Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
Having founded and run a car cleaning and detailing business myself for the past 11 years, let me tell you a little bit about the “behind the scenes” picture.
First of all, most car cleaning and detailing businesses in any market never make any REAL money.
They compete with each other on price, trying to run the competition into the ground and end up on the rocks themselves.
Because of that, such businesses change owners every few years and have sky-high employee turnover.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
The new owner steps in confident that he can offer lower prices than the competitor and higher quality and make it up in volume.
A couple of years later, still unsure why his “brilliant” plan didn’t work out, and usually blaming it on the “ignorance” of the customers, he folds and hands over the keys to the next visionary entrepreneur.
And so the cycle repeats.
There are a number of reasons; there were a ton of washes built in the 90s, and many of those folks are reaching the age where they want to cash out and retire. In addition, a lot of these folks did not reinvest in the business, and they have reached a point where the income has dwindled, and they do not want to invest the amount of money needed to bring the site up to speed.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
Suppose you are talking about the full-service car washes for sale. In that case, the business model is being challenged by the express exterior model, so their wash volume is declining while labor costs continue to climb.
The painfully obvious answer is that if a car wash were profitable, it would not be for sale. No one shuts off the tap to cash flow.
With over three decades of experience in building sites for others, the ones that are profitable and sell end up going to the owner’s family, friend, golf buddy, or someone who’s been in his ear for years, telling him, “Hey, if you ever want to sell this site, I’m your guy.”
Other sites that very well-financed operators groom may run multiple sites that get the attention of even larger operators and are absorbed by those operators.
How did you deal with a car salesman who was extremely rude and condescending 2024?
I was on the lot looking at trucks. An older gentleman from their sales staff approached me. He never said hello or introduced himself. All he said was, “You can’t afford this,” and walked away. WTH??
A few days later, when I’d purchased my shiny new truck elsewhere, I drove it back to that dealership, parked right in front of their sales floor windows, and walked inside. Found that guy and said very loudly so all the other people inside would hear: “Hey, check out my new truck that I bought at XYZ Motors after you refused even to let me look and told me I couldn’t afford it without even introducing yourself.” I walked back out, got in my new truck, and left.
I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. 😉
Bought a new Toyota in 2016. Got a great deal; the salesman was super nice, programmed the radio, went over all the features, asked me to give him a glowing review, and sent me on my way.
The next morning, I decided I wanted to purchase some side moldings for the car, so I called the salesman.
Me: “Hi, I was looking at the car this morning, and I noticed it doesn’t have moldings and….”
He: “The deal was done last night! Isn’t nobody giving you any side moldings? The sale is final!”
My blood pressure spiked, but I kept my cool as I explained that I only wanted to know whether that service would be through the service department or the body shop.
Without even apologizing, he said he would check and call back. He never did.
The car was totaled a year later, and I went back to the dealer to replace it.
He saw me come in and recognized me. When he tried to approach me, I waved him off. I went up to a different salesman, was there 45 minutes, and left in the new car.
And that’s how I dealt with a rude, condescending asshole.
Have you ever had a car salesman speak down to you and not take you seriously? Did you make him learn the error of his ways? How 2024?
About 30 years ago, as a young woman, I needed a new vehicle and decided to buy a small pickup truck. My boyfriend (now husband) and I had gone out for breakfast and went to the Ford dealership to look at trucks. I found a Ranger that I really liked. The salesman seemed really nice and helpful. My boyfriend had to go to work, so we told the salesman we would come back. When my boyfriend left for work, he asked what I was going to do for the afternoon. I told him I was going back to buy the truck.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
I went back to the dealership and found the same salesman and told him I had returned to purchase the Ranger. He actually laughed. I told him I was serious. At that moment, a man drove onto the lot. The salesman walked away from me to talk to the man. I looked for another salesman and was ignored by all. I even went inside and said I wanted to buy a Ranger and was ignored by all. I left.
I went down the street to the Nissan dealership and purchased a new Nissan pickup that I liked better than the Ranger. I drove my new truck back to the Ford dealership and asked to see the original salesman and the sales manager. I took them both outside, showed them my new Nissan, and told them I had stopped to buy the Ranger but was laughed at and ignored by all. I told them to have a nice day, got into my Nissan, and drove away.
