Florida here I come.

[uzj100]

Hmmm, you might even be able to detail the Gulf Blue CGT?

[MSOsr]

The last hurricane to hit Jacksonville was Dora in 1964. We get some winds and rain from the others that pass nearby, but no hits for 45 years.



Although there may be fewer Lambos and Ferraris here than in South Florida, there are many Porsches, Mercedes and other fine cars driven by local residents. Brumos Porsche is located here, as is Danny Sullivan`s Lexus dealership.



There are a number of "detailers" that handle cars parked in garages of the major buildings downtown. You park in your spot, give them your keys and select your "package" and they have the car ready for you at lunch or at quitting time (depending on the services selected). As you might expect, these "detailers" omit the "details" that make up a quality paint restoration.



A top notch detailer can make a fortune here. Every time someone posts on here that they are in the Jacksonville area, a half dozen of us ask if they do just their own cars or cars for others too. If you came here, I`d be your first customer.



Mike



BTW, I would be very careful about signing a noncompete agreement in Florida. They are allowed by statute and can result in your not being able to work in your field in competition with your employer, at least for a reasonable amount of time (1-2 years?) and within a reasonable geographic area (not within 250 miles?) I certainly wouldn`t sign one. Who wants to have to move that distance to be able to detail cars within the next year or two?

[imported_rydawg]

Thanks for all the great info guys and I really appreciate it big time. I still have a lot to think about on where I want to exactly go and when. I will come down in a month for a little vacation when I get a chance just to check things out.

[XRL]

Damn, sounds like I need to get good enough to sell details to you Jacksonville guys.



They bring up good points. It`s not really true that the really wealthy people don`t live in Florida year round, there are PLENTY of wealthy people year round. There`s just a lot more old rich guys come winter-time. The good news? Those old guys are the ones with the really expensive classic cars. The bad news? Those cars get garaged 99% of the year, and only come out for joyrides, shows, and cleaning. Though many of the people who own those cars are particular enough to have them detailed while they`re not there as David said.



My only quibbles are this. In WPB, there are a lot of lower cost "detail" outfits that will clean your car for dirt cheap, like $10-20, they throw a swarm of "immigrants of questionable legality" at the car, and they clean it in just a few minutes, and to many in WPB that`s good enough for them. Wash, and then a heavy filler wax and you`re good to go. The rest of the people in WPB will likely already have a quality detail service, let`s face it there`s some good detailers in that area. My point is, a larger market like that may be harder to break into.



Have you ever considered Daytona? There`s a pretty strong biker population around there if you wanted to get into bikes. Pensacola also has some rather wealthy areas as well.

[Eisen Hulk]

Best of luck, Ryan. I`m sure you`ll do fine wherever you decide to go.



I vacation in Naples a couple of times per year (My girlfriend`s dad has a condo on the beach). LOTS of money there, but like someone mentioned (Sorry, I forgot the name) it can be very seasonal. I`ve been there during all four seasons, and the late fall/through winter is where it`s at. You name a high-end car, and I think I`ve seen it there. I really like Naples....A lot! Good luck, buddy!

[E300Diesel]

Ry,



Don`t know if you are attending the AutoGeek Detail Fest gathering in March, but that would be a good time to explore the SoFla surroundings perhaps?

[imported_rydawg]

Update



With spring being here now and I am getting so busy I have just decided to stay here till the winter.



All my clients teamed up and talked me into staying up here in mass. .



I will probably take a vacation in the summer and go down and visit.



Thanks

Ryan

[E300Diesel]

Update



With spring being here now and I am getting so busy I have just decided to stay here till the winter.



All my clients teamed up and talked me into staying up here in mass. .



I will probably take a vacation in the summer and go down and visit.



Thanks

Ryan

I`m sure you`ll rethink it when those frigid winters return. Wish you the best in whatever you choose!

[imported_rydawg]

I`m sure you`ll rethink it when those frigid winters return. Wish you the best in whatever you choose!

Oh ya, I will wanna get out of here as soon as November hits.



Thanks!