ADELE & NIGE

My family (wife & 2 small children) are in the process of applying for our visas, i've passed the skills assessment and am now at the next step and feel i need to start asking for views and advice.

We live in west yorkshire where i am a self employed mechanic/garage owner, running a small but successful business. We travelled to Adelaide 2 years ago to visit my brother and to see if we thought it would suit us, as it happens it didn't. BUT, whilst we were there i was always on the lookout for small garages like my own. I didn't see any, all the garages i saw were main dealer type places or tyre/exhaust agents. The question i ask is, do small operations like mine exist (especially in Perth area) or are people quite happy to trust the larger ones?
Secondly, if small garages don't exist, do you think there is a place in the market for them? i.e would you prefer the more personal service from a small garage?

I await your answers and any commenys you may find helpfull

thankyou NIGE

Wol

Can't help you on the question, but must advise that you don't make a life-altering move based on straw polls in this sort of asylum <g>.

You neede to do a LOT of reasearch before making such a commitment.

Florida_03

The big oil companies have the supply of petrol all sewn up. Small garages can't compete with the likes of Ultratune in larger urban areas and in rural areas you would be competing with long established family-owned businesses.

ADELE & NIGE

Cheers Rog
believe me, this is only i tiny little bit of all the research i'm doing. I am a great believer in being very cautios and taking as fewer risks as poss ible. My twin brother lives in Adelaide, he and his family upped and went 3 years ago without even seeing the place first and its worked for them.
Having my own garage over here means i have a lot more to give up, hence the reason for loads of research and a look at other peoples views, although i do value your concern. THANKS.

ADELE & NIGE

Sorry, i didn,t make myself clear!!!!

When i say garage, i mean garage as in VEHICLE REPAIR GARAGE, not fuel sales.

Sorry i was unclear

NIGE

DianeOZ

HI Nige

The chap who fixes our trusty cars has just set up his own wokshop. He used to work for one of the bigger places and was doing so many jobs on the side he started to go it alone. Reputation and word of mouth is the big thing here as anywhere I suppose.

There are mobile mechanics here too.

Good luck
Diane

lynnj

Nige

I was lugging in on a conversation in the doctors waiting room yesterday and one of the guys was a mechanic and he had his own workshop, so i'm guessing that there are quite a lot of them, its just a case of knowing where to look and changing your vocabulary to workshop not garage.

By the way we have been here in Perth for 4 weeks now and are really enjoying it, we are still in holiday mode what with christmas and everything, but so far so good.

Lynn

ABCDiamond

If you set yourself up in a local car workshop, you need to offer something to the locals to set yourself apart from the existing competition.

At my local car workshop, the guys wife drives people home after dropping in the cars, and picks them up from home when the car is ready for collection. Now that service swings ME from the big boys.

bondipom

In Sydney just offering a reliable on time service will set you apart from the big boys.