Would you enter a career in the motor trade again?

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ladatrouble, Jan 11, 4:53am
I'd do it again, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Instead of drifting from job to job getting experience in just about everything with an engine, I would find something I liked and stick to it.become an expert in that field. Well, maybe I did - but 20 years of workshop management doesn't seem to mean much these days. They would rather take on a young dynamic guy who does a lot of wheelspinning and looks like he's really doing the job, than some crusty old bastard who's seen it all before and gets the job done quietly with no fuss and bother.

25 years ago when I was running a workshop,my hourly rate was 1/2 the charge out rate, and I also got 10% of the workshop profit. we are a long,long way from that now.
lookoutas, Jan 11, 4:58am
It should all start at what a tradesman is worth.

Project annual income.
/ 2000 annual hours.
= hourly pay rate.
X 3 will give the hourly charge-out rate.

Whether I would do it again is hard to answer - I would want to, but what I do know, is that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
franc123, Jan 11, 5:36am
I find it difficult to say whether I'd start again in it, the good points are that its always been a stable career that basically enables you to work anywhere there are motor vehicles, and is an excellent base should you wish to go into another tech trade.I have found that those who are good at what they do and stick with it have petrol, or diesel in the blood and showed a talent for it from a young age, those that didn't don't last, they might complete an apprenticeship and then get out of it after a few years.When I started 18 years ago even getting someone to take you on was difficult, there was plenty of tradesman available then and the large dealers especially weren't that interested, they often had young guys breaking their doors down to give them apprenticeships.But I don't think anybody realised back then how many of the older people in the trade were going to bail out of it when cars suddenly went hi tech, and suddenly more vacancies became available with few people to fill them. But interest in the trade nowadays has just plummeted, you see companies having to advertise for apprentices these days, it all seems a bit daunting for young folk now.Theres a few talented ones coming through but its not going to be anywhere near enough to satisfy future demand.
evenson1, Jan 11, 6:38am
I have just about finished my time as an apprentice, looking at moving on to another trade just don't see a future in being a mechanic. I love my job, i work on Subarus all day. I see my mates getting almost twice what i get. dairy farmers, sparkies, engineers. they all have there ups and downs. but twice the pay rate. My job is hard and complex at times. What choice do i have i want a future
mugenb20b, Jan 11, 6:55am
I would like to start by saying that I love my job and variety of work I get. I also used to have my own refrigeration and air conditioning business, but chose to close it down due to change in lifestyle. Anyway, knowing what I know now, I should have studied law or medicine. If you think about it, you only need to work for 10 years with high income, and spend the rest of your life doing what ever you want to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, my life is great, I'm happily married, have 3 kids + 1 on the way, 2 houses, 2 cars, and a great job, and I'm only 30 years old. But, I could have achieved much more.
taipan4, Jan 11, 7:01am
Except when you had a headache LOL
taipan4, Jan 11, 7:09am
Been a sparky for the last 40years (started 1969) & always wish I'd stayed at tech a bit longer & got NZCEor some more qualifications, So I could get off the tools & do other stuff but a bit late now. Can do most things home maint, small engines, & cars these days are fairly reliable
wheelmann, Jan 11, 7:27am
No I wouldn't. I would tell my younger self to be an Electrician which was what I really wanted to do but I got accepted into Automotive Pre-Trade first. I only did 6 years in the Trade and enjoyed some of it but got to a stage where I hated going to work.
I would tell my younger-self to try harder in school and actually turn up to school more often than I did.
motorway, Jan 11, 7:34am
Done 32+ years now, last 12 on the periphery, batteries, roadside etc which is light work thats suits my health problems. Had my own shop, 3 workers and all the headaches that go with that.Had some boom times and some real troughs too, but it's always given me a reasonable standard of living with a pocketful of loose change *cough* most of the time, so yes I guess I would.
xs1100, Jan 11, 7:56am
the mechanics have always been over paid if you want underpaid over worked try the car parts business
xs1100, Jan 11, 7:58am
dont know how many times i heard from qualified mechanics "they are all the same".to only hear " it doesnt fit".to only have to duck when i informed them "you re fitting it wrong then cause they are all the SAME REMEMBER"
tonyrockyhorror, Jan 11, 8:26am
Yes. That said. I got out of it nearly 20 years ago once I realised that, despite enjoying it and the knowledge and experience gained meaning I have no need to mechanics & saving me a small fortune in vehicle running expenses, it really wasn't going anywhere unless I was to own a workshop and have the headache of running the risk of unknowingly hiring some mechanics like the dropkicks I had encountered.

