His Business is Rolling in a Down Economy

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FL -- New car sales have been down for months, but the auto repair business is in high gear.

At Jim Driscoll's BMW repair shop on 9th Street South, the 'rat-a-tat-a-tat' of the pneumatic tools is matched only by the near constant ring of the phone.

"D-B-M-W... this is Jim, can I help you?"

And the phone at DBMW is ringing more than ever these days with the continued downturn in the economy.

Driscoll's customers are those who came looking for an alternative to giant dealership repair shops without having to "cross the ditch." (Intracoastal Waterway)

Driscoll points to his shop's integrity for his word-of-mouth success with his customers.

"Honesty and reliability. (I try to) talk to them and explain what they need and how long before they need it. If it needs to be done right now -- some stuff can't wait. Some stuff you can wait on."

These days, DBMW's team is cranking at full throttle.

"For the last few months with the down economy, a lot of people are tending to keep their cars and repairing them," said Driscoll.

"They're not ready to buy a new car yet."

And whether it is a brake job or a complete engine overhaul, Driscoll says the clients are lining up.

"Pretty much anything can be fixed on a car. Sometimes it's not worth it, but for the most part you can keep 'em running forever."

On the wall of the DBMW office are dozens of Polaroid? photos of a his customers' cars that have surpassed the 200,000 mile mark. One picture highlights a customer's "B-Mer" that has been driven more than 500,000 miles!

"As with anything, if you take better care of it, it's going to last longer," said Driscoll.

"Routine oil changes is the most important thing. Keeping on top of things is very important. You don't want to let stuff break, because it can cause other systems to fail."

And Driscoll and his crew know the workload isn't about to slow down any time soon.

"People are keeping their cars longer, repairing them rather than going and buying a new one!"

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