Wow, this idea has a lot more positive comments than my mobile car wash/detail idea. Where are all the "Would never let anyone touch my car" guys? 
Anyways, my two cents:
The trailer idea is cool, but my thought on that, is that it's a liability waiting to happen, you need to cover your butt every way you can and when it's yourself trying to get a car on a trailer, there are all sorts of bad things waiting to happen.
Also, don't be the one to move the customers car. If they set up an appointment, make sure to tell them it needs to be in the vacant side of the lot. No moving it from point A to point B to point A. Also tell them that they need to either be in an open spot or to back in a spot with a curb. But this idea is only good if your using a jack/jackstands. If you are confident to use ramps, ok, but like I said, cover your butt.
As the same with my wash/detail idea, an old utility truck would be a great idea for carrying everything. You are probably going to need a waste oil tank, pump, etc. and that can fit in the utility bed. Of course this would probably farther down the line, but it's something to advance toward.
Other than that, sounds like a good idea. Hope you can start it!
Looks like this is going to be alot more expensive and involved than I thought. A quick craigslist search found a few early seventies trucks for under 2k, but they probably need looks of work to be really reliable. However I do really dig the vintage truck "brand" Javelin mentioned.
On the other hand, a regular ole modern stripper work truck or van with quality graphics would appeal to the yuppies that would be most of my business I would assume.
One way or another this is gonna cost more than I had originally planned.
T.J. wrote:
After seeing that photo...I would change my business plan to ONLY do oil changes on '32 Highboys.
Cool!
Clem
BoostedBrandon wrote:
Looks like this is going to be alot more expensive and involved than I thought. A quick craigslist search found a few early seventies trucks for under 2k, but they probably need looks of work to be really reliable. However I do really dig the vintage truck "brand" Javelin mentioned.
On the other hand, a regular ole modern stripper work truck or van with quality graphics would appeal to the yuppies that would be most of my business I would assume.
One way or another this is gonna cost more than I had originally planned.
It is going to be seriously hard to convince people to let you touch your cars. If your setup makes you look like the homeless guy trying to wash your windshield at the light with newspaper and a squirt bottle with blue stuff in it, well, you will probably get the same reaction.
To really sell this, you need to not only sell your brand, you need to sell CLEAN. Introduce yourself while wearing a starched oxford shirt and with clean hands. Do the work while wearing a lab coat and nitrile gloves. Set down a barrier between the bottom of the car and the concrete. The customers will think, "Damn, that guy knows what he is doing, because he can do this nasty job while still looking like he's going to dinner afterwards!"
Transportation? Buy a retired ambulance. Paint it green for two reasons: First, it suggests ecologically friendly, and second, the neighbors won't think, "Gee, looks like Dick had another gripper today." Ambulances have copious amounts of space, they catch the eye, and best of all, they're not super expensive. Offer to show your customers your "shop," with everything in the back being pristine and organized. Make your name be something like Surgeon's Mobile Car Care. When you are organized and have the right tools for the job, it looks like you know what you are doing.
You will essentially be some strange guy touching someone else's car in a public place. Your image has to exude professionalism if you want to build business. You are selling a service, not a product, so why not ask the customer if they would like their tire pressures checked as well? Perhaps you can wash the windshield and/or leave a thank you note before leaving. If they can get the service somewhere for a fraction of the cost, you have to be more than convenient; you have to be better.
