Questions for a business school project - please read

[KenneBraun]

Hey everyone! I am new here but this is not spam. I'm a car nut from Washington State who can't afford a Ferrari yet but I do get to be around them as my next door neighbor is the manager of Ferrari of Seattle.

I'm taking a business class at the University of Washington for writing a successful business plan. My business I hope to make is one where I buy some cars from a dealership and then customize them completely to make them look like new cars (so like an extreme body kit) and then sell them as customs. I have an assignment this week where I need to interview my "alpha customers," which is the type of people I expect to get the most business from. Since you all are car nuts like me, I figured you'd be the ones to ask.

First of all, please say anything that comes to mind about this, even if it isn't in response to a question. This will actually give me more information than direct answers oddly enough.

My first question is what do you expect to see when you walk in to the shop/showroom? Not what do you expect from experience, but what would you like to see?

Second, what is your dream car and why?

Third, would you be interested in buying cars this way? What would entice you to change your mind if you don't?

Fourth, any other ideas that I could add in? Such as allowing customers to bring in their cars and then I customize them?

Fifth, how important is gas efficiency vs performance?

Sixth, are you more prone to drag race, auto-x, track race, or show the car (keep in mind that many of these cars will have upwards of 600rwhp and some, if there is enough interest, will be all out racecars).

You don't necessarily need to answer all the questions, and if you have a differing view from someone else, please let me know too!

Thanks,
Jeff Braun

[Pcar928fan]

Fisker automotive is already doing this same thing pretty much and NOT having much luck at it either seems to me. My dream car is a McLaren F1. I would never buy a "rebodied" car...things are designed and produced the way they are for a reason, I think when you go in and change out drive trains or bodies, you are bastardizing the original concept. I hate that. Others LOVE it, but not me. That is basically what hot rodding originally was all about. Just not for me! Never was a hot rod fan either. Though I can appreciate the attention to detail and craftsmanship of a product, I just would not want to own one.

[KenneBraun]

Looks to me like Fisker is making their own high performance hybrid. But I'm talking about customizing existing cars. And that's what I want to know. For you, Pcar928fan, what is it about changing the cars that you don't like? Think about companies like AMG or Brabus. I don't think people would view those as bastardizations of Mercedes. I'm not talking about "hot-rodding" cars. I'm saying I want to make them nicer in every aspect. Let the sky be the limit. Is there anything that I could do to customize a car that would make you be willing to spend a bit more for that car over it's original? If not, then let me know to because you're right, if there aren't many people who would be interested, then the business would just die.

[Pcar928fan]

Originally Posted by KenneBraun

Looks to me like Fisker is making their own high performance hybrid. But I'm talking about customizing existing cars. And that's what I want to know. For you, Pcar928fan, what is it about changing the cars that you don't like? Think about companies like AMG or Brabus. I don't think people would view those as bastardizations of Mercedes. I'm not talking about "hot-rodding" cars. I'm saying I want to make them nicer in every aspect. Let the sky be the limit. Is there anything that I could do to customize a car that would make you be willing to spend a bit more for that car over it's original? If not, then let me know to because you're right, if there aren't many people who would be interested, then the business would just die.

Fisker is making a hybrid, but their other two cars are based on the BMW 6 and the M/B SL (or something like that) and they just change out the body and some of the interior I think.

Not sure what it is about what you propose that turns me off. I do like the AMG stuff...not so much Brabus though. They just take it a step to far and maybe that is what I don't like... It just takes it to far and commonly when you do a rebody type thing you are overly compromised by the existing architecture of the existing car and thus the new bodies perportions are not right to my eye...

YMMV!
James