Making money, and being morally correct.

[Tony Raine]

i say do the mods, but don't tell. as long as it isn't something that would put someone in danger, i don't see the point in telling them. i mean, its a used car. you don't know the entire history of a car, and as a buyer, i wouldn't expect you to.

example, i took the running boards off my explorer because they weigh about 40 pounds apiece. if i sell, i'm not going to tell them i did it to save weight and get better mpg. i'm going to say "hey, i've got some running boards for this too if you want them". or i'll just sell them separate to someone else.

i do agree with this statement:

"cars from this guy just need a whiff of gas to go..." "I dunno what he does to his vehicles, but I would rather drive a wreck from him than a new vehicle - It saves me half my monthly payment on the car..."

i just think its better to let people learn on their own. when you talk to the average person about eco-mods, their eyes just glaze over. instead of telling people what you did, try things like "ever since i fixed this car, its been getting great gas mileage. i got ** mpg in the first tank" or "this car runs excellent, i've been getting ** better mpg than what the factory says it should". hint at it, but don't directly say it.

people are drawn to mystery, not lists and drawings and explanations. best-case scenario, it makes your "image" more favorable to potential buyers. the better mpg may reflect on you as doing quality work, instead of eco-mods.

[TestDrive]

Originally Posted by Christ

Based on these beliefs, and help from the moral side of EcoModder, I've decided that I will offer "free, or at cost, upgrades" (see explanation) with the cars/vehicles I sell.

If a customer brought you a car they already owned and wanted you to add mods, you would have to charge for labor and materials.

I suggest you develop a list of typical labor and materials charges for various common mods and display it prominently. This will have two potential benefits: 1) an additional revenue stream, 2) Your free optional mods are more likely to be perceived by customers as being valuable.

HTH

[Clev]

There are certain "mods" you can do to every car: make sure brakes aren't dragging, do an alignment, replace a belt-driven fan with an electric, replace leaking tires, etc.

If you market your cars as high-efficiency cars, you can get away with more mods. Maybe you can get a bulk price on preassembled MPGuinos.

[Clev]

There are certain "mods" you can do to every car: make sure brakes aren't dragging, do an alignment, replace a belt-driven fan with an electric, replace leaking tires, etc.

If you market your cars as high-efficiency cars, you can get away with more mods. Maybe you can get a bulk price on preassembled MPGuinos.

[Christ]

Well, I have to take it a step at a time now... times are still slightly uncertain, so I'm only doing like one car at a time. I try to take the money from that car's sale, to buy another one, so I have sustainable resource.

I have to use part of the money to live on though, as well. So far, I've only done a few.

I do plan on using the "upgrades" as a marketing technique as well, so maybe in the future, I'll be able to get more business that way.

The end result of my work should basically be that I don't have to buy parts to fix cars anymore... other than internal parts, etc. I should basically be able to have a car in stock, that needs fixed, and be able to pick out the part I want from my own inventory, for the most part. Obviously, there will be exceptions.

I don't know if I'm ready to start adding things like MPGuino's as an upgrade yet... Don't want to get too crazy right at the beginning, rather get my name around slowly, so people get used to hearing it before they start associating it with mind-numbing data and the like.

I think initially, I'll start off slow, like adding plastic to the backsides of the hubcaps (if applicable) but painting the new plastic black, so it doesn't look like the hole is filled. I used to do that anyway, before I know what Aero was... I just thought it looked like crap to see rims behind the hubcaps.

Everyone - I really appreciate the support on this subject... keep the ideas coming if you have them!

[Bicycle Bob]

Most people know so little about cars, and are so lucky to get a reliable used one, that I'd do any easy moves to save gas and let them decide if the performance is still adequate. If they want to know more, I'd be honest, but I wouldn't bother a lot of people with anything but the mileage on the last tank. The ice caps are melting - don't sweat the small stuff.