Classic Car Repair Shop

[erik70rt]

Just posing a question here to see what the feedback would be.......

If there was a repair shop that specialized in classic car repairs/upgrades, would you use it? Anything from simple oil changes to engine rebuilds/swaps. Not a restoration or body shop.

Yes or no?

If no, why not?

I know a lot of us can do our own work but just trying to gauge if such a shop existed, would it have a chance at succeeding.

Thanks!

 

[Unconventional]

There is a shop in town that seems quite busy with that type clientele. It's got 4 lifts in the shop and every time I pass by there they are all occupied.

 

[barbee6043]

In our rural county, I love to use local talent, when I have the need. I have always done all my own work, like most in the hobby, that I was capable of, but age is catching up with me FAST!
I think, affordability is the key for many of us older types.

 

[Professor Fate]

Just posing a question here to see what the feedback would be.......

If there was a repair shop that specialized in classic car repairs/upgrades, would you use it? Anything from simple oil changes to engine rebuilds/swaps. Not a restoration or body shop.

Yes or no?

If no, why not?

I know a lot of us can do our own work but just trying to gauge if such a shop existed, would it have a chance at succeeding.

Thanks!

I've got a lot of mixed feelings on this.
Would I use it? Not at this time, except for some things I may not be set up for- like front end alignments, etc.; although I can foresee the time when I will be farming out some of the "heavy lifting", so to speak... But that's me, and I don't make up the whole market.
What I do see is more and more people getting into the hobby that have absolutely no knowledge, background, or ability with classic vehicles; but they still want to get into the game. Maybe they finally saved enough coin to buy their teenage dream car. Maybe they just inherited Dad's/Grandpa's pride and joy, and want to keep it for sentimental reasons or whatever- even though they have no clue how to maintain it.
Like the old saying goes in real estate- everything is location, location, location.
Would such a business model succeed in a rural, agricultural community? Not likely.
Would it work in a densely populated urban setting? Also not ideal.
What I see is an area with a large retiree population, senior communities and such- people most likely to have these vehicles, but may have downsized in their retirement and no longer have a shop or place to work on their toy(s). People who have spent years (or more) finding or building their classic, and now want to keep enjoying it but lack the ability to work on it themselves anymore, for whatever reason.
Maybe you could even offer bays to rent, so people so inclined could still do some of their own work; with an on-staff mechanic on hand to assist if the need arises. To me, this would be ideal; although I can also see liability issues galore.
Could it succeed? Maybe, but like any business you need to do your legwork and know your potential customer base, and be realistic about your expectations -especially in the first few years while you build your clientele and reputation.

 

[44070dart]

Yeah, I do. I'm done with wrenching, not by choice, but by reality. I find more shops look at these cars, as something they don't want any part of. The tech's are much younger than the cars, and most don't have any experience with them. We have a few performance shops in the area, but you better have deep pockets for their expertise. I'm having my steering box replaced this spring and, I'm sure it will take half my social security check. .It's worth it.

 

[Darter6]

About 10-15 years ago I guy I knew well opened such a shop. I worked for him for about a year till he got a good footing. I was retired and didn't want a steady job.
He had plenty of business with both everyday drivers and classics of all types.
Unfortunately even with 40+ years of being a mechanic he wasn't the best business man. Lost everything due to excessive spending and had to close.

Could it succeed?

I say yes. Demographics say many possible clients are 60 and above in age as far as classics go. Also with everyday drivers many don't want to do their own work anymore. Be smart, don't bite off more than you can chew.
One more thing, don't get too many employees .
Another auto business friend has him and 1 employee and takes in the work the two of them can handle.

 

[Professor Fate]

And another thing to take into consideration- no matter how good you are, we're currently battling to find quality service replacement parts sources- a situation which we're all becoming increasingly aware of. If you want to stay in business much less turn a good profit, you can't do it if you frequently have to do the job twice. When you run a service oriented shop, substandard parts are going to affect your reputation through no fault of your own.
This is a big reason I no longer take on outside jobs. It's frustrating enough just keeping my own junk running.

 

[ProjectBazza]

And another thing to take into consideration- no matter how good you are, we're currently battling to find quality service replacement parts sources- a situation which we're all becoming increasingly aware of. If you want to stay in business much less turn a good profit, you can't do it if you frequently have to do the job twice. When you run a service oriented shop, substandard parts are going to affect your reputation through no fault of your own.
This is a big reason I no longer take on outside jobs. It's frustrating enough just keeping my own junk running.

Amen! And one of the reasons I, as well as many others here, are hoarding OEM parts.

 

[Dartswinger70]

It would succeed people today like the cars but dont want to work on them...the hobby will still be there but people will pay for it.

 

[vames]

I am almost always disappointed when I hire a "professional" to do something that I can do.

