Hi Andy.
Don't forget, whatever machine you get needs carrying round, so you may be limited by the size of your car boot.
The Karcher Puzzi 100 might be a step up from your current machine, and if you shop around you can get them new for under £350 (or pay B&Q not much more than that)
Some people just laugh at the Puzzi, and certainly it is not as powerful as the big machines, but if you are only cleaning carpets part time do you really want to spend thousands?
Bear in mind that whatever machine you buy needs to be lifted in and out of your car, up any stairs, wherever. A big machine will do the job quicker, but it might break your back, as well as break the bank!
I am new to CC (currently running 3 vans on mobile car wash & valet) and to date have only cleaned carpets in caravans (my main business is a caravan park) and I managed a decent job with a VAX.
Okay, Okay everyone, when you have quite finished laughing
I think one of the advantages with the more powerful machines is that they leave the carpet much dryer. Not at all important with a caravan that has just been sold and won't be handed over for a few days, and maybe less important to an OAP than a busy household......
Even in the VAX machine I used Prochem "extraction pro" (5 litres for the price of a litre of vax) and that has a nice perfume.
I have bought a Prochem "steempro" machine which is sat outside my office in an Escort Van, ready for work. However, it seems that cleaning carpets is a bit more complex than cleaning cars (after all, cars dont shrink when they get wet) so before I start looking for staff and contracts I am off on a few training courses to learn more. I don't want to get a "cowboy" tag.
Seems that you intend to do a fair job for a fair price: after all the old folks aren't able to rent a "rug doctor" and do the job themselves, and as long as your price reflects the equipment you are using then you are doing no wrong. Certainly you need training, after al you don't want to make a mistake and wreck somebody's carpet.