This is my actual goal. My wife and I are Gen X, and see this as completely doable. For those complaining about not having enough opportunities for success, I have a few things to share. This is a long term goal that seemed unattainable when we were 20 yrs old. We lived in a crappy apartment and shared a shitbox car. But, stayed somewhat cautious with spending, maintained excellent credit and bought real estate in down markets. We sold our cabin in the north country for a 300% profit in 2021 and sold my long term rental property just yesterday for a nearly 600% profit. Real estate trends are cyclic. It is important to look at the long game, be patient and be ready for when the market comes back in your favor. It will happen. My wife and I are not extraordinary in any way. Some college, no money from our families, good jobs (not great jobs). The home we live in will be paid off in five yrs and we now have freed up cash for a condo in FL when the market works back around. If someone had told me 25 yrs ago that this would be a reality for me, I would have said that they had no idea what they were talking about.

I am in NH and it is similar here. I do not have the same issue as you, but I have heard the same story many times here. We have used the same shop for 25 years and my wife grew up with the owner. He is realistic about inspections and we just had three cars done with no issues. Safety inspections are useless. The only reason they exist is to generate income for the state. Statistically, states without inspections do not have more vehicle accidents due to mechanical failure. Actually, studies show that people who live in states without inspections maintain their cars to a higher level than states with required inspections.