Posted by Tony Short on September 2, 2005, 7:49 pm
I am 50 years old and been in the trade for 25 years.Sole trader at the moment doing servicing,electrical,mechanical,fault diagnosis and about 300 mots per year. I have been looking at an MOT station that is up for grabs (there are a suprising amount on the market!).It has two testing bays and the current owners claim to do about 3500 tests per year. Not computerised at the moment but phone line installed.It also has two two post lifts used for servicing etc.Nice reception,good size office and plenty of stock storage.Secure alarmed building with new secure compound. There is local competition as it is located on a large,sprawling industrial estate in a busy Berkshire town. All the staff are leaving and I am not a tester. I believe I would need at least three testers to make this venture viable plus at least two other staff. The demand for mots will be huge in a few years time as there will fewer stations around. I need to look towards my retirement and I believe this is an opportunity for my future. I accept that serious effort will need to be put into this and that there will be many problems. Question:am I mad even thinking of taking this business on? I would welcome all comments. Cheers chaps. Tony