As I was leaving, I heard the manager yelling at the salesman. I loved that Nissan and drove it for years.
Is buying a new car through Costco generally a better deal than dealing with the car salesman yourself 2024?
Well, I’ll throw in my 2 cents. I was only a Finance Director in the car business for years!!!! So here we go:
First, like the gentleman before stated, Costco pricing is generally fleet sales price. So, in that pricing, you still are paying for the dealer pack, 2% on flooring, as well as recon and dealer holdback.
If you truly want a net car deal, make sure to ask for the invoice and take their invoice less dealer hold back, less usually 695 in dealer pack, which pays for advertising and new car prep, then less 2% for flooring cost if the dealership floors there vehicles which will show on the dealer invoice, and last but not least don’t pay dealer doc fees. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a Net-Net car deal.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
If you show up at month end around 7 pm and tell your salesman you are there to buy a car for Net-Net, he will run off and grab a manager. The manager will come to say hello and absolutely sell you the vehicle.
Make sure to get the dealer invoice and do the math yourself.
Example: invoice is $20,000 – 695 dealer pack/dealer prep $19,305.
$19,305- 2% dealer flooring ($386.10)=$18,918.90
$18,918.90-dealer holdback ( it’s printed on every invoice for even numbers let’s say it’s $1,100)
$17,818.90 this will be your Net-Net number. It will be your line 9 number on your purchase order. In other words, it should be your cash price out the door. Do not let them add dealer doc to this number.
And that is how you buy a $26,000 MSRP vehicle for a great price!!!
Hope it helps.
C.G.
P.S. Thank everyone who has upvoted this post; that’s really awesome of you, and thank you.
How can I sell 30 cars a month 2024?
You can’t.
We had a salesman who sold 25–28 cars a month. I don’t recall him ever getting to 30.
He was a freak of nature and was of mythical status at the dealership. We all wanted to be like him, but no one came close.
I overheard some of the sales pitches he made. He was a sleazy, dishonest man who blatantly lied to customers. He made well over $100,000 a year.
Don’t be that guy!
Try to sell 15 a month. You’ll have a job for life if you can do that. Even ten is all right. If you can’t sell at least two cars a week after a few months, you’re going to get canned.
How do car dealerships wash cars so clean without the sophisticated equipment that car washes have 2024?
I worked for a Toyota dealership for a little while and got to know some ins and outs of how a dealership operates.
First of all, a car dealership has a detailing team or a recon team (short for reconditioning).
Every car that gets sold or comes through the auction goes through this little area where, in my dealership’s case, two minimum-wage workers worked. They spoke Spanish and were very nice and took pride in that job that even a high schooler would get burnt out after two weeks.
They do not usually apply wax, especially on new cars or any synthetic materials; they have a very magical device, aka the commercial pressure washer:
Looks like this.
They have microfiber towels for drying purposes.
And a couple of buckets with a possible grit guard grill.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
The process is the following:
–Make sure the car is clean of all dust and little contaminants
-Pressure wash the car
-Use a soapy sponge all over the car
-After it is done soaking, pressure wash again.
-Use microfiber towels to completely dry
And boom, the cars turned out amazing. So a little soap and hard-working individual can really bring the shine out of a car, and not to mention, automatic car washes are horrible for your paint. It’s a detailer’s worst nightmare.
Hope that helps, sorry I’m on my phone.
Edit: wow, out of all of my answers, this gets the most upvotes smh. I’m new to this.
Follow me to boost my ego a little more.
TIPS:
By the way, all car cleaning “soaps” should have very neutral pH levels unless you are going to be stripping the paint off.
Going up and down, left to right, is way better on the paint than the traditional clockwise, anti-clockwise motion while cleaning. However, for windshields, do the hula hoop motion.
Always start with the top first, working your way down – that’s what she said.
Light-colored cars, especially yellow ones, attract a lot more bugs than their darker counterparts.
Remove belts, apparel with zippers, and jewelry before detailing; don’t forget that little harmless tag on the microfiber towel.
A little detail can really, really boost a car’s value, a great advantage when it comes to resale.
Please! Do not use these brushes on cars! Ever!
A conspiracy states that retailers market these as car care products. However, these are overstock from the rhinoceros ass-wiping station. You be the judge.
