I grew up around car enthusiasts so I was taught basics like racing lines and breaking in my early teens.
Another aspect to really enjoying those games is car customization. Most people (including DSP) just put on all the upgrades that are most expensive or make the horse power go up, then have a car that is an undrivable mess.
There's also cars that are just not good for racing. If you know cars you're going to want a Nissan Skyline over a Ford Focus, but if you're not a car person they both look like family cars and are priced about the same. I think this might be why I prefer the PS1 Gran Turismo games as not only is there the nostalgia factor, but that era is cars is what I grew up with. I might miss out on modern Bugattis and Lamborghinis, but being able to easily avoid lemons in the early game is not nothing.
Edit: Fixed typos.