Need advice on first vehicle

[microgeek]

Hello,

I plan on running a small limo company and specialize in wedding events. Mostly, cause I plan to start the service as a part-time venture and weddings normally fall on the weekends.

Anyway, I'm interested in advice and suggestions for this type of work.

Since I plan to buy used, here are some questions.
First off - What make and model and year ranges should I try and find?

2nd- Does the color white get requested for more for weddings over black limos?

3rd - Is there a particular builder to look for or stay away from?

I'm looking for something elegant, that will be a reliable workhorse for starting off.

lastly, would anyone suggest a good dealership that carries them on the east coast or closed to Washington DC.

thank you

[O5EXECL]

IMHO , i think first vehicle should be a lincoln town car ! this car is the industry standard and has proven itself as a workhorse . personally i think white limousines look nice at weddings, but everyones different. look for 03 + town car stretch , i wouldnt do less than 120". not going to say which builder is horrible but krystal koach, lcw, dabryan, tiffany,ecb,royale etc... are a few known builders. goodluck

[edwinslimo]

I your specializing in weddings I would say a white 10 or 12 passenger is a must.A lincoln town car or if its a new limo whatever is newest by lincoln,I think its the MkS or MKZ or something.krystal makes the nicest limo's but the others are good too

[BLVD Limo]

First, there really isn't anything that is part time about this business. Brides are going to be calling you during the week about needing a limo for a wedding. Also, you will probably only be able to work one wedding a weekend unless you are lucky enough to get a wedding on a Saturday morning and one late Saturday afternoon. I have never worked or given a quote for a wedding on Sunday. And once wedding season is over and the winter is here, what are you going to do? There are not a whole lot of people getting married between the end of October and the start of March.

I don't want to burst your bubble, but there is a lot to think about before just jumping in. Work a very detailed business plan and I'm going to highly recommend that you pay cash for your first vehicle so that you aren't struggling to make that monthly payment.

As for coach builders, everyone has their favorite. Krystal was mentioned as the best, but I have a very different opinion. Some think that DaBryan is the best. A lot of it is personal preference. The same can be said for buses. As for color, photographers prefer black limos because the white wedding dress doesn't get washed in with the car, but brides prefer white.

Best of luck on your venture!

[excaliberlimo]

You need a big limo to do weddings. 12 to 20 passengers. Anything smaller and you will be turning down the majority of your calls. I would say go s.u.v., older Excursions and Navigators are cheap to get into, buy one of them to test the waters. A 180 Town Car will work too, but they really only seat 12, which is a small wedding. On a older limo, they can be completely worn out or well taken care of. I have never had a good experience with a dealer. When you buy from a individual, if the body or upholstery looks rough, you can figure he/she never took care of the things you can't see either. A dealer will detail the car so it looks great, but it might not be so good mechanically. Good AC is needed for weddings, used limos and ice cold ac are not always the case. Good Luck.

[Pyro]

Bigger is better for larger Wedding Partys. You can put two in a 180 , but 10 will be cramped in a 120 . Town cars are nice , but an SUV will carry the larger loads better . More Brides will want white . It will never fail what you have , callers will want somthing different . Part time is a dream . The phone will ring at all hours of the day & night . With all of the requirements to operate a legal service , part time is tough. After you do a run then you have all of the Maintanance , repairs , clean up work , & paper work to do before the next booking. It is a full time job for even a one car operation. With that said, it is great to be part of peoples lives and bring a smile to their face for what ever event they are having you do. You meet a lot of great people every day. Would not trade it for any other job I have had.

[stretchlimochicago]

From my experience, Chrysler 300 limos are the most popular. They are way more popular than lincolns as well as SUV limos.

Bigger WAS better but not anymore. With a market saturation and lots of guys getting into limo bus business, limo buses, party buses and SUV limo are booking less and less.

By the, of course it should be a White limo.

Good luck!

[edwinslimo]

I saw the new Lincoln MKS hybrid at the walmart parking lot today,could make a great limo.Also if weddings are your main thing maybe a antique Bentley or Rolls Royce

[BLVD Limo]

I saw the new Lincoln MKS hybrid at the walmart parking lot today,could make a great limo.Also if weddings are your main thing maybe a antique Bentley or Rolls Royce

MKS isn't available in a hybrid. Do you mean the MKZ?

[Cedar Mill Limousine]

From my experience, Chrysler 300 limos are the most popular. They are way more popular than lincolns as well as SUV limos.

Bigger WAS better but not anymore. With a market saturation and lots of guys getting into limo bus business, limo buses, party buses and SUV limo are booking less and less.

By the, of course it should be a White limo.

Good luck!

Just do your homework before buying one...there are some real junk Chryslers out there.

You could probably get away with just doing weddings on Saturdays and Sundays - but to be honest the profit margin is not what you think. Like Tim said - almost all weddings are the same time of the day (people do get married on Sundays out here though, disagree with you there, Tim). The real game is: do you hold out for the big wedding or take the short one just to move the car (and then an hour later the big wedding you were hoping would call, does...). Its a tough gig - really research how saturated your market is.

[BLVD Limo]

Just do your homework before buying one...there are some real junk Chryslers out there.

You could probably get away with just doing weddings on Saturdays and Sundays - but to be honest the profit margin is not what you think. Like Tim said - almost all weddings are the same time of the day (people do get married on Sundays out here though, disagree with you there, Tim). The real game is: do you hold out for the big wedding or take the short one just to move the car (and then an hour later the big wedding you were hoping would call, does...). Its a tough gig - really research how saturated your market is.

Yeah, but you live in a state that is named after some Harrison Ford character. Like I said, I have never received a call about a wedding on Sunday. I have done a couple weddings on Wednesdays though and one small wedding on a Friday night.

[brandon1]

I've only done Sunday weddings on holiday weekends where people have the following Monday off. I agree with staying with white vehicles, until the photographer starts paying for the vehicle who cares what he likes.

[edwinslimo]

MKS isn't available in a hybrid. Do you mean the MKZ?

It must be,it was a 4 door sedan

[Rick E.]

... Also, you will probably only be able to work one wedding a weekend unless you are lucky enough to get a wedding on a Saturday morning and one late Saturday afternoon. I have never worked or given a quote for a wedding on Sunday..

Best of luck on your venture!

Tim, on Long Island it's not that unusual to have a vehicle do upwards of four weddings in a weekend. Sunday afternoon weddings are very popular here since the catering halls discount for Sunday afternoons and Saturday afternoons as well as Friday nights. So, if everthing lays out the vehicle can do a Friday evening and Saturday evening wedding as well as Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon ones. Typically they are three hour minimum booking consisting of Brides house to the church, the church to a park for pictures, and then a leave out at the catering hall.

[Vintage Limos]

My advice for an operator / owner looking to get 1 vehicle to cater to weddings... I will second what others have said... You need a SUV limo in white. Seems like the average wedding party is about 12 people minimum. Bride, Groom, and 5 bridesmaids and groomsmen each. Most requests that I get are for 12-18 people.