I just made a suggestion to a young man that is just finishing up auto mechanics school.

I told him that once he gets some experience he ought to open up a shop and gear it towards senior citizens...if he has the patience.

There is an old line about a car being pre owned by a little old lady that took it to church but the reality of this is often these are the worst cars you can buy because little old ladies don't understand maintenance. Pull the dipstick out of many of them and you are likely to find asphalt instead of oil. A lot of them simply forget to change it periodically. The unwittingly just keep running them until it breaks down.

A sharp mechanic could probably build up quite a clientele if he is willing to be fair and above all, honest. If he gets greedy and/or dishonest then word will get out on him in a heartbeat.

On the other hand, if he's a straight shooter then business ought to be pretty good.

He is going to have to be willing to explain things to people and point things out to people. He has to be a people person and be willing to show some initiative. He might have to put some of his clientele on a schedule and contact them. "Hey, Mr. Smith. Bring it in for a checkup. You probably need an oil change." sort of thing.

While he has it up on the rack or has the hood open he should check things out and pass word on to the customer. "Hey, you got a CV joint boot getting soft. It's probably OK for now but next checkup it ought to be replaced." or "Those brake pads are starting to show signs of wear. Might want to change them soon before you ruin the rotors." sort of thing.

It could be a pretty good way to make a living if you are good with people and are a good mechanic.

The object, of course, is to work with the customer be helpful and make sure they stay on the road safely.

If you do this you can probably make a few bucks and become a respected part of the neighborhood.

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I made another suggestion to a sharp kid headed to college.

Go into tattoo removal.

In a few years there is going to be one hell of a demand for it.




To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY