Quote:
Originally Posted by CurtEgerer
I've never owned one, but I knew a guy named 't6dpilot' who used to constantly ***** about owning them and couldn't wait to get out of the game  |
I knew that guy too. He was a grouchy sumb!tch! I call those 10 years, "the lost years."
Fred, I think the self serve wash market is on the decline. They were very strong in certain markets, Colorado being one, but it has been 10 or 12 years or so since I have looked at that data. IIRC, the average self serve model generated $1,500 of revenue per bay. Some operators installed in-bay automatic washes to increase their revenue. That is why you see some of those combos. Location is absolutely everything in the wash business. Daily car count and access is critical. Do a ton of research, subscribe to the car wash industry magazines, search out the annual self serve industry analysis, talk to operators (if they will share), and talk to more operators. If you are looking at a self serve for sale, I can guarantee you it is for sale for a reason - probably a poor performer.
At the time that I developed mine, flex service was a new concept to the Chicagoland market and I was fighting an uphill battle educating the traditional full service customer. The market has changed to an express exterior model with automated pay stations, free vacuums, and very few employees. I had planned on converting to that model, but I was out of reserves - mental, emotional, and financial. And I had the leading POS system integrator was going to fund the conversion for a share in incremental revenue growth. I was done at that stage. New operator redeveloped the site into that model and they seem to be doing pretty well.
Back to the SS model. Fred, if you are going to retire from the auto maintenance biz and do this in retirement, then I think it would be good for you. Being mechanical helps a ton and you have that box checked. You will need to live relatively close to the site and be available to respond to issues quickly. With a SS, it is helpful to have someone on site to answer questions and maybe help with minor issues during the day and that could be you or a paid employee. I do think that the SS model lends itself more to an absentee (relatively speaking) owner of all the car wash business models. Good luck and keep us posted.
Do a copious amount of research and then do more. Verify the operator's numbers carefully if buying an existing site. And make sure that site is a good location. Buy some 55 gallon drums for the quarters that will be stored in your garage.