Say you bring the old Mopar in to have the rear brakes done. It'll be expensive, god knows what kind of parts they put in it. They will inevitably install the self-adjustors backwards, put the wrong shoe facing forward and they certainly won't clean things out when they are in there. You bring it back to them with your brakes smoking and you point out the shortcomings of their work, and they are pissed off at you like you're crazy for asking them to make it right. Same with having people work on my pool equipment or anything at my home. Typically less than 20% satisfaction rate after hiring a professional.

 

[Icetech]

I think it surviving would depend where it's located.. it would have to be in a place with old people with too much money that don't wrench.. Also. it's a dying hobby (at least with classics) soo.. every year it's a smaller customer base...

That being said.. i don't like anyone working on any part of my car other than me.. event trans/rear end.. Anything out of my control makes me nuts (engine block has been at the machinist for 8 months..).....

So.. to the main question.. no.. just not for me.

 

[harrisonm]

Unfortunately, at 75, it is getting more and more difficult for me to do things like replace clutches and pull/ rebuild/ reinstall 4 speed transmissions. And many other heavy things. If a place was good, I would use them for things I have trouble doing.

 

[RustyRatRod]

No.
I do all my own work with the exception of paint and body and I may do that.

I trust only TWO other people besides my wife and me.

I can't afford to pay for work done.

I think that about covers it.

 

[1WildRT]

So, what have we learned... LOL..

There is definitely a market for someone who's got the skill to properly diagnose & repair old vehicles...

Trick is finding guys who understand it's not 1970 anymore and labor costs have skyrocketed... Along with shop rental, utilities, shop keepers insurance...

Some folks will never bring you their old car, they insist on doing their own work... That's fine, you don't need every old car...

Junk parts are gonna bite you on the ***... Sorry but that's is just a reality of the auto repair trade these days...

Depending on where you live government licensing & permits can get expensive, complying with environmental & safety regulations...

 

[junkyardhero]

i'll preface this by saying that i ran my own shop for many years doing just classics. so yes, there definitely is a market.

success is fickle and you likely won't get rich doing it unless you're a scumbag, however you can make really good money and feel proud about keeping cars out on the road.

there's tons of advice out there, but one thing i found that helped was to never get into a position where you "had" to take a job. like don't get hungry enough to take on work you don't want to do. you wind up hating it, hating the job, the client, life, the work and yourself. also, don't be afraid to say no. just straight up: that's not something i'm interested in doing. or sorry i don't have the time/equipment/expertise to do [blank] but here's a referral.

always get a deposit for bigger jobs. like 50% up front, 25% as you close in on getting done and 25% on the balance when they pick it up.

avoid the "if you give a mouse a cookie" clients. car is in for one thing and then they want you to look at something else, and then install something else, and then upgrade something else. they drag their feet every step of the way, paying you just enough to keep you on the line and the car just will.not.leave. and then a year or whatever later you go to square it up and it's a giant pain reconciling everything. unless they have a clear vision of what they want and show up with a bank robber sack with a $ sign on it, don't let that transmission job become a rear end gear change and disc brakes.

at the end of the day, it's all nuts and bolts. the hard part of the job is managing expectations and egos, constantly keeping in touch with everybody-- returning calls, emails, texts and researching and running down parts.

oh, and avoid batting clean up for another shop. you have to remember, if it was someplace else that person already spent a bucket full of money over there and now they're probably expecting you to fix it on the quick and cheap-- cuz they just spent a whole bunch of money on it!

anyway, get your location right, keep your staff small and tight, do good and honest work and you can make a good living.

 

[RustyRatRod]

So, what have we learned... LOL..

There is definitely a market for someone who's got the skill to properly diagnose & repair old vehicles...

Trick is finding guys who understand it's not 1970 anymore and labor costs have skyrocketed... Along with shop rental, utilities, shop keepers insurance...

Some folks will never bring you their old car, they insist on doing their own work... That's fine, you don't need every old car...

Junk parts are gonna bite you on the ***... Sorry but that's is just a reality of the auto repair trade these days...

Depending on where you live government licensing & permits can get expensive, complying with environmental & safety regulations...

I completely understand it ain't 1970 anymore, as I made my living as a mechanic most of my life. That said, I couldn't afford to pay me then and I caint afford to pay me or somebody else now. lol I may have to one day, but today ain't it.

 

[jbc426]

There's a large shop with 15 or more bays in San Jose, California that charges $200+ an hour to build people's hot rods, classic cars, resto-mods and restorations for them. It's always slammed with work and booked for next year already. Their shop rate has gone up every year because of decent and exceptional work quality and overall demand. Their low-end, partial builds are north of $100k and the average full-restorations and resto mods are double, triple and beyond that.

I had them build me some custom A/C hoses for a Magnum Swap in a '68 Barracuda. They modify a new A/C compressor manifold with shorted hardlines, relocated fill fittings, longer hoses and new ends. The work quality is very nice, they stand behind their work, but I could have bought a HF hydraulic hose crimping tool and an aluminum soldering set-up for less than what they charged me. Even the parts are expensive on-line, especially if you don't shop around.

