**Note: We were given a free copy for review purposes and may earn revenue from links!
Car Mechanic Shop Simulator is another indie business sim built on the Unity engine, and it does exactly what the name suggests—you run a mechanic shop, sell parts, and eventually expand into car sales. You start as a new business owner with a tiny shop, a few bucks, and no inventory, building up from there.
Now, let’s be clear: this is a small indie title, and it shows. There’s not a ton of depth, but for tycoon-game fans and idle addicts who just want to see numbers go up and up and up, there’s some entertainment to be had.
You start off running a tiny parts shop, selling things like engine oil, radiator fans, tires, and rims. In this early phase, you’re basically a glorified cashier, managing the register, restocking inventory, and saving up for bigger upgrades.
At first, your focus is on improving the quality and variety of products—nicer rims, better tires, the works. Then, as your bank account fattens up, you expand your shelves, storage, and shop space. Eventually, you unlock service bays with hoists and mechanics, where customers roll in for actual repairs. And if you keep grinding, you’ll finally hit the big leagues with a car sales lot, turning your humble parts shop into a full-fledged dealership.
It’s a solid business progression system, at least in theory. But let’s talk about how you actually do these things…
The Mechanics of the Mechanic Shop
The core gameplay loop is simple but could honestly use a bit of fine-tuning. A huge chunk of the early game is spent speed-running the cash register, checking out customers as fast as humanly possible.
Now, credit card payments? Slick and natural. You can use the number pad for card entries, and it feels good. But then, there’s cash payments, and oh boy.
I don’t mind having to manually calculate change—that could be a neat little detail. But why do customers pay in the most absurd amounts possible? If the bill is $150, why on earth are they handing me $151? What kind of mind game is this? This part feels less like a business sim and more like the devs wanted to create a cashier simulator with a built-in headache generator.
Amazon Prime for Auto Parts
Reordering stock works in an interesting way: place an order, wait a short while, and bam! A package magically appears in front of your store. Some might call it immersion-breaking, but honestly? It’s not that unrealistic. Having worked in actual car dealerships before, I can tell you that on-demand parts delivery is a real thing, with suppliers like Napa and Piston Ring making runs throughout the day. So while it’s not 100% accurate, it works.
My biggest issue with Car Mechanic Shop Simulator? The game balance is all over the place.
The early grind is slow. You spend hours painstakingly flipping a handful of parts to save up for your first big upgrade. That would be fine if the game were just slow-paced, but instead, it suddenly rocket-launches you into overdrive.
By the time I had finally saved up for the service bay—the game’s first major expansion goal—the shop was already Level 20+, unlocking tons of new features but I couldn’t afford to all or even most of them yet.
After hours of crawling through the early game, the moment I unlocked car sales, my income exploded. Suddenly, I had more money than I could spend. People were constantly lined up to buy cars. My shop went from “mom-and-pop oil change joint” to “high-volume car dealership” overnight. I was unlocking new equipment, hiring staff, and running around like a used car salesman on a caffeine overdose trying to close every deal.
Which brings me to the real question…
At the end of the day, you can’t really lose customers—ever. Even after closing time, your last batch of buyers just stand there, frozen, waiting for you to ring them up. There’s no pressure, no consequences, just a never-ending parade of sales waiting for you to cash in.
- No bills to pay
- No competition stealing your customers
- No market fluctuations affecting prices
The only thing pushing you forward is how much money you want to make and how fast you’re willing to click. Which means, at its core, this is less of a business simulator and more of a glorified first-person idle clicker.
If you’re a hardcore business sim fan looking for depth, financial strategy, and realistic dealership drama—this isn’t it. There’s no negotiating, no fighting to close a sale, and you won’t be scraping grease from under your fingernails.
However… if you love idle clickers and just want a game where you watch numbers explode while building your own auto empire, then Car Mechanic Shop Simulator might actually be your thing.
✅ Fun for fans of idle-clicker-style progression
✅ Great for those who just want a casual business-building experience
❌ A miss for anyone wanting a deep, strategic business sim
If the idea of going from hundredaire to millionaire with no rules or restrictions in your own little retail shop sounds appealing, then this might be the lot for you!
