According to the World Association of Car Manufacturer’s, over 74 million cars and 28 million trucks are produced each year, making up 3.5 per cent of the world’s economy. But recognize that these numbers primarily involve the direct manufacturing of cars and do not include the trillions of dollars generated by selling, leasing, modifying, restoring and arbitraging automobiles, and the numbers approach astronomical heights.
Overall, the internet, with its capacity to connect buyers and sellers worldwide, has made a huge difference in opportunities for business in the automotive industry. With that said, here are some simple ways you can cash in on this multi-trillion dollar market.
- Become a Leasing Specialist
Leasing a car is one of the least understood financial interactions a person can go through. Although leasing took place as far back as 1914, the popularity of leasing really took off in the mid-nineties. And some countries are lease crazy. Fully 80 per cent of the cars sold in the UK is actually leased.
The fundamental problem with leasing, just as in buying a car, is the dealership model. Various countries, in particular, the United States, restrict you from selling a car directly over the internet. Here’s where your opportunity comes in.
By working with a lot of dealers, covering many models, you can offer a one-stop leasing company with dozens of models for lease. The initial hard part is establishing the relationship with the dealers, but once that is done, you can offer a selection second to none, which makes you a valuable resource. After all, why wouldn’t a customer go to a leasing specialist that offers dozens of different models to choose from if the price is similar?
- Vintage Car Arbitrage
Let’s say I am living in Perth, Australia and have my heart set on buying a 1971 Ford Falcon that is in Mint Condition and takes me way back into memory lane. I can search classic car magazines, vintage websites, craigslist and the like, but a better idea is to save myself a lot of time and work by going through a Vintage Car Arbitrage Dealer.
To succeed in this business you need to know a lot about vintage cars, make contacts with multiple garages, particularly restoration specialists, but because you are dealing with a product that people crave in their heart of hearts, there is plenty of opportunities to make significant dollars. You simply find the type of car your customer is looking for, and collect a percentage of the sale price after you succeed.
- Lease Wheels and Tires
People love a set of hot wheels on their car to highlight their sense of style and personality. But a set of wheels can be expensive. Rather than dealing with the entire car, why not become a wheel and tire leasing specialist. You can get a promotional discount with special tyre offers at Special Tire Offers but the real markup is on leasing the Wheels.
- Be a Specialized Modifier
Have a knack at gold plating? You can install ultraviolet running lights? There is a huge market for people who can gold plate a front bumper or install, special blue or violet running board lights on their vehicle. And don’t forget window customization.
- Be a Touch-up Specialist
Body shops charge an arm and a leg to cover up small scratches that can easily be done by a trained touch-up specialist. Particularly if you offer to be mobile (ie, come to them) you won’t have trouble finding customers.
- Be a Mobile Mechanic
If you’ve got a real knack for fixing vehicles, think about become a mobile mechanic. Typically they earn $20 or more dollars per hour, and the convenience of having a mechanic come to them is a plus for many busy, working customers.
- Restore Vintage Cars for a Living
If you’ve got real mechanical skills, (or can hire people who do?) there is a significant amount of money in restoring vintage automobiles. You’ve got to be pretty damn good, and build up a reputation, but once you’ve got the rep behind you, happy customers refer their not infrequently large acquaintance of car enthusiasts.
- Locate Specialized Parts
Ask any mechanic who deals with vintage automobiles, and they will tell you that one of the toughest parts of restoring a classic car is finding the parts. Sure, there are auto parts salvage yards, who have reams of parts listed on their website, but who has the time to search through them? Certainly, not restorer’s, who wish to concentrate on finishing a classic car up to par.
You can charge up to a 20% surcharge for these busy mechanics, simply by finding them the parts.