EVERYBODY likes and trusts John, and with good reason. He takes his work very seriously, knows his business as well as anyone, and talks to every employee and customer in the same cordial, polite tone of voice. He appreciates the full significance of keeping other people's cars safe and reliable, and never, ever rips people off. If he can find you a worthwhile way to spend less, or save, he'll offer it and ask your preference. One winter, when I couldn't afford to replace the transmission, then finally decided to replace it instead of fixing it, I told him I'd like to give him the title so he could sell it for scrap. (It was that kind of car, a tired old Maxima with severe rusting underneath, and mechanical issues. A relative finally offered me an old car she wasn't driving.) John, being a prince, insisted on paying for the tow rather than my using one of my AAA tow services for that membership year -- though he'd patiently kept the car for months. An honest man, and I consistently hear how trustworthy his used cars are.

Village Garage has a solid reputation for being a fair and honest repair shop. After my recent experience, I can see why. I had my 2005 VW Passat towed to Village Garage for a second diagnosis, after being told by Barry VW that it needed a new turbo costing $1700 and requiring 4-5 days to complete.The diagnosis at Village Garage was shockingly different and far more simple: the car had a plugged breather screen. After clearing the screen and replacing the air filter ($39), the car was ready. Total cost: $141. Total labor: one hour. Village Garage saved me from spending nearly $1700 on an unneeded repair at Barry VW.I'm grateful, obviously, for being saved that mountain of money, but mostly I'm impressed by the integrity of the mechanics at Village Garage through this process. The owner, John Soares, took the time to explain the repair to me--how the turbo works, what went wrong, and how they fixed it.