Thinking of Opening a Vintage Garage

[Derwud]

This thread has me thinking of the same kinda thing in So Cal...

 

[bkleenfltx]

"Whenever a customer in nice clothes, nice jewelry, and a nice car drove up, the salesmen all hid, which seemed counter-intuitive to me. Then they explained the folks with the big wallets are the biggest pain in the asses to deal with. They want the world and they want it cheap"

LOL that comment is SPOT on! With the invent of social engineering with political correctness I've witnessed people becoming more and more rude, cruel and demanding. Being an old guy I personally love it because I still got me some attitude and can some times LOL! back it up. I just smile politely and add the gruity of UP CHARGE :laughing9:

So the whole shop deal. In Orange Park you should do well. There are enough classics and old people with money for you to do well. I just wouldnt put it on 21....what is that like 100 traffic signals in 50 blocks? LOL! it takes an hour to get back to the interstate from a few blocks away. I told a friend of mine who owned a funeral home there. "hey can I come in and sell for you" "why would you want to give up your job now" " because if they LOVED ONES will be there ....they need a contact to get rid of those OLD CARS" he laughed for years about that.

Like you I go to car shows and I love to hear the guys "who did that for you" "where did you get that done"? 95% of the guys in my club restored their cars themselves....well their checkbooks! There is your market.

One guy claimed he was a member.... usually had a chevelle or two sitting around his garage. He had a lot of really good memorabila in his shop office. To me it was really nice set up. So I call him up I'm coming in (work schedule wouldnt allow for me to do it myself) on the way home the alternator goes out in my Benz. "oh yes if your a Blast From the Past member I'll take care of you.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4z4fS_h7b7U/VOt-DyDiCzI/AAAAAAAAFVU/U9WvSpylXjw/w640-h400-p-k/Screenshot%2B2015-02-23%2B20.20.43.png

Calls me the next day.... Mr. Carter....we can have you out this afternoon and its only gonna cost 845.00 (as if it was .50). Oh well yes sir we have to take a lot of stuff off the front to get to it. By looking at it one could believe that. me: "hmmmm, tell ya what I'll pay you to recharge the battery so I can get it home". SO i go and buy 135.00 alternator and new belt. I had it fixed in about 1.5 hours...it was tricky but I spent most of that time figuring out the trick, and there was indeed one.

Another guy here has a TON of business. Classic garage looking place really neat inside well done. I'm in D.C. Wife takes the Expedition in for a miss. He calls me" well its going to be 500.00 to replace the starter" me: "ahhhhhh STARTER?" "To fix the miss?" Well sir the starter is bad and drawing all the amperage off the computer and we can't hook up the computer until we get the starter fixed." (okay just so you guys know, my neighbors have too much money and dont mind wasting it and are STUPID). Me: "oh....so the starter will fix the miss?" "well sir we hope to find out what the computer says after we fix it" "so will the truck run at all?" " well yes we can boost it and we THINK we can get it to run" "Okay great go ahead and do that and then hook it up to the computer" "well sir, we cant hook it up to the computer until the starter is repaired" "well okay ...go ahead and replace it and write on the service ticket this was your recommendation for the miss" "well I see what kind of customer you ARE...you think you know everything!!!!" LMAO! I have to stop what im doing. Find another shop while I'm in DC and send the wife there. With a new coil pack she is off and running. Oh and the starter worked PERFECTLY for another 3 years when we sold it.

Fast forward one of our guys that has a LOT more money than I do takes his 50 Chebbie truck in to this cat. Had the jacklegs do ALL his work. the motor is a 454 running near 800ish hp running racing fuel only!!! runs it about a year. (they TOLD HIM it was a burnt valve). Well they were so nice they went ahead and rebuilt the whole engine AGAIN for a mere 15,000!!!!!!

SO I'm like some of you guys I wanted a shop to do items like mentioned and have a place for people to come in nice little shop waiting area coffee place for folks to stop by on their way to work or just hang out and tell lies. A place to work on guys cars that really dont know anything and okay with paying a reasonable price.

there is a perfect place 5 miles or so... I just dont know about the location verses price of the property. It was a shop and the son is too lazy to keep the business going. He's waiting on the 300k from the sale of property to sit around and watch tv I think. Now that he's waited 4 years...the Iranians down the street got all the business flow.

 

[Bruzilla]

In Orange Park you should do well. There are enough classics and old people with money for you to do well. I just wouldnt put it on 21....what is that like 100 traffic signals in 50 blocks? LOL! it takes an hour to get back to the interstate from a few blocks away.

