Thinking of Opening a Vintage Garage

[Car Nut]

Should be some Cubans coming over soon that you can hire, they know how to keep old cars running.

Seriously, opening a vintage garage is a good idea.

 

[BeatersRus]

not only will this work,but if you get the right Crew,they can teach Each other as well.
my specialties are diagnosing and problem solving,along with most normal repairs/rebuilds.
i would love to learn welding and so forth.
just an example.

i wouldnt be surprised if your first year you make it out of the hole,and into profit.....
however,i wouldnt limit it to just mopars either,you would be cutting off a lot of business.
just convert those chevy lovin heathens ;) when they come in for repairs.

 

[RT K_line]

Hi bruzilla I'm in, that sounds like the idea I had back in the day. Unfortunately I'm now in my 50's, i'v been ASE certified for 25 years and had my Master certification for over fifteen years. I've been certified by ATRA as a builder installer and salesman, certified as a master alignment tech from hunter engineering. I've built and tuned my own mopars for 30+ years and have always trained the young techs I've worked with. At least those who showed initiative and put in the effort to learn. This is a tough business to be in if you aren't vested in it. I do like the idea of training the next generation of mopar lovers. I'm in Texas so not too far to make a change in scenery. Courently I work as a diesel tech. 6.0 and 6.4 Fords , 6.6 chevy Duramax and 5.9 and 6.7 Cummins. I belive I have a well rounded set of old and new school skills. If your dream gets off the ground soon keep me in mind.

 

[OldFolksMopar]

Hey Bruz, don't forget the guy that wants to do it himself but maybe doesn't have a lift. You could rent space buy the hour for there own oil change, exhaust, brakes, etc. Ya liability issues, but it could work. How old are you bruz? could be a factor!!!

 

[Richard Cranium]

Hey Bruz, don't forget the guy that wants to do it himself but maybe doesn't have a lift. You could rent space buy the hour for there own oil change, exhaust, brakes, etc. Ya liability issues, but it could work. How old are you bruz? could be a factor!!!

That sounds like a major insurance liability.

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Do What you know!
....and remember; He who deliberates fully before taking a step will spend his entire life on one leg.....

and this is the reason the barber thing will not work;
*Supercuts
*great clips
*Haircuts franchise
*Sport clips...need I go on?

maybe back in 1956 you could put a closed sign and take a vacation and return a week later
to clients?????
BUT NOT in 2015.....
oh and BTW; you need a thing called experience & talent....

and who pays in cash these days? no one!...it's Plastic and you share 3.7% with the merchant service....

I am an entrepreneur and checked many types of businesses,investments, so I know.

JMVHO

I'm not talking hairdresser business. I go to my local barber & he's always got people lined up & they all seem to be paying cash.

 

[440+6]

Hey Bruz, don't forget the guy that wants to do it himself but maybe doesn't have a lift. You could rent space buy the hour for there own oil change, exhaust, brakes, etc. Ya liability issues, but it could work. How old are you bruz? could be a factor!!!

One just opened around here, nice shop about 6 bays and they just put a sign up saying "we can fix it, you can fix it or we can help you fix it" I haven't stopped by to see what the deal is but I will soon.

I wish there was a shop around here like your describing Bruz, I do most everything on my rides (just did a brake booster the other day) but there are some things I would bring to a trustworthy shop for sure.

 

[Burns69RT]

Thing about it though. My shop builds and restores hotrods, muscle cars etc. we mostly do resto mods but have quite a few OE restorations. Thing is, a lot of guys will bring their classics in for tune ups and we do them. We diagnose problems, I build motors and rear ends. I'm the lead fabricator. And do a bit of everything else. But a lot of hotrod shops do tune ups for classics. I love your idea though. Sounds like a great plan. And actually have a great business model I can send you. Just pm me.

 

[Bruzilla]

Sounds like a fun little project, I wouldn't go crazy spending tons of money on decorations, I know when I walk into a garage I am not worried about how fancy the waiting room and owners office is, but I like to see a nice clean work space and pictures of cars they built on the walls, with letters from happy customers, that would make me feel a lot better than an old gas pump and some fancy tractor seats to sit on (I am referring to a local resto shop that I will not do the service of mentioning their name, if you been there you will know, lol)...

Anyway, I do something similar, I am self employed and help out local guys, I let a few guys use my lift and my tools when they are in a jam or have something to do. When I was with the chevelle crowd I swapped 4 (I can think of off the top of my head) motors for guys, bring a few 6 packs over on a saturday and your work clothes, she'll be running by sunday night, no matter what...
NOW,, to make a profit doing brake jobs is tough, I am going to go out on a limb here and say its much tougher doing JUST vintage vehicles, since there are many less and they dont drive them as much to need brakes constantly.

