the bottle. These aren't just random chats - they're your ticket to unlocking new game content.

Your Uncle's Secret Questline

Uncle Toivo's not just that drunk guy next door - he's your key to better rides. Want his van? Slap one of these on your Satsuma: driver's seat, engine block, or left trail arm. Then wait 30 minutes to 1.5 hours real-time.

Van Quest Walkthrough:

Install that Satsuma part
Twiddle thumbs for 5000 seconds
Stay 50 units from home base
Spam that door knock
Score van keys

Wait another 12,000 seconds (3 hours 20 minutes), and boom - uncle loses his license. Congratulations! You've unlocked both his van and that sweet Gifu pump truck.

HUGE WARNING: Don't even think about using fuel oil in that van before uncle's license drama. Unless you want him rage-selling the Gifu truck.

Inspection Time: Don't Fail This Quest

Think Dark Souls boss fights are tough? Try passing Finnish vehicle inspection. Lindell's shop runs weekdays 08:00-16:00, charging 325 mk per try. Your pass lasts 28 days.

Your Inspection Checklist:

Must-Have Parts:
- Stock exhaust (the boring one)
- All body panels attached
- Full suspension setup
- Working brakes (kind of important)
- Warning triangle (because Finland)
- Lights that actually work
- Seat that doesn't fall off
- Working gauges

They'll check everything - air-fuel ratio better than 14.05, pistons above 10% health, and tires passing some random 45-65% condition check.

Legal Mods (Won't Fail You):

Racing radiator
Twin carbs
Rally shocks
Racing harness
Roll cage

Instant Fail Mods:

N2O kit (nice try)
Racing exhaust
Racing muffler
Rally tires
Racing carbs

Pass the test? You'll get a fancy bilingual report card. Need this for Rally Sprint Race access and avoiding those pesky police fines.

Pro tip: Keep fluids topped up and bolts tight. Stick to approved mods, and you'll pass faster than a Finnish rally driver on gravel.

The Final Lap: Your Finnish Car Adventure Awaits

My Summer Car isn't just another car game - it's Finland's answer to Dark Souls with a wrench. Where else can you balance building a race car while trying not to die from thirst or get mauled by mosquitos?

This isn't just about slapping parts on your Satsuma. You're juggling survival needs like a circus act, keeping multiple vehicles running like a one-person pit crew, and hustling jobs harder than a Finnish rally driver. Every mark on your inspection sheet, every successful septic tank run, every perfectly timed valve adjustment - they all add up to your ultimate Finnish summer story.

Ready to embrace the chaos? This guide's got your back - from your first sip of coffee to your final rally victory. Remember: Finland wasn't built in a day, and neither was any decent Satsuma. Now get out there and make those mosquitos regret ever meeting you.