"Hey, I want to buy a carwash. What kind of money do they make?"

[Eric H]

I had a guy stop at the wash yesterday and ask about buying a wash. He owns a successful business up the road from my 2 and 2. He wants to retire to Florida and buy a wash to keep him busy.

The carwash market in the Northeast is VERY different than FLA so i can't really advise him in any knowledgeable way. I did tell him "This business isn't what you think it is". By that I mean, it isn't about washing cars but more a facilities management/janitor business.

We spoke for a while and i told him to reach out to me of he had any questions. I also told him to check out this forum.

We typically see new investors asking questions here that have found an existing site for sale. More often than not they have found some dump that has been closed for 3 years but the equipment looks to be in good condition....Then they post pictures of a NuStar friction machine with D/H SS equipment that has been broken into a dozen times. And to make it more enticing, it is only a 4 hours drive each way from their house.

I'M NOT ASKING ABOUT THAT GUY...(apologies to anyone here who has been "that guy")

I'm asking, what would you say to a qualified buyer (ie: can pay cash for a wash) asking about our industry? Is it worth investing in a wash in Florida, specifically the Ft Myers area? Can he make 6 figures running a 2 and 3?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

If he can make six figures, the wash would probably be grossing in excess of 200K. That's a pretty busy 2 & 3. Does he want a full time job?

 

[Randy]

I don’t think you guys get it. There is a ton of money to be made in the car wash business. Just watch a few of “Investment Joy car wash” videos on You Tube.

 

[6t7gto]

Randy,
Thx for the link.
He sure makes counting money look easy.
David

 

[BobH]

I had a guy stop at the wash yesterday and ask about buying a wash. He owns a successful business up the road from my 2 and 2. He wants to retire to Florida and buy a wash to keep him busy.

The carwash market in the Northeast is VERY different than FLA so i can't really advise him in any knowledgeable way. I did tell him "This business isn't what you think it is". By that I mean, it isn't about washing cars but more a facilities management/janitor business.

We spoke for a while and i told him to reach out to me of he had any questions. I also told him to check out this forum.

We typically see new investors asking questions here that have found an existing site for sale. More often than not they have found some dump that has been closed for 3 years but the equipment looks to be in good condition....Then they post pictures of a NuStar friction machine with D/H SS equipment that has been broken into a dozen times. And to make it more enticing, it is only a 4 hours drive each way from their house.

I'M NOT ASKING ABOUT THAT GUY...(apologies to anyone here who has been "that guy")

I'm asking, what would you say to a qualified buyer (ie: can pay cash for a wash) asking about our industry? Is it worth investing in a wash in Florida, specifically the Ft Myers area? Can he make 6 figures running a 2 and 3?

I have a working car wash in Ft. Myers I may be interested in selling. Or making some sort of deal with. 239-600-1456

 

[Eric H]

I have a working car wash in Ft. Myers I may be interested in selling. Or making some sort of deal with. 239-600-1456

I’ll forward this to him. Thanks

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

I don’t think you guys get it. There is a ton of money to be made in the car wash business. Just watch a few of “Investment Joy car wash” videos on You Tube.

I actually want to start a thread on this dude on how he is making the carwash business out to be just cash cows and you do nothing but collect money. Showing Everyone in America on where all the money is also for crooks.

 

[Dan kamsickas]

I actually want to start a thread on this dude on how he is making the carwash business out to be just cash cows and you do nothing but collect money. Showing Everyone in America on where all the money is also for crooks.

Dear God, that is not someone I'm going to go to for investment advice. Bills in the changer are not "revenue". 30 yr old equipment. I have to bookmark it for when the replacement/repair bills come in.

 

[Randy]

Dear God, that is not someone I'm going to go to for investment advice. Bills in the changer are not "revenue". 30 yr old equipment. I have to bookmark it for when the replacement/repair bills come in.

He and his business partner are over on the Facebook "In Bay Automatic, Self-Serve, & Dog Wash Group” page. It looks to me like they don’t have a clue about what they are doing or trying to do. I wonder why they haven’t come over the “Car wash forum” for some real professional advice. I look at the Facebook page once and a while and it’s like dumb and dumber of the car wash world.

 

[Dan kamsickas]

He and his business partner are over on the Facebook "In Bay Automatic, Self-Serve, & Dog Wash Group” page. It looks to me like they don’t have a clue about what they are doing or trying to do. I wonder why they haven’t come over the “Car wash forum” for some real professional advice. I look at the Facebook page once and a while and it’s like dumb and dumber of the car wash world.

I looked a couple of times at that page just for laughs.

 

[Greg_T]

I don’t think you guys get it. There is a ton of money to be made in the car wash business. Just watch a few of “Investment Joy car wash” videos on You Tube.

Those Investment Joy videos make me very angry.

 

[Randy]

Those Investment Joy videos make me very angry.

Greg, when I first saw those videos on You tube I was angry, I was PI$$ED off to think that anyone would put out a video with that content.

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

Dude makes more on YouTube than the carwashes will ever make so to him it doesn’t matter if they break in to his stuff he has plenty of “cashh”to fix it. I found him through my personal friends talking about him months ago and I liked his Laundrymat videos but all he ever shows is counting quarters and makin it out like we are rich. All the cashhhh as he says. I am over here saying a prayer for the guy and his ACW. I would just have to leave out the collection part on the videos but he is wanting views and subscribers. Bringing more attention than necessary to the industry in the public eye making us “Operators” out as we just collect quarters

 

[JustClean]

I had to laugh. The first carwash video was how much money it makes and all that. 4 weeks later the next video how much he has to spend on repairs and clean up. Hahaha....

Investmoent Joe: >>I don't know what's wrong? The seller said: Come in the morning, collect the money and spend it during the day...!???
Yeah, he didn't say to spend it on repairs!!!" Hahaha....

 

[sparkey]

Did you see the trailer park he bought? That place should be condemned! You couldn't pay me enough to take them trailers from him. Talk about a ghetto.

 

[Greg Pack]

I kinda enjoy his videos. It reminds me of when I started and was much younger and MUCH more enthusiastic.

 

[Greg Pack]

Just watched his second video. For such a newcomer they seem to have a decent grasp of things. One thing he said in the video that hit home was how the previous owner had gotten burned out. I'm paraphrasing a little but he mentioned these places quit being investments and became jobs. That happened to me when I quit my primary job as a firefighter/paramedic in 2001. I kinda lost my burning enthusiasm for this biz in 2006-2007 and have been grinding away since. I don't even get excited with big money pulls. I feel like I'm collecting for someone else. There are good days and bad days at my washes but I really need to remove myself from the minutia of running a wash daily and get back in that investment mindset.

 

[Randy]

Greg I can relate to what you’re saying. It’s no longer an investment but a thankless job that never seems to end. We’ve lost the enthusiasm or flame years ago, now we just kind of do what we have to do to get in and get out. We sometimes play a game to see how fast we can get done with the car wash clean up, service the equipment and be on our way home. It’s no longer fun, its drudgery, kind of like wiping the a$$ of society. Thank god we only have to go the car wash 3 times a week, let the hired help do it the other 4 days.