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Probably 20 years ago when I bought my '84 911 I knew that if I stuck with restoring it, I'd have a very nice air-cooled Porsche. So, like anything else, I accumulated knowledge. I bought books, including ones written by electricians specializing in automotive 12v troubleshooting. One of the first books that I bought specifically recommended a Fluke multimeter, and encouraged that you buy at least an auto-ranging unit. It also detailed some really cool cheapo pocket multimeters. It also described some rather hokey poor man test techniques, ha!
When I bought the first Fluke, I had a Sears multimeter that was slow and just not built with the quality test leads and durability of the Fluke. Because electrical troubleshooting can be dangerous and complex, it just helps to eliminate errors due to a fussy or less than 100% reliable diagnostic tool.
Over the years I added more knowledge and used the Fluke countless times on everything from 120v household wiring and equipment, to 220V 50 amp power. Just this week, I used it to install a new voltage regulator on my vintage forklift, and to fix and restore a light tower that I bought from another guy who could not figure out what was wrong with it. I got everything on it working like new for less than $600, which required testing 500+V AC capacitors.
Did it seem like overkill 20 years ago? Yeah, if I was not going to use it to gain experience. Would it be overkill now? Nope.
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