Orange Park used to be where all the money was, but now it's in Oakleaf, Fleming Island, and the Southside, but Orange Park is situated between the three so I think it'll work. I've already written off Blanding Blvd anywhere near I-295. Too much mayhem. I was looking at a couple of spots on Wells Rd but they were former auto dealerships and way too big.

This is a spot on Blanding that's just past College Rd. It used to be an air conditioning sales and service place.

A guy moved in a little over a year or so ago and turned it into a classic sales and consignment shop, and he does some P&B and interior work as well.

He seems to be doing pretty well, but I think he would better going a service route because he's less than two blocks from a major P&B shop and a big upholstery shop. I also think he would do better with more of a old-time showroom look up front.

 

[dieseldazzle]

JR moved up off of 218 to a new shop that is pretty decent and cheap.

Its easy to get to for me (keystone heights) but Im moving back down to Melbourne area because everything is a dang 40 mile drive round trip and Im tired of livin in the sticks

 

[petieg383]

I think this is a great idea, especially for items like alignments on older/classic cars. There's hardly anyone that does that in this area, I'm sure it's like that elsewhere. I think a lot of people can get their cars going/running/driving, but maybe don't have the experience or expertise to have them running like a scalded dog. Maybe this is where you come in in regards to tune-ups/tuning expertise?

Also, and I'm sure others have noticed this too on this forum, but I think/believe I've read a good number of members stating 'my mechanic' when speaking about work being completed on their classic cars. It surprises me somewhat, but I know I'm at the point where there is work I can do and work I can't do simply from a time perspective. My life is very full with work/kids/etc. A lot of people in that very same situation. This type of niche business is something that covers those classic car items that maybe people want done ASAP so they can drive their cars but can't do it themselves, but not because of talent or knowledge, it's from lack of time.

Good luck with the business. I wish you success. Keep the Detroit Iron on the road where it belongs!!

 

[Bruzilla]

My son told me last night I should name the garage Any Chance Garage because every time I walk into a parts place, junkyard, or garage I always ask "any chance you guys do this/have this?"

 

[moparstuart]

My son told me last night I should name the garage Any Chance Garage because every time I walk into a parts place, junkyard, or garage I always ask "any chance you guys do this/have this?"

Or we will do it Garage

 

[bkleenfltx]

Orange Park used to be where all the money was, but now it's in Oakleaf, Fleming Island, and the Southside, but Orange Park is situated between the three so I think it'll work. I've already written off Blanding Blvd anywhere near I-295. Too much mayhem. I was looking at a couple of spots on Wells Rd but they were former auto dealerships and way too big.

This is a spot on Blanding that's just past College Rd. It used to be an air conditioning sales and service place.

A guy moved in a little over a year or so ago and turned it into a classic sales and consignment shop, and he does some P&B and interior work as well.

He seems to be doing pretty well, but I think he would better going a service route because he's less than two blocks from a major P&B shop and a big upholstery shop. I also think he would do better with more of a old-time showroom look up front.

Bruz..... i have a good friend in St. Augustine that seems to have an inside scoop on parts. He's a good guy. I litteraly would go strip a car from his yard and resell the parts from home. He offered me a 71 challenger small block for 6k ... i was being a cheapo and didnt buy it. Dumb move on my part!

Anyway that yard is perfect ...just needs some changes. Start with consignments but ONLY premium cars! up front just for show. he's almost there just needs some changes in his format/display like moving the cool classics up front instead of the TRUCK!

 

[67GTX440]

All great information, and I already have a tax ID number, but I think this shows the danger of what we in the military called "mission creep". Yes, there are lots of services we could offer, but the problems start to come in when you start migrating away from basic servicing and into restorations or major repairs. I've spent a lot of time in this hobby, and seen a lot of trends, and one of those trends is when owners find a good source for something they tend to stick with it. You find a good engine builder, trans guy, rear end guy, etc., you keep going back to them, and most folks already have their pet engine, trans, etc., guys.

There's also the time factor. Replacing a transmission takes time, space, and labor, and how much of that do I want to tie up on one job if I can be getting five or six servicing jobs done? Plus quick-turnaround repairs require a pretty comprehensive inventory of parts, and that's another expense and space issue to deal with. This is why I was focusing on the servicing angle more than the repair angle.

Looking at the servicing side, I see a lot more turnover going on. You go to Jiffy Tire to get your brakes done because Bob has always done a good job for you, then you go there and Bob left and now they want someone who takes your wheels off and yells "hey, this car ain't got no calipers" working on your car. These shops, if you're lucky, have one in-the-know guy and eight know-nothings and once the in-the-know guy leaves they're done. And there's no real value to keep these guys around because how often does a classic car come into Jiffy Tire?

