Village Auto Service

When I lived in the area, Joe and Joe were my regular mechanics. They checked out vehicles I wanted to buy, and when I had a fleet, they kept them all running. I always had an easy, trusting relationship with them -- they're friendly, regular guys.

The shop's owner is named Joe; his assistant is named Joe. This makes it easy to remember their names. Their service is prompt, friendly, honest. They tell you what they think or what they've found and will explain if you need more info. Joe (owner) has a vast knowledge of the quirks of various makes and models of cars. He's been able to fix, on the first try, what many other shops haven't. While they don't have loaners, there is a body shop up the street that also rents cars. The shop is a few hundred yards from a bus stop with service every 15 minutes when UMass is in session (every 35 when it's not). We live in a cooperative community with more than 30 households, and a lot of us use this shop. It helps that it's less than a mile from the community, but it's also because they're so reliable. Sometimes they close early (4pm), especially on Friday. Not open weekends.

The hours aren't wonderful (especially now that I don't work at UMass), but if you become a "regular", they'll leave your car for you and let you pay the next day. My wife and I had been going there for a couple years for regular maintenance, but they got us as customers for life last summer. We had to replace the alternator in my wife's car. When we got it back, there were still some problems--turns out the timing belt was bad, too. Since they could've done that when they had everything taken apart for the alternator, they fixed it for only the cost of the belt.

I have been there only once (to have exhaust pipes and muffler replaced) but was most impressed by Joe's friendliness and straightforwardness. The problem was clear to us both, so there was none of the typical "is the mechanic pulling a fast one?" tension, but I am convinced by his manner that Joe wouldn't have tried such a tactic regardless. He is a nice person, and I highly recommend him!

Joe and Joe make going to the mechanic almost a pleasant experience. Of course I dislike needing to repair my car, but of all the shops I've ever used, this is by far the best. I have been frequenting them for about two years, and not once have I experienced the all-too-typical feeling that the mechanic is trying to pull a fast one. They are honest with their opinion about how necessary a repair is. I can't recommend them highly enough!

Joe was wonderful at helping me solve my car problems. I would recommend this shop to everyone. I have only been once but am from now on a loyal future customer

I've brought my Subaru Forester in to Joe several times and have always been very pