Originally Posted by
mesasone
I know very little about bike mechanics - I'm just learning as I go on my bike, which has had nothing wrong with it so far
, but I would imagine you could run that type of service off an xtracycle. Now, imagine that. Alturnatively if you need the car to commute long distances, I'm pretty sure you could find a nice, cheap - small gas efficient hatchback and mount a roof rack, being able to keep all your tools and supplies in the back.
Maybe I'm missing something here, but I don't see the need for a big gas hungry truck for this kind of work. That alone would contribute greatly towards the profitability.
Sorry, it is simply not possible to charge low labor prices, add travel time and still turn a profit for the mechanic if your only income is labor and parts. You need to have accessories available to sell, and that takes more space than a hatchback has to offer. Even just the selection of tire sizes you need takes significant room. I used a minivan with a roof rack and car top carrier, and that was just big enough (seats removed, built-in workbench in the back).