Auto repair shop simulator
See what your auto repair shop would turn over, how many drivers you'd win and who you'd lose them to — month by month for two years — before you spend real money.
Bays, MOTs and the trust that keeps a driver coming back. This one opens as Bridge Street Motors: An independent garage doing servicing, repairs and inspections for the town's drivers and local fleets. Rename it, reprice it, or describe your own auto repair shop and let Nova rewrite it to fit.
What a steady garage ends up with
Played steadily for all two years — quality first, then growth, a fair share of the bank spent each year — a steady garage here ends its last year on $279k of revenue, still $17k short of a profit, with 446 drivers and 3.9% of the market (#5 of 5).
It starts from nothing: $100k in the bank and you, 50 hours a week, with no drivers yet.
People who play it well do better, and a bad plan runs out of money.
Revenue in the last year: $279k
Lost in the last year: $17k
Drivers at the end: 446
Share of the market: From nothing to 3.9%
Where it finishes: #5 of 5
Years and decisions: 2 years, monthly
What you'll decide each month
Each month you set your rates, how many people are on the books and how many drivers each can look after, what you spend on being found, and which areas you cover.
Each decision shows on a forecast before you file it, and every period resolves against the rivals and the economy.
Who your drivers are
A local service is booked on trust and lost on a missed job. Every driver needs somebody's time, so the people you can put on the work are the limit, and word of mouth is the cheapest marketing there is.
13,000 drivers in all, across your town, the next town over, the villages around, the county town and out by the ring road.
Everyday drivers: People who want it done and will not chase you twice. About 6,500 of them, worth $638 a year each.
Older and classic cars: More work, higher standards, and recommendations to their friends. About 2,600 of them, worth $1.4k a year each.
Local fleets and vans: Several properties, regular work, and hard bargaining on price. About 1,300 of them, worth $1.9k a year each.
Breakdowns and emergencies: An emergency or a move — found on a search, gone afterwards. About 2,600 of them, worth $338 a year each.
Who you're up against
Three rivals are already in it, and they play to win: they cut prices, spend on marketing and answer what you do. Most of the market is theirs on day one.
The main dealer: The biggest, and slow to change — it has stopped listening to its smaller customers. Holds about 25% of the market.
The fast-fit chain: Wins on price and little else; its customers leave the moment somebody is better. Holds about 20% of the market.
The mobile mechanic: Clever and quick, but stretched thin and hard to get hold of. Holds about 10% of the market.
How it works
Free until you start: building and previewing cost nothing, and starting is $10, once.
Build it — free: Press build and you get your own copy of this market: four kinds of driver, three rivals and five areas.
Make it yours: Change any number, describe your auto repair shop in a sentence or two and let Nova fill it in, or upload a profit and loss or a month-by-month sales history to fit it to your real figures.
Preview — free: See what a steady garage ends up with, and every warning worth reading, before you pay anything.
Start — $10: Pay once to start, your seat included. Then run it month by month for two years.
Also for
mechanic · car repair · mot · tyres · body shop · auto
How much does the auto repair shop simulator cost?
Building and previewing are free: make your own copy of this auto repair shop market, change anything in it and see what a steady garage ends up with without paying. Starting the simulation is $10, once, and your own seat is included.
Can I make it match my own auto repair shop?
Yes. Every number can be changed — the drivers and what they pay, the rivals, the areas, the costs and the starting cash. Or describe your auto repair shop in a sentence or two and Nova, SparkTower's AI, fills every section in for one Nova action. If you already trade, upload a profit and loss or a month-by-month sales history and the simulation is fitted to your real numbers, starting from where your business stands today.
Are the numbers realistic for an auto repair shop?
The template is checked against what real ones do: played steadily, a believable one finishes year two turning over between $150k and $700k, with between 200 and 1,500 drivers. This one's preview comes to about $279k and 446. Your own prices, costs and figures change that, which is the point of trying it here first.
Can I use it to test an auto repair shop business plan?
That is what it is for. Put your plan's prices, costs and starting cash in, play it forward month by month, and see whether the money lasts, how many drivers you would need and what a rival's price cut does to you — before you put real money in.
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