To do a shop right you need to make the connections and establish relationships with the outside businesses...
LIKE- get an awesome tranny shop on board to do your rebuilds for short money and do a good job, SO when you stumble upon a turbo 350, turbo 400, power glide, 700r4, 200r4, 727, 904, 833, m22, etc etc etc you can have them rebuild them and put them on the shelf, BELIEVE me when a car comes in with a blown out 727 and the guy wants it back on the road, that rebuilt tranny is worth a lot of money, considering you can have him on the road in 4 hours!!!! Then take his core and have it rebuilt.. I know a shop that has about 15 trannies on the shelf, and he charges a bit for them, BUT who else gets you going that day?!?!?!?!

A good chrome shop, nice to just send something out and make 10% when it comes back all shiny..

Next would be a good body shop, its nice to make 5% on a paint job and just deliver the car, its simple, you find a shop that will work with you, you bring the work in, they give you 5% commission and save your customer a few percent at the same time....

I always thought there was a lot of money left ton the table in parts restoration, its a simple premise, you make a recipe book,
-Rebuild manual pedal set $125 (glass bead, coat, and reassemble with new bushings and bearings).

-Rebuild steering column $400

-rebuild console -$350

Offering these services will keep your employees busy and turn a little profit...

I think it can work, there is a lot of money in resto work and maintenance. I think in FL you would be smart to do corvettes also, it seems there are a ton of them down there...

Also get a tax id number so you can setup distributor accounts with year one, classic, etc etc etc so you can give us all parts at cost

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.

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Should be some Cubans coming over soon that you can hire, they know how to keep old cars running.

Seriously, opening a vintage garage is a good idea.

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

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i wouldnt be surprised if your first year you make it out of the hole,and into profit.....
however,i wouldnt limit it to just mopars either,you would be cutting off a lot of business.
just convert those chevy lovin heathens ;) when they come in for repairs.

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

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Hey Bruz, don't forget the guy that wants to do it himself but maybe doesn't have a lift. You could rent space buy the hour for there own oil change, exhaust, brakes, etc. Ya liability issues, but it could work. How old are you bruz? could be a factor!!!

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.

 

[BeatersRus]

thats how i got started,all those years ago.
my Dad had a brand new duster,n i learned to drive in it
then when i joined the military,we had those garages/next to the car washes that we could use the bays in.
thats what started everything for me,bitd.
Great memories there!

heres Hoping you do take the challenge and thrive Bru,
id drive down there sometime just to check things out.

the only negative id have to point out,and someone else already said it,is the customers attitudes.
i used to run my own shop,and what i discovered was that most people are in a bad mood when they come in,and a bad mood when they leave.
doesnt matter how much you Save them,or help them,they just dont like spending the money and they are angry because the cars let them down.

so i switched up about 15-16 years ago and started selling cars and scrapping and God almighty the people have Never been friendlier.
they really are happy,cause they come in Wanting to spend money,and leave with what they wanted.
just remember that,if you do start up a repair shop,cause sometimes their negativity can be draining.

 

[moparstuart]

thats how i got started,all those years ago.
my Dad had a brand new duster,n i learned to drive in it
then when i joined the military,we had those garages/next to the car washes that we could use the bays in.
thats what started everything for me,bitd.
Great memories there!

heres Hoping you do take the challenge and thrive Bru,
id drive down there sometime just to check things out.

the only negative id have to point out,and someone else already said it,is the customers attitudes.
i used to run my own shop,and what i discovered was that most people are in a bad mood when they come in,and a bad mood when they leave.
doesnt matter how much you Save them,or help them,they just dont like spending the money and they are angry because the cars let them down.

so i switched up about 15-16 years ago and started selling cars and scrapping and God almighty the people have Never been friendlier.
they really are happy,cause they come in Wanting to spend money,and leave with what they wanted.
just remember that,if you do start up a repair shop,cause sometimes their negativity can be draining.

Yup did it for 10 years and they alway had bad
attitudes and or wanted it for cheap of free , economy hit us hard and i lost the place still trying to recover from that mess .

 

[snakeoil24]

Like cranium said making money and handling it is 2 very different things. being in business today can be very rewarding after you deal with help, taxes regulations, banks creditors, insurance companies, Inspectors, sales tax, Townships, County, Sewer authorities unemployment insurance disability insurance workmans comp. Plus everyone thinks your getting rich. Also keep in mind everyone gets paid before you do. Do you know how to manage cash? if you hire help first thing is being able to get good help and no drunks, degenerates, scumbags and thieves. did i mention drug addicts? every Government agency will have their hand in your pocket all te time. also your going to need a good bank with low fees and a credit line. Then your going to have to price your work properly to get paid and also enough margins on work to grow the business. If you have a good member of family who is money wise better yet. Your going to need to learn how to fix things that normally a contractor would do and schedule pm work after hours and weekends. Sundy is for repairs and service. A great idea just understand you will spend 100 hours per week working the first 2 years.

