I just bought a used car and I have been back and forth a few times to the corner gas station for safety checks and minor repairs. This has brought me to consider the likelihood that, in another 10 or 20 years, establishments such as this one will be nowhere to be found. Relics of the past, steeped in nostalgia.
This particular place has been in business since the 1950s. I have been going there for the 15 years I have lived in the neighborhood. It is a gas station/garage combo with three bays and just three mechanics (including the two brothers who own the joint who were basically raised there - they bought it from their dad). They are the only mechanics I know that I fully trust.
It is the kind of place where you park your car, walk into the garage, and speak to first guy you encounter, who likely has his head under the hood of a car. You tell him what you need, he takes your key and your phone number, and that’s it. No offers to join their frequent customer club. No push for extended warranties or road service. No scare tactics to steer you toward services you don’t need. No request for your email address.
I love that I can drive to this place, drop my car off, and walk home. I love that there have been times where they simply cleaned something or adjusted something and charged me nothing. I love how they charge half of what a nearby major repair chain charges for a brake job. I love how the guy I initially talk with is probably going to be the same guy who does the work on my car, the same guy who calls me when it’s done, and the same guy who goes over with me what was done when I pick up the car.
I guess you could call what I’m feeling pre-nostalgia.
We have a company like that in our town, minus the gas dispensing; all they do is repairs. It’s a family business, with 2 sons taking over from dad. They also broker used cars, and if you tell them what you are looking for, they can probably get one for you at the weekly dealer’s auction.
They are fair and resonable, enthusiastic community boosters who sponsor local events, and pretty hi-tech, using web sites and email effectively. Nothing old school about this. I think their profitability will keep them around for a long time.
Small garages will probably stay around. The overhead is low, and people will keep driving used cars not covered by warranties. They probably won’t be coupled to gas stations since selling gas is just a come-on to buy overpriced mini-market goods. Considering the shrinking level of maintenance owners perform on their own cars, I’d expect growth in this area over time.
We have two repair places like that around here that we use for our work vehicles if it’s something beyond what we can do ourselves. In fact, we’ve been using them for long enough that we’ll just drop the car/van off in front of the building if no one is around and wait for them to call us when they notice it.
They won’t be going away. Dealerships seem to get more expensive all the time and people are not shy about complaining about them on the Internet. Same goes for chain shops.
Why do you think your type of shop will be going away? Just because you like it?
That wasn’t clear in the OP, but I’ll miss that also. It was nice to fill up at the gas station that was also the garage. You could stop and chat with the mechanics, ask questions, maintain a relationship. When they see you as a consistent customer they’re less likely to try to cash in on the first repair job you have done.
I can remember a time when nearly every gas station also did repairs. They were called service stations.
There are still a small number of these around where I live. The one thing I’ve noticed is that their gas is almost always a good deal more expensive than the ones with the mini-marts.
I had what is now an unusual experience a number of months ago. I left work and wasn’t sure if I had enough gas to get home, so I stopped at the first place I saw before I got on the freeway. I hadn’t even looked at the price, but as I pulled up to the pump I noticed that it was very expensive.
What was really different was that there were a number of young guys standing around for some reason, one on each island.
Turns out the place wasn’t self service. They actually had paid employees pumping the gas. They were standing at each island waiting for customers (and there weren’t all that many). I asked for a few dollars worth and left.
I still don’t understand what the advantage was in paying those guys to mostly stand around. I know that there are people who, for one reason or another, are willing to pay higher prices in exchange for having someone else pump their gas, but are there really enough to support this business model?
I’m in the New York area, and the neighborhood garage for repairs, with or without gas sales, is everywhere.
Many friends of mine moved to Phoenix years ago and complained that no such places (or at least very few) existed there; that the big chains (specifically Sears was mentioned) were the only places to get cars repaired.
True or not? Has it changed there since my friends moved there?
This is pretty much what I was talking about in the OP. I could be off base, but I envision the neighborhood auto repair garage being squeezed out by the big chains (most of which specialize, i.e. muffler shops, brake shops, tire stores).
Think Rite-Aid vs. independent pharmacy, Best Buy (in their own sort of trouble, I know) vs. local cd shop, etc.
As an aside, I just returned home from the place mentioned in the OP. Wanted the ‘check engine’ light diagnosed. Turns out the car has an internal PCV valve that is bad (this may be another thread), said it’s a fairly big job running $350 (the valve is actually inside the manifold). Anyway, it took a good bit of time and detective work to localize the problem, and said it’s my call, but it’s not really necessary to replace it. Didn’t charge me a dime.
mmm
