June 21, 2023

Justice Verhey remembers becoming acquainted with motor vehicles as a toddler.

“I didn’t actually do it, but he (my dad) had me change my first tire when I was 3 years old. I’ve been around vehicles my whole life,” Verhey said.

Father Tim taught himself the intricacies of cars and pickups by reading manuals and working with others. He passed his knowledge to his son. That makes them the ideal pair to run a new business in Sioux Falls, a do-it-yourself mechanic shop where a person can bring in a car, pickup or motorcycle and make the necessary repairs.

My Buddy’s Garage has moved into a former warehouse at 600 S. Charlotte Ave., just off Sycamore Avenue and 10th Street in eastern Sioux Falls. The father-son team installed lifts and air compressors in the building.

“Say your car needs work,” Verhey said. “You bring it in; we have lifts, tools, the shop, everything. You can rent it from us and work on your own vehicle. It’s way cheaper than going to a traditional mechanic’s shop.”

When a customer comes in with a vehicle, the Verheys will put it on the lift and hoist it in the air, making sure it’s stable. Then, the customer can do the needed work. When the customer is finished, the Verheys are there to make sure the vehicle is back safe on the concrete.

They made sure it would be a safe experience, they said.

“We went all-out on the safety,” Verhey said. “We bought oversized lifts. Our smallest lift can pick up a diesel pickup. We’ve got extra stabilizers that we can put underneath, so if the center of gravity changes, it won’t fall off. We make sure it’s as safe as possible.”

The Verheys can give advice to their customers without actually picking up a wrench, although most won’t need it, Verhey said. They have installed screens where YouTube videos can be played if someone does need an idea.

As far as Verhey knows, this is Sioux Falls’ first DIY mechanic’s shop. The idea came from a friend who had moved to Texas. He needed to work on his pickup but didn’t have his tools with him.

“He found something similar to this in Texas,” Verhey said. “He told me about it, and I thought, that’s genius, why doesn’t Sioux Falls have one? I made Sioux Falls have one.”

My Buddy’s Garage opened June 10. Hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. To reserve time, people can message My Buddy’s Garage through its Facebook page or call 605-334-3199. Verhey also is building a website that will have a booking system on it.

Renting a lift costs $50 an hour. Flatbed rental is $20 an hour, while access to any tool in the shop — as simple as a wrench or something specialized — is $5 an hour. The sole motorcycle lift rents for $25 an hour.

Verhey, a Parker native who now lives in Sioux Falls, is confident My Buddy’s Garage will fill a need locally.

“We have one customer, he was our first paying customer, (Sunday) night was his third time back here,” Verhey said. “It seems like everybody loves it that’s been here.”

Tim and Justice Verhey won’t see each other only on weekends, by the way. Justice is a crane operator. Tim, who lives in Parker, works for the same company as a signalman and a rigger.