I have a well-off buddy that is over $300k into resto-modding a '66 Chevelle. It's epic, but I could never comfortably afford to pay a shop for the work I do and have done on my stuff. Let alone for two cars. The parts costs alone are prohibitively expensive, and so are the tools I've acquired over the years.

Maybe if you call it called it auto day care or senior auto care you could bill the government and become a multi-millionaire?

 

[erik70rt]

Thanks for the replies. It reinforces what I already thought. Yes, I am in discussions about opening a shop in south central area of PA, not far from Carlisle in an area that has good $$ and lots of retirees. We already decided we would not do body/paint as we don't want to get into that and all of the red tape that goes along with it. We see there is a demand and we don't see much competition in the area, esp since places like Totally Auto have shut down.

I've been repairing/restoring cars (mainly Mopars) since 1988, so I have a pretty good knowledge and a lot of tools!! After being an accountant for 37 years, it's time for a change to do something I actually like doing! LOL

 

[Icetech]

Just don't take on more work than you can handle.. My block has now been at a machinist for almost 8 months now.. ******* insane.. and his buddy just posted bout how he's getting in there on a days notice to get his block done. I hate **** i can't do myself. (just bitching now.. sorry)

communication is huge with customers.. and being able to do **** on time (that you can control).. Spring is coming fast and i'm 100% sure i won't have my block back before mid summer if i'm lucky now.

P.S. i have owned a service business for 30 years.. i call customers with updates, under promise.. over deliver...

P.P.S. i have actually started to look for another block to take to a different shop which can have it done in a couple of weeks.. took me a year to find the first block though..

Ok.. done bitching ***** just eating at me this morning

 

[jbc426]

Thanks for the replies. It reinforces what I already thought. Yes, I am in discussions about opening a shop in south central area of PA, not far from Carlisle in an area that has good $$ and lots of retirees. We already decided we would not do body/paint as we don't want to get into that and all of the red tape that goes along with it. We see there is a demand and we don't see much competition in the area, esp since places like Totally Auto have shut down.

I've been repairing/restoring cars (mainly Mopars) since 1988, so I have a pretty good knowledge and a lot of tools!! After being an accountant for 37 years, it's time for a change to do something I actually like doing! LOL

My engine guy has a growing business, and he is very good at bringing in clients using social media. He also does things right the first time even if it cuts into his budget.

I'm never not amazed at how privileged and irrational some of his customers are. Not all of them, but there's always a handful that expect above and beyond what they want to pay for.

It's not an easy road, but if you get the billing and advertising right, and especially the word of mouth recommendations coming in, you can still successfully struggle to make a go of it. Best of luck.

 

[Icetech]

My engine guy has a growing business, and he is very good at bringing in clients using social media. He also does things right the first time even if it cuts into his budget.

I'm never not amazed at how privileged and irrational some of his customers are. Not all of them, but there's always a handful that expect above and beyond what they want to pay for.

It's not an easy road, but if you get the billing and advertising right, and especially the word of mouth recommendations coming in, you can still successfully struggle to make a go of it. Best of luck.

Dealing with the public can be a nightmare... i raised my price $10 15 years ago.. (from 75>85) and people cried so bad i just put it back and said **** it. so i have had the same prices for 2 decades now.. and people will still *****..

Best part is.. it's always the people with WAY too much money that cry the most.. had a guy argue with me over $25 on the phone.. told him to come get his **** and **** off (nicely) and his wife shows up in a $150k benz....

 

[erik70rt]

I've also helped start a hockey pro shop and run it so I am completely familiar with how people behave, ***** about pricing, can be devious, etc. We found be honest and up front and most of the crap (not all) will be avoided.

 

[Darter6]

always get a deposit for bigger jobs. like 50% up front, 25% as you close in on getting done and 25% on the balance when they pick it up.

^^^^^^ This is the best way. I know plenty shops that start a project large or small. Customers will pay up front % but wain as time goes on.
Several cars sit waiting for the next payment, customers ghost the shop for several months with every excuse in the book.
This is very tough on the shop with limited space and revenue .

 

[DartGTDan]

Sadly as I've gotten older, there are some things that I'm unable/unwilling to do. I have a friend that referred me to a private gentleman that has done some work on my car. Fortunately, this gentleman will work on most any make and model but prefers/owns/races Mopars.

 

[tom999w]

Just posing a question here to see what the feedback would be.......

If there was a repair shop that specialized in classic car repairs/upgrades, would you use it? Anything from simple oil changes to engine rebuilds/swaps. Not a restoration or body shop.

Yes or no?

I'd say just look at the opportunity from a "life" perspective. You're looking to do this to make a lot of money and not because you have a life long love of repairing old cars. And you said you helped open another business that is doing good. A person's past dictates their future. If you were successful in attaining your goals in the past, then you will be in the future. That's just the way the cosmos/world/ether/galaxy operates. In my 55 years of dancing around this planet, I've never met a complete loser that achieved a smashing success, and I've never met a lifelong winner that failed tremendously.