For winter, invest in a snow broom; the soft rubber won’t scrape your windshield unless you want more privacy picking your nose in the traffic jam.
How much can you realistically make as a 1st-year car salesman 2024?
Realistically, you are starting with no customer base, and breaking $40000 is extremely difficult in your first year. I work at a Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership. In my first year, I earned $55000 selling new and used cars. There are a few keys to why it was easier for me to make a living.
The average salesperson where I worked needed to be more active. It was not uncommon for them to ignore a potential customer because they were streaming Netflix. This gave me more opportunities in my first year.
I came from the education industry and found it natural to talk to people. I am also a little older, and most of my customers find that comforting.
I worked six days a week and long hours. My wife works, and I felt like I needed to be at home.
Now, I have been doing sales for over five years. I make around $ 100,000 at a relatively small dealership. I have seen multiple people come and go in sales because they “can’t” make a living, and most of them are right.
Why do most mobile car wash businesses fail? Is it because of the price structure or customers who prefer to clean their vehicles through a different method?
Having almost gone through something similar myself, I can tell you exactly why. And it is the reason most small businesses fail in industry.
People start a small business without bothering to assess the demand for that particular service. They choose something they like doing and go for it.
So, as a small business owner, you can end up in a situation (and most do) where you’re providing a fantastic service that no one wants.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
Aside from that, there is usually little to zero business planning in terms of how you’re going to get customers. 99% of people who start a business have no marketing knowledge whatsoever.
They imagine that by creating a great service, people will flock to them in droves. That simply never happens.
The most expensive thing in business is attracting new customers. If you don’t have the plan and budget for that, you are better off not starting a business in the first place.
Back when I started my car cleaning business, my main concern was the quality of my service. I wanted to be known as the best car cleaning service in town.
I didn’t care if my potential customers were really willing to pay for the level of quality and attention to detail I was offering, which caused me almost to go bankrupt.
It was only after I started to understand marketing and the importance of offering people what they really want (and not what I want) that my business started to grow.
So, most (99%) mobile car wash businesses fail because they need a system to attract customers. And secondly, because they need to learn about how much money they really have to make to be profitable.
How many car sales would you need to make $100k a year as a car salesman?
There are lots of different answers here. Most are hearsay and speculation. I have purchased 54 cars in 27 years and am friends with many sales guys who have sold me the cars.
The simple answer is 200 sales a year.
The average car sales commission can run as low as $500 per car. That means you would have to sell 200 cars over 50 weeks or at least four cars a week to make $100,000 per year.
On average, do used car salespersons or new car salespersons earn more 2024?
My first two years in the car business paid well.
My boss loved me. I was a top salesperson on the new side. I wasn’t even 22 years old. I was making about 3k per month. I was selling superlatives. The prettiest, the newest technology, the latest sheet metal, composites, and plastics. It was 1977 at the Ford Dealership.
My boss took me aside. He asked me how committed I was to learning how to sell. I told him I was committed, and I was. Selling cars was new. I’m making money hand over fist. I had already bought one home and was shopping for another. He told me he was going to transfer me to the Used Car Department.
The dealership I worked for had a huge Used Car Department. It also had a first-class, no-nonsense Used Car Manager, who I am 40 years later still practicing daily principles of sales learned from him. This man had an opening and had asked the General Manager for me to come over, but I just found out that.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
Wow… I felt like I had landed on Mars. We wholesaled very few cars. We sold from about $899.00 on up to 6-month-old all but new vehicles. Oldsmobiles, Buicks, Datsun, AMC Trucks, Sports Cars, Sedans, Vans, and throw in the occasional RV or Boat we sold, and this guy knew how to sell. Everything 4 years old and newer carried a 30-day engine transmission warranty. Everything else was as-is. This was in the days of the 12/12 powertrain and 90 days on the other components of a brand-new car. Every Used vehicle was inspected, graded, and priced to sell. Discounts were frowned upon, and you learned to sell. I really struggled. For the first three weeks, I begged to go back every day. I was doing fine selling Pintos, Granada’s, Couriers and Mavericks. But I was not allowed to return. I had to stay three months before I would be allowed back to new.
After a few weeks, something happened. I discovered the phenomenon that all vehicles are used the minute they are sold. I discovered that many of my new car customers were coming back to the dealership and shopping and buying used vehicles for brothers and, cousins and friends. Those customers were not returning to me because I didn’t like to sell Used.