 

[Bruzilla]

Well, I used to help run a family business that did about $3,000,000 a year in sales, I was a defense contractor for 20+ years and managed a LOT of contracts that dealt with everything from OSHA to Arms Export Control Act issues, and I just started a separate cottage industry this spring that's running pretty decent. I also spent three years working with Blue Cross Blue Shield... want to talk about unhappy customers?

But to be honest, I'm not worried about unhappy customers. I've been one enough times to know why they're unhappy as well as what usually makes them happy. Plus I already have someone in mind for my counter person. She's a little Taylor Swift clone who I worked with at Ford (she was a receptionist). She not only knows cars, but she's a genuine savant with any kind of numbers or data points. I could ask her to give me the numbers of everyone who called the dealership four days before and she would rattle every single one of them off the top of her head. She was wanting to buy a Mustang, and we were discussing the HP and Torque curves for the 2005 model. About a month later, one of the salesmen was looking for a Mustang brochure to get the HP numbers and we were out, so I called over Tami and said what's the HP and Torque curves for the Mustang GT? She rattled off every data point. She's working with my son right now, and I've already talked to her about coming to the shop if it opens and she's ready to go. I figure a babe who knows cars and has a mind like a steel trap for names, numbers, and data is gonna be a win-win for everyone to deal with.

But even with that, this is again why I want to focus on servicing instead of repair and restoration. Those have always seemed like no-wins to me.

 

[BeatersRus]

lol! Great reply Bru.
again,Hope it works out,it would be great to see another real shop w real talent around.
test and tune shop would work,and it would keep them happy too,mostly.
you show any car guy how-to or his car running better than it was and they are hooked.

( most of the older mopar owners around me are just braggarts,they only like to show their cars,talk about how much they cost,how much they are worth,how they stole it cheap because the guys needed money and never help anyone and always think they know everything till you show them Basic stuff...Ridonkulus.

meanwhile,im Teaching the young Guns how-to Fix their cars and keep them going and how-to avoid all the pitfalls and saving them money,like most cool mopar guys do. )

you can be the Royal Pontiac of florida,cept w Mopars.
wait,it would be better to use the mr Norms example,hes mopar.

is there a Local racetrack nearby?
you could Really hit a homerun with your idea if so...
all it takes is a couple of people/satisfied customers and itll turn into Big biz.

 

[Hemi Rebel]

Think f40 motorsports. But without the exotic euro trash. Stick to american iron. Sales and service. Could be fun. I accept. When should i move my tooolbox?

 

[Budnicks]

In todays instant gratification {even among older car people}
that's all computerized & the Jiffy Lube, impatient in & out quickie mentality
or cheapskates/disgruntled & all the suit happy customers {they will happen}...

Some of what I will say here may have been covered already...

BUT;
There's usually a good reason not many of these types of shops, aren't in business,
any more...
Some is not needed ",much" anymore, or very small %'s need the services,
hard to make a go of it...
Some is probably, that it was dying off or the knowledge talent/workforce/parts is gone
or it has out priced it's base...

Not that it's not possibly a good idea,
I hope you can make it work...

Running your own business, isn't like working for anyone else,
let alone like some govt. or some sales job...
I hope you can make it work, it'd be cool to see,
IF you can keep & service customers,
especially repeat buss., to keep you & your growing workforce in high cotton...

I'd highly suggest start out small & grow it as needed,
don't jump in too deep @ 1st, until you figure it all out...

I guarantee there's stuff your not thinking of...
Here's more you probably already have thought of, if not I hope it may help...
Waste & storage, grease traps, cleaning & pumping, disposal/garbage,
tools/equipment etc.
Permits, licenses, certifications publically displayed {City/County/State},
depends on where you are {I'm not familur with Fla.}, there are different requirements,
on taxes, occupancy permits, "Professional signage" don't be cheap here either
{there will be some req. & limitations}, all the assoc. costs...

Hopefully you won't deal with the EPA or do a costly environmental impact study
or have to add curbs driveways, green belts, egress-regress, stop lights, lane re-striping etc., that some new business have to do, even if it's the same type buss. that was there before...

