My Project Car: Automotive Restoration Market and Entrepreneurship

Think new paint job, 
get everything working, 
low rider hydraulics,
new landeau top,
halogen lights under car
bull horns on front. :)

Over the years I have restored a couple of cars. Some were simply maintained for driving and others more of a project. Once I did very well with a Porsche 944 and then someone ran into it and that beauty was totaled. My most recent project is a 1985 Buick Riviera I picked up off a friend for $1K. It got me thinking about the automotive restoration market. 

Luxury and Vitage Car Restoration Market

Older and luxury cars are in an upward swing market with a growth rate of over 11% from 2022 to 2030. Automotive Restoration Market. That growth means it could be one of those opportunities again for a start-up business downtown. A top-quality mechanic that wants to do custom restore work may find regional interest. Fun Run may be over but the restoration market will continue on!

Possible Downtown Opportunity

First, let me say when we talk of an auto mechanic downtown, we are not talking of a dirty yard with junk everywhere. Instead, let us think about boutique custom shop with everything inside the building. Entrance for custom cars from the alley and the Ludington Street widow display/sale of finished cars. 

Utilizing the same older buildings, theming it out so it looks 1920's in the front thereby adding to the overall decor. It is also a place where people walking down the street are going to stop and look at some of the unique vehicles.

There are a couple of older buildings of this size around for cheap. It was just an entrepreneurial thought. Passing...passing....quickly steal the idea...it's there....right in public...a free idea. You can search for a building, check zoning, online right now!😐 If not there, I'm sure there are other great places around.

My Hunker Junker

Picked up a car and took a mental note of what needed work. Door locks, window control, HVAC blower resistor, windshield pump, and muffler. Painting needs to be redone, new landeau top will need to be installed and muffler work. 

The car was between fair and just under average condition but considering I could drive that $1K car around in the winter and save the miles and salt on my other car I thought it was overall a good choice. The worst case is I resell it for $1k to a kid down the street. If I fix it up and sell it for more or just keep it...that is all great!

It didn't take but a few days to fix the washer pump, muffler, order a window switch and the HVAC resistor (Window switch change didn't work but I realized after playing with it long enough it was lose so I tightened the component in the back and whalla! All the windows work well!).  Yep....hunker junker!