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Another Opens...
Then I got an email from an old friend and Porsche customer, George Curnew, who I used to compete with in the Solo 1 Championship at Race City in the late 1990s. George and I both ran Integra Type R's, and George was the 'fast guy' who and the one to beat. At least until he showed up with a 911 Turbo and then I didn't stand a chance...
George started a 'Passion' project, Lugnutz, and it is run by his son J.P., though both are there everyday. Lugnutz is a state-of-the-art automotive shop, fully stocked with high-end tools and supplies, that is rented out by the bay, by the hour. The bays can be rented for you do work on your car yourself, or to bring others in to work on your car for you. Lugnutz doesn't touch the cars themselves, they just rent space.
I had a couple of Land Rovers in pieces and the space was vastly superior to what I had at home, and I could use the well-lit space for photos and videos. So we made a deal and I moved in. I used Lugnutz for my last three Bring-A-Trailer auctions, and it has enabled me to make a dramatic improvement in my vehicle presentations. Having a hoist available makes photographing the underneath of the car a whole lot easier. The facility has enabled me to to put out industry leading ultra-descriptive videos for on-line auctions.
I can get under the Rovers, work away, and end the day with my clothes just as clean as when I started. If I break a saw blade or grinding disc, or need just about *anything* I just go to J.P. and ask for it, saving what used to be an hour round trip to Home Depot. It is can excellent arrangement in every way.
There is nothing like Lugnutz in the city, or anywhere else that I know of, and it immediately struck me as having great potential. I've been discussing various initiatives with George and JP about how we could utilize and promote the space.
A Vehicle Reconditioning Centre
When a dealer gets a used car on trade it goes through a reconditioning process. The vehicle goes through the shop and then gets all its cosmetic issues sorted out. There is a network of mostly mobile service providers for all the specialty work that is outsourced. In addition to mechanical servicing, most cars will get some paint repair, dent removal, a new windshield, the wheels refinished, some interior scuffs or tears repaired, and then given a thorough detail and multi-stage polish. Sometimes ageing aftermarket electronics (that always drain the battery) are removed.
If you were to get your car appraised at a dealer, the pre-owned manager would estimate these costs and build them in to the ACV which they give you. It is difficult to estimate exactly, and often the estimate is high because they don't have a lot of time to spend on it - most often they just guess high. If you give the Pre-Owned Manager a perfectly reconditioned car and tell them that it just has to be rolled out onto the lot, and they don't have to spend a cent on it, you will come out ahead in most cases.
The same service providers can just as easily come to Lugnutz as the car dealers or independents, and we can organize the work on the customers behalf.
With COVID many vehicles have had limited use, and have skipped services. Some services are needed due to mileage and some time. In most cases you don't need to do everything. We can take a look at your maintenance history and driving use and come up with a service regime that makes sense.
Leasing is very popular, but it can get complicated, and the end-of-lease process can be cumbersome and aggravating. Understanding what items the leasing company can charge you for, what if any lease end insurance you may have and how to go about claiming it, and most importantly what equity you may have in your vehicle and how to capture it, can save you thousands of dollars. Don't assume that the dealer is just going to take care of all of this for you - as they do when you sign the leasing/protection package documents and everybody is earning a commission...This is also a moving target, as the closer the lease end value is to the auction value of the car, the pickier the leasing companies are when deciding what is 'wear and tear' and what is damage that the lessee needs to pay for. If it is in fact damage, you can usually fix it cheaper than the estimate from the Lessor's appraiser.
As a former leasing manager, I can review any leasing document and manage the return - or the sale - of the vehicle for you. Just drop it off...
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