So the model I'm looking at is going to focus on lowering turnover, which that itself will likely drive up customer retention because when we find a good service source we keep it. Focus the business on servicing like old-time garages used to do, and then refer customers out for larger repair issues and make money off referral fees.

- - - Updated - - -



Seriously... that's not such a bad idea. I'll bet some of those Cuban mechanics know 50s and 60s cars better than anyone.

- - - Updated - - -



Yeah, "Mopar Only" and I would be broke in three months. We have quite afew around, but not enough to keep a business going.

- - - Updated - - -



When I was in the Navy, every base had an auto hobby shop with lifts, tools, everything, and you paid to use it by the day or hour. We LOVED that benefit almost as much as our paychecks, and I always thought it would be great to open one for civilians, but it always comes down to liability costs.

As for my age, I'm showing 54 years on the title, but about 75 on the odometer... it's not the age, it's the mileage. I'm right in that target demographic of guys who love driving old cars but have too much money and too little desire to keep making repairs on them ourselves. Another two or three years and I don't ever plan on seeing the underside of my car again.

Before he even gets to "this car don't have no calipers", he has already broken off all of the driver side wheel studs trying to take them off "lefty loosey" with the impact wrench, and told you you need all new studs since the ones on that side of your car have apparently failed from age.

- - - Updated - - -

Before he even gets to "this car don't have no calipers", he has already broken off all of the driver side wheel studs trying to take them off "lefty loosey" with the impact wrench, and told you you need all new studs since the ones on that side of your car have apparently failed from age.

Jacksonville used to have a topless car wash and it went out of business. It was a pretty low dollar investment as it was in a drive through tent on a bare lot with a water meter and few hoses for capitalization. First Baptist Church probably had someone sitting there wring down customer tag numbers and publishing them in the newspaper.

There used to be a shop close to Emerson and Phillips Highway that would rent you a lift to do your own repairs, and it did not last long. I read about it, thought it was a great idea, and it was already closed by the time I went to check it out.

 

[GetX'd]

There's a franchise out fit around the country that owns the shop and lifts, tools etc. you come in with your car and they'll charge you by the hour for use of their space and equip. They'll help you if you need help - not sure if theyll do it for you. Point is I think this is a brilliant idea. I looked it up on the net - forgot the name because they didn't have one close to me in Los Angeles. Actually they had one - just too far of a drive in LA traffic to get there. When my car gets back home to CA I plan on looking the shop again and exploring the use of it.

Bruzilla - I wish you well brother. We need shops like you're considering with good honest people running them. I'm not much of a mechanic - and would be one to latch on to an honest player in this market and never go anywhere else.

Good luck - And teach everything you learn to Derwud so he can open one up in SoCal for me to frequent. Keep us posted.

 

[Bruzilla]

Topless mechanics.... hmmmmmm.... nope, you wouldn't want to see me topless.

The big driver for me in this isn't the working on old cars thing, it's just that I see a major change to how cars are maintained coming in the future. The older we get, the less appetite we have to crawling around under an old car. I remember giving my Dad crap for taking his cars to Jiffy Lube for an oil change when he could do it himself for half the cost... now I know why he did what he did. Sliding around under cars is a lot different when you're pushing 60 than it is when you're pushing 30. Add to that population all the younger folks who are getting into these cars and know nothing about them, and I see a market I would have never gotten into 10 years ago looking very appealing today.

- - - Updated - - -

Start with consignments but ONLY premium cars! up front just for show. he's almost there just needs some changes in his format/display like moving the cool classics up front instead of the TRUCK!

One of the things I always look at is where other folks have had success. I've written about a garage in MD I went to that had a massive old car junkyard behind it. The brothers who owned it would buy up cars their customers didn't want anymore, park them out back, and use them for parts. This kept them going to close to 60 years. I know there are a LOT of "fallen" project cars in our area, most of them coming up for sale in the $1,000-$3,000 range, and I suspect I could get them for half that much or less. There's also the unwelcome truth that a lot of us are dying off and leaving our cars to family members who have no interest in them and just want them gone. These are also cars I would like to snatch up and stash for use as parts sources or to sell as projects to folks who want to take them on.

I doubt I'll be dealing much with premium cars. There's money there, but there's also lots of competition. Plus most premium cars have been restored for $$$$$ and their owners expect to get $$$$$ even though the market isn't where it was when they restored it. Do I really want to risk a lot of bad press because some guys want to consign their cars for $$$$$ and the only offers they get are $$$? I would rather sell drivers and projects that I can buy for $ and sell for $$ or $$$.