I discovered that the old axiom of it is a “new to you” automobile. I discovered that the Used Lot was a treasure hunt with a half dozen or more trades and purchases arriving daily. You could sell a car or two every single day if you kept on the phones and sent your mailers out and diligently sent your thank you cards. Commissions and gross profits were better on cheaper cars than on the new side and about the same on luxury cars and trucks. I could make as much or more a 1499.00 Used Car as I could on a base Pinto or Maverick. Not only that, my volume was double. The days went fast as there was no standing around. The manager controlled his inventory and managed the salespeople and customers. I soon learned that I was on the best-used lot in the county, maybe the State.
I spent two years on that lot. I was promoted to finance. I actually took a cut in pay in finance. For any of you car people out there, that will give you an idea of how good and lucrative that used lot was.
In a well-run dealership, the money is way more lucrative on the used side than the new side. For this reason, I have always been hardwired to use vehicles. Each vehicle is unique. A good story with a well-maintained documented vehicle brings a premium, and you price it in. Imagine two Mustangs. Similar equipment, color, and miles. One is an auction Enterprise rental. The other was sold new by the dealership, with every service documented. They are sitting side by side. Which is easier to sell? I can get $500 more for that local car and sell it faster. Not only that, I may have paid less for it because it did not have to be shipped from California or Texas, where the bigger Auctions are.
How hard is selling cars as a salesman?
It’s really hard to be a good salesman and keep it up. The unsociable hours, along with targets to hit, mean you can be doing very long hours. Add to that evening collections that turn up late or not at all, and 60–70 hours in the summer months is normal. The hours mean relationships dont last or children dont see their fathers. I actually think if you have kids, then no matter what, the money is not worth it. A salesperson with kids can be very hungry for commission. Sales managers love hungry, stable salespeople.
Then there is social stigma, which, on the whole, is untrue. People consider car dealers dodgy because criminals try to rip dealers off; it doesn’t make sense. If that were the case, Banks would be dodgy because they are always getting robbed or defrauded. The real reason is that to be a good salesman, you dont need a great education. My education was terrible, yet at one point, I was in the top 1% of earners in Britain. More than my solicitor. I drove Porsches and Bentleys at 25 and didn’t drink or take drugs. I’d only been selling cars for a couple of years. I was a top salesman at a busy garage in Manchester. To some of my friends who had just finished university with big student loans, I had taken a shortcut. People dont always like to see success, especially by those who have not worked for it.
What is the reality of being a car salesman?
Very few people make a real living and build a retirement from only selling cars for a living.
I know of a few individuals that are well-connected and make $ 300,000+ per year. They are 1% of all salespeople.
Realistically, to make even $ 100,000 consistently, you will have no life at all. You will be at the dealership a bare minimum of 70 hours per week. I work 80+ hours.
I know. You have heard that so and so makes $ 200,000 per year selling cars. I can guarantee that that individual is tied in heavily with an internet department and is being fed leads or has an unusual connection with corporations and is selling fleet vehicles in mass numbers or is related to the owner, etc.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
I am the ONLY person who has been at my dealership for over ten years. All of the other individuals that I started with are NO LONGER IN THE CAR BUSINESS.
I arrive at the dealership BEFORE anyone else, and I leave AFTER everyone else EVERY DAY.
If I could do it again, I would not be in the car business. It has been a long, tough gig.
I am currently working on a startup not related to the car business.
Who washes your car 2024?
I do, even at 41, which leaves me really tired and with a sore back, but I don’t trust “car wash” places. In my twenties, I got heavily into car detailing as well as minor mechanics so that I could take care of my car by myself for the most part. Those are things you can’t unlearn, and when you take your car somewhere and see something being done wrong, it drives you up the wall. Besides, there are very few, if any, detail companies around who will follow my routine for cleaning a car.
A full car detail for me is as follows.
When I wash my car, I use two buckets, one with soapy water and the other with just water in it, and both buckets have grit guards in the bottom. Even while washing your car, if you are not using the right soap, dual buckets, and grit guards, you are scratching your car. And though those items give you a buffer to some extent, scratches will still happen but with much less frequency than if you hadn’t used them.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
I start with the wheels first because rims (depending on the coating) take to drying off naturally better than paint and leave you less touch-up. Washing the rims after the car gives the water on the paint time to dry and leave spots/streaks.
