Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 5, 1995 TAG: 9507050030
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SHANNON D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A sign on the old Royal Buick dealership in Salem has bold new letters reading "Do It Yourself." The sign advertises a new business that is like a haven for amateur grease monkeys.
Roger DiNunzio, 47, a former computer network manager at Carilion Health System, last week opened the Salem Total Automotive Center at 1725 W. Main St.
The center is a combination of do-it-yourself needs for car owners. In an old dealer-servicing garage, customers can rent one of nine bays to wash their cars, change the oil, or do just about anything else possible without the help of a mechanic.
The center also houses a separate bay for detailed cleaning. And in the former showroom, DiNunzio plans to sell used cars on consignment. DiNunzio, who recently got a dealer's license, will sell a car, collecting 8 percent commission from the seller.
"The whole business is about renting space," he said. The business has virtually no inventory and very little overhead, DiNunzio added.
He will supply the customer with a bucket, soap, water and a sponge for $6 per half hour. Or a customer can rent 30 minutes' use of a pressure washer for $7.
For the owner with repairs to do, DiNunzio has installed a lift in one bay where customers can do anything from changing spark plugs to fixing a bad alternator. Use of the lift will cost $8 per half hour.
DiNunzio said the idea for his business came as a result of his own experience, having owned 50 cars in the past 25 years.
"I'm a car nut myself and am always frustrated" when there's no place to work on the car, he said. "I know what I would want and I'm trying to base it on what I've seen."
DiNunzio said he searched for another business similar to the one he's opened, but the closest thing he could find was at an Army base near Norfolk and that is closed to the public.
"I don't know if it's good or bad that there are none around," DiNunzio said. As of now, DiNunzio said that he will start slow.
DiNunzio has purchased a hydraulic lift and whether he buys another depends on demand.
"I'm just not sure what the public demand is yet," he said. "I wanted to wrap the business around detailing and selling used cars which are already proven," he said. "Then I stuck the unknown [renting service bays] in the middle."
He hopes to develop an educational center where driver's education students can use a classroom within the center. They would also receive hands-on experience by doing basic mechanical chores in the service bays.
DiNunzio has made the business a family affair. His wife, Valerie, handles financial matters and he gets help from his brother-in-law and sister, Len and Dale Cuccaro, and his retired parents, John and Rose DiNunzio. Valerie DiNunzio's family has helped with renovations.
"I'm trying to make it a real automotive mall," DiNunzio said.
by CNB