hello all,thank`s to all of you for your reply`s ,some very good insight`s into the pro`s and con`s of running your own garage.the site we are on is getting sold for development(boss`s retirement money)so buying premises is not an option ,to be honest i `am swaying towards leaving the trade and trying my hand at something else,been on the spanners 22 years must admit the first 18 years were great but think i want a change .scares me to think what this trade will be like in another 10 years.stressing me out deciding what i want to do ,so god knows what i would be like running a business!although i have virtually run the workshop side of the business for many years while the boss did the carsales.anyway boss is not giving up until october so i have a bit of time yet to make my decision. i know there`s probably nothing better than being your own boss but i`m not sure that all the baggage that comes with it is worth it.thank`s again to you all.mike