In addition to that, I use a foam cannon attached to a pressure washer. This allows you to coat your car in foam before using a wash mitt. The foam encompasses the dirt and makes the surface super slick, so the dirt slides off rather than being dragged off by the mitt. This further reduces the chances of scratching your paint or leaving swirl marks.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
“Flooding” the car afterward is an essential step as well. You take your spray nozzle off the hose and turn the water down until it is flowing gently from the hose. Using this, go over the entire car, starting at the top and working down. This will use the sheeting action of water to dry your car using water partially!!
And when it comes to final drying, I use a “giant hairdryer,” basically a commercial vacuum, but instead of sucking things up, it blows warm air out. Drying your car even with a high-quality microfiber can scratch your paint, so air drying removes that from the equation as well.
Yay! A clean car!!!! (But wait, you’re still going if we are doing it my way.)
If we are going to do it my way, we stop short of the final drying and pick up after the car has been completely washed. Now it’s time to clay bar/clay glove.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
As a car travels on the road, the paint picks up imperfections that become embedded in the paint, which can’t be removed by washing alone. These imperfections can cause horrible damage to your paint if you polish or wax on top of them. A clay bar/glove will remove these imperfections from the paint; it’s kind of like putting silly putty on a newspaper if you remember that.
So, using the soapy water from the wash and a clay glove, moisten the glove and run it across the surface as if you were washing the car. Once that is completed, it’s time to go back to washing. You can skip the foam cannon and use the soapy water at this point, or go all out and foam/wash again.
Then, flood and dry the car as stated above.
Yay! A clean and clay car!!!! (But wait, you still need to be done if we are doing it my way.)
Now we get to polish the car. It is straightforward: use a machine polisher and a high-quality polish with a grit that is aggressive enough to remove your level of imperfections.
Follow that up with a hand wax, and we are getting close to the final stages.
Now it’s time to seal it using an aircraft-grade paint sealant that will “lock in” the shine you spent all that time creating, as well as create a barrier between the paint and the contaminants you removed earlier with the clay glove.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
Yay!!!!!!! A truly clean car, and we are done!!!!!!!!! (Unless you want me to write another drawn-out explanation of how I clean the inside. But I will spare you that since you only asked about washing.)
The above process usually takes me two and a half days over the weekend. Washing and clay the car on a Saturday evening, covering & the garage overnight, and finishing the polish/wax/seal Sunday morning. I only do this once a month/every other month, though due to the level of work involved, in between washing, as I described above, is sufficient. And that’s why I am the only person who will wash my car because I am the only one who will treat it like it is mine.
How much does a car salesman earn from commission from selling a vehicle 2024?
It depends on the brand and the dealership. I worked for five different dealerships, and this is how they worked.
As a salesman, I received a $200/week salary, plus a 20% commission on the front-end gross profit and 3% back-end gross, which includes financing, extended warranty, tire and wheel package, and accessories, which is called F&I.
Most cars are sold at invoice or below invoice, and as a salesperson, we receive a “FLAT,” which is a $150 commission, plus a volume bonus based on the number of cars we sold for the month. This would range from $500-$3500 for the month, plus on Saturday, we would get a “SPOT” bonus of $100 if we sold and took delivery of the car on Saturday. Also, certain manufacturers had “SPIFFS” on certain models ranging from $50-$1,000 per car, usually on slow-selling vehicles, which the manufacturer paid to the salesperson. All told, a salesperson selling a consistent 30+ Cars/month can make over $150k per year. I know of a salesman selling 120 Audis/ month, and he makes $650k/year. But those are exceptions, and the average salesman makes $35k-$50k/year, working 55–60 hours/week.
Why does a car salesman make so much when most of their clients are just walk-ins?
A good car salesman doesn’t just rely on walk-ins.
A guy I know made a drastic change from being in sports to becoming a car salesman. Within a year and a half, he broke the dealership’s record for car sales.
I asked him how he did it. He said he knew a lot of people, kept in contact, and even with people he sold cars to, he would call them later and ask how they liked the car. He promotes himself and goodwill. People trusted him for that.
Why are so many car washes for sale? Interesting facts: 2024?
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