This is my first post of 2022, so let me start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year.
January has been quiet, and although I have had a few job requests, I’ve been unable to do them due to either weather or personal circumstances. Hopefully in the next 10 days or so I’ll be up and running again, and that’s the topic of todays post.
When I started the business back in 2018, lots of people told me I should buy a van. At that time, and with it being a new venture, I chose to delay any such purchase until I’d proved the business was viable. Also, the purchase of a van would have meant the sale of my beloved Jaguar S-Type, and at that time swopping a treasured vehicle for a utility van made no sense. I found myself able to transport everything I needed in my wifes Audi A3, and happily did so for 3 years.
Time never stands still though, and things and situations evolve. I bought more equipment, mileage on the Audi started to rack up, the Jaguar had a few electrical issues and turned into a money pit, and the status quo began to change. Over the months I “persuaded” myself that an estate would be a much better purchase than a van. I looked at a Mondeo estate someone who was stuck in Australia was looking to sell. It would have been ideal, but he decided to keep it as it still had an 18 month CT and they’d need a vehicle when they eventually got back to France. Next came a Volvo V50 which I’d identified as “the” ideal works vehicle. I’d worked on it for the customer to sell, and although it was offered to me with first refusal at a reduced price, it was more than I wanted to pay, so I passed. The same customer also had a Qashqai I worked on, again for sale, but this time at a price that was too good to miss. Unfortunately, he decided to keep it, so another lost opportunity.
They say things happen for a reason, and having missed the chance to buy a second car, I decided to finally at least have a look at a van. One came up on Dronne Valley at the right price, I was the first to respond, and the garagiste, a Brit, did the decent thing and declined others requests to come and look at it before I’d seen it, and after a quick test drive I bought it, officially joining the ranks of the white van man.
It’s in ok condition, but of course that isn’t really good enough for a detailing van and business, so over the coming days/weeks I’ll be working on transforming the paint, having it stickered up with my logos, address the dirty interior, do something about the plain wheels, and turn it into a rolling advertisement for the business. I’ll post the journey of this plain white van in pictures and film, and who knows, maybe some of you will see it as customers?
Cheers
Paul