All the necessary insurances,
Millions of $$$ in liability {don't be cheap there} &
then more insurance to cover what that other insurance doesn't cover &
then flood & hurricane ins. in Fla., janitorial & general cleaning expenses,
Title 24 & ADA compliant handicap restrooms facilities {this could be a really big $$$ hit},
even parking issues or street access/regress, could be a stickler &
a problem with the city/county etc.
Maybe get a contract with a "build to suit clause", before signing any lease or purchase,
Have the landlord/owner/mngr. cover some of the building & improvement costs possibly...

Then there's workman's comp, even if they are subcontractors 1099 employees,
your still required to cover it {big hit there} it's a % of you gross billings,
X-amount % per $100, then if anyone gets hurt & claims it, real injury or not,
than it goes up drastically too {long story, but it happens}

Air compressor supply large enough to not tax the system,
then adequate electric supply for your equip., don't be cheap here either...
Then there's water, gas, power/electrical requirements, maintenance, lifts,
good lighting, good cleaning, good phones, a clean sales point register,
that you or someone to man them both or you'll lose allot of buss. otherwise...

You have to accept credit cards & pay for that service % expenses/rentals,
just a cost of doing buss., pretty much of any kind, you can select which ones to accept,
American Express & Discover are expensive %'s, Visa & MasterCard aren't as bad,
price can vary vastly for services, really depends on volume of billing/sales...
People don't pay cash much at all anymore, even all the old farts now,
use credit cards & cell phones, even the internet now...

A good website & facebook page, phone book listings,
TV/Radio {aren't that pricey locally} &
even buss stop bench adds, probably would help too...

Then there's the rent or mortgage payment & insurance...

How many billed man-hours/converted to net profit will it take ?
Just to keep the doors open,
let alone walk away with any profit,
you will need to more than likely, reinvest most all of you profits,
to just have some capitol & to keep up with ever expenses...
IMO you surly won't foresee all of them...
Almost No-one, even people that have done it before, rarely does...

The employees won't have all the necessary tools you will need to supply some...
Like larger tools etc., oscilloscope/analyzers, timing equipt./lights,
floor & tranny jacks, welders, torches, specialty pullers,
tire machine, balancer mach. etc.

Even in a tune-up shop, if your going to do anything more than
plugs, wires, points, caps, rotors, coils, gaskets, brakes etc....

Dealing with an older workforce & problems with aging & mobility, health issues etc.
I hope you do all your due diligence...

Sounds like you've spent most you profit already,
dwindling it down to nothing before the doors are even open,
with all the workforce & counter lady etc., when starting out, especially a new buss.,
you should be doing allot of the work yourself, not just managing it...

Most new buss. fail because visions of grandeur, of poor planning,
{not enough personal commitment/attention to details} &
over taxing the capitol, long before the doors even open,
let alone, keeping the doors open & actually being profitable, not just a hobby...

I hope you have all the basic knowledge & necessary needed skills too,
so your workers don't take you for a ride,
then it cost you money to fix &/or pay for their mistakes,
let alone all the regular day to day brick & motor buss. expenses...
You really need to have the added broad knowledge base,
of most if not all the work being done...

Your word & reputation of even your employees
"is everything", you have to deliver even on your employees lame excuses
& unrealistic promises, because;
A bad word of mouth {just like on here, with people not following thru, get hammered}
it will kill you off, before you even get barely started in business...

Been there done that, with most of all the above several times...
I'm not trying to sound like a condescending "Know it all" either...

Like I said before "I hope your venture works out for you"...
BUT there's allot more to running a regular daily 6-7 days a week, brick & motor buss.,
especially customer relations with heaver "service" based business,
than just an idea or management issue...
IMO & experiences it' far more complex & time consuming, mentally taxing,
than being just an employee, when someone else has to take care of,
all the rest of the stuff, that keeps the doors open, which would be you,
or fall on your broad shoulders in this case...

Good Luck & Happy Moparing

 

[MarPar]

Should be some Cubans coming over soon that you can hire, they know how to keep old cars running.

Seriously, opening a vintage garage is a good idea.

Im Cuban, and I wouldnt hire any of them...

 

[moparstuart]

Im Cuban, and I wouldnt hire any of them...

I hear the ones who sell Meat are the worst , those bastards

 

[MarPar]

I hear the ones who sell Meat are the worst , those bastards

rat bastards!! they'll screw ya every chance they get!! :sex:

 

[Pops1967GTX]

you are self-motivated & have the knowledge, wishing you well..Here’s a Theme for the garage.

 

[GetX'd]

Bruzilla - wishing you well too. Wish there was a garage liking you're considering near me in the O.C. CA. Make sure and put up a lot of good calendar pics of the beauties so everyone enjoys the atmosphere. I'm sure popsgtx would approve.