Limos With an Attitude : Bill Koegler’s old stretch station wagons may not be glamorous --but they’re affordable and fueled by fun.
If nothing else, you have to give Bill Koegler credit for honest advertising.
Most limousine companies try for glamour. First Class Limousine. Empire Limousine. Stardust Limousine.
Koegler’s business: An Ugly, Old Limo Co.
Still, people call up and ask if the cars are nice. “And I say no, they’re hideous,” says Koegler, 31. “Hideous party limos--that’s the term I use.”
Airport limo is another appropriate term--the kind of stretched station wagon used to schlep tourists to and from hotels. The SuperShuttle of the ‘70s. Cruise down Laurel Canyon Boulevard and you might see one parked on the street near his apartment. They’re hard to miss: 1972 Pontiac Catalina station wagons, each 24 feet long.
Each of his four cars has a story as well as a gimmick, though none quite as interesting as the one he calls “Desert Storm.” The car was one of three Koegler bought in 1986 from a private school in Hershey, Pa., where they had been used to take students around the campus.
Then it primarily sat in storage until Universal Studios came calling around 1991. They were looking for a worthy opponent for Robosaurus, a 40-foot, 28-ton, fire-breathing, car-smashing machine. Seems Robosaurus was making quite a splash at Monster Truck shows and had landed a TV pilot. Koegler sold them a car for $1,400.
Well, we all know what a success the TV series “Robosaurus” was. So Koegler bought the car back in 1993--for $200.
“The thing had been burned. It had been breathed on by a monster,” he says.
It had been blue. It came back charcoal. Now, it’s camouflaged with mock red missiles mounted on the roof.
The car in which Koegler drives most of his clients around is white and in the process of being bulletproofed. It’s a gimmick, of course. “But to my credit,” Koegler interjects, “it will actually be bulletproof.”
It is not yet, however, entirely waterproof--a detail revealed when he takes it to the Plaza Handwash down the street. He supervises the 17-point turn required to get the car into the carwash, then explains that the exterior is not his primary concern. He has an Oreo cookie vision for these cars: crunchy on the outside, but creamy and comfortable on the inside.
Today, the inside--at least in the front--is a little damp. Add “new door trim” on that list of things to buy.
Running even an ugly, old limo company can get costly. The “Desert Storm” car is getting its rear-end rebuilt. Then there’s the cost of tinting the windows, reupholstering the seats, putting in power locks. . . . It’s safe to say that he’s put more money into the cars than he’s gotten out. So far.
“We’ll see. The more effort I put into it, the more I get out of it. If I can keep costs low, I think I can turn a profit by the end of the year,” Koegler says.
At $25 an hour, Koegler’s cars cost about half as much as other local limo services. The lower price has helped drum up some local prom business. Saturday, he’s taking a group to the North Hollywood High School prom.
“They like the fact that they would have something that no one else has,” Koegler says. “There will be a number of new limos at the prom, but nothing like this.”
Indeed, a 24-foot station wagon is more likely to draw a look in this city, where limos are more common than Volkswagens.
That’s what happened to Keith Pacheco, 28, of Lake Elsinore, who rented a car to go to a pub in San Clemente with his fiancee and two friends. They had such a good time, he’s considering a future trip to Las Vegas.
“If people rent a limo and they want a really fun experience, this is something to try. It’s really unique,” Pacheco says.
The chauffeurs agree that most of their clients have a good time. And those who aren’t having fun, says driver Ziggy Kormandel, get dropped off at home.
“Generally it’s just a party on wheels. That’s what we call it. You have to be up for driving,” says Kormandel, 22. “We’re not typical-looking chauffeurs. We’ve always got women coming to sit up front. They always incorporate us into the party.”
Kormandel and driver Lauren Cheff, 21, recount tales of bachelorette parties, bar-hopping and cruising with rocker trolls (Kormandel’s phrase). But they swear their limo driving records are spotless.
“You don’t really haul ass in those cars,” says Cheff. “It’s not exactly ‘Speed Racer.’ It’s more like ‘Driving Miss Daisy.’ ”
Koegler thinks his fledgling business could take off, but isn’t staking his whole future on it, either. He’s finishing up an associate’s degree at Los Angeles Valley College in administration of justice and has hopes of attending law school. In the hours that he isn’t driving someone to the airport, picking up a car at the mechanic’s, or in class, he’s training for his fourth marathon.
“I know that I can make it work, but there are a lot of other people who are enthusiastic also. It’s the kind of idea that people bat around for fun, but no one actually does,” he says. “My concern is not what will happen, but that I follow through on it. It’s not the greatest idea, but it’s an original idea, and it’s my own.”
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WHERE AND WHEN
What: An Ugly, Old Limo Co.
Location: Anywhere you want to go.
Hours: Whenever you want to leave.
Price: $25 an hour. Includes one bottle of champagne.
Call: (818) 506-3609.