So I entered a mechanical design profession instead where I could be self-employed without having to go and open a shop every day. There are certainly still dropkicks that you get to work with, but they provide amusement rather than stress.
danchop, Jan 11, 9:03am
1983 left school to work for anz bank,we were the bank for michael hill in whangarei,spent all my lunchtimes just about down at the local bill russell honda bike shop.two years into the banking job i got offered a job at the bike shop and also got offered a junior accounting role from michael hill as he was going to make his jewellery business bigger and list it on the sharemarket.i chose the bike shop option,f%^&**g idiot
paul271, Jan 11, 9:06am
I would do it again, I enjoy it (most) of the time. I personally can see the time coming soon when the workshops have to start specialising in one or two makes to be able to stay viable.(thinking of BM workshop, Qualitat etc) As cars become more complex and specialised, so will we. Other trades have done it, ours will soon I feel.
jmma, Jan 11, 10:05am
That's a sad story, find a time machine. Still who was to know that M Hill would get that big aye. The bike shop might have gone global (o:
tgray, Jan 11, 6:14pm
You could have achieved much more!
Geez, at 30 years old, with 3.5 kids/2 houses etc, you seem to have achieved a lot. Young far too young to be 'looking back' thinking how much more you could have achieved!
phalanax, Jan 11, 8:00pm
No I wouldnt go back to it.enjoy keeping my own vehicle in great shape.and help out the odd buddy every now and then.but in my opinion everything has become so disposable.folk dont keep the same car much as they used to .also the technology is wacky.they still dont make cars easy to work on either.everythings even more jammed in.heck now even if i start to get a major problem with a car i sell it and get another .rather than waste money fixing .the good ole days are gone.the grass is greener elsewhere.lol
poppajn, Jan 12, 6:24am
Did a diesil mechanic,s apprenticeship back in the '60,s, stayed at it for 8 year,s, then realised it was easier to f#k them than fix them e.g truck driveing), so have concentrated on that until mid last year.
mugenb20b, Jan 12, 6:45am
I'm very happy and fortunate to have achieved what I did. But, when it comes to higher income, I could do a lot better and pay my mortgages off at a faster rate. Basically, with high wages, you don't have to work until 65 or 67, I'd like to semi retire at 45 or 50, take it easy and make money from properties. But, we'll see what happens.
kaituna, Jan 12, 6:50am
evenson! What about changing to become an Aviation engineer! In the next few years there is going to be a massive world wide shortage. This is a trade that has a future and pays well.
kaituna, Jan 12, 6:51am
I was a mechanic for nearly 20 years. Now my knees and back are stuffed. I would'nt have done it a s trade if I could take back time.
zephyrheaven, Jan 12, 6:58am
I had a vision of what I wanted when I was about 16 at school:
House / small family / few cars & my own 8-5 business with not too much stress

I went into Chef school at the start (still fiddling with cars) couldnt be a sparky (colour blind) & builders I knew hated their lives at the time (mid 1990's Southland)

Always playing with cars & found I could do things on them & go to bed wondering how I managed it (still think back now & wonder how I fixed some lol)
Had a great teacher - my Father was a bush mechanic from way back & my brother was an ace British bike builder - still is but now Italian bike

Saw how I could make my life easy in the future so went to University to prove to myself I had a brain deep inside - got a few A's & B's at Otago for Anthropology - was very interested in social science but no real job in the end of it - have a few credit's left before I get my B.A

Signed up at Otago Polytech - was lucky enough to secure an apprenticeship at Automotion - was taught everything & anything, daily it was variety which I crave in this trade still
Did my time there - moved to Chch - worked for a bloke for 8 years, gave him a cheque & now own the place working on a 1927 Ford one day & a brand new Alfa the next - people who hate & regret this trade are the ones that didnt try something in left field or want something better for themselves one day - I have every single thing I ever wanted that 20 years ago & its all my own doing I have no qualm in saying that - I made my life what it is now
zephyrheaven, Jan 12, 7:02am
Talking of pay rates, at one time I was charging a solid 9 hour day at $69 per hour & getting $8.25 in the hand - it made me a bit ill at the time but now I look back at all the experience I was gaining & who its made me to appreciate every cent I earn
I wish my apprentice could go back in time & do some of the job's I did back then - it would make his head spin when he is complaining about an oil change on a Nissan Sunny FFS! Ha what an age we live in.
sw20, Jan 12, 7:05am
I'll break the gearbox on the mr2 James. Get your apprentice to change it
tgray, Jan 12, 7:20am
At 41 years old, I found my passion in life selling cars (that was 2004) andhonestly feel I haven't worked a day since. 1000+ cars later, it's a life I wouldn't swap for anything.
I think a lot of people dream of retirement to leave a job they don't enjoy.
I used to. Now that I love what I do, I never want to retire.
Just wish I found my passion in my 20's and not my 40's.
It's not for everyone, just feel immensely grateful I found my calling.eventually!