I have been training since the age of 15 when I joined the local gym. The gym back then is what most people would call oldskool. The multigym was a chrome universal one, and one of the benches was made from wood. But it had loads of plates, a good squat rack, and a proper olympic bench along with plenty of dumbells. From then on I was hooked. With a friendly bunch of regulars from beginner to advanced, the gym had a great vibe to it.
As time moved on the gym manager in all his wisdom decided to buy a load of new 'equipment'. Shiney and new this was to be a new era for the gym. It definately was- the stuff was CRAP! Along with this shiney equipment came a bunch of muppetts that had no idea of gym ettiquete. They were rude, arrogant mirror posers. At the age of 20 when I got my first full time job as a fitness instructor I decided with my first pay check to buy some gym equipment.
I bought a power rack, bench, 150kg olympic weights set, and some bodysolid dip bars. This was a fantastic set up that allowed me to quit the gym and head into the garage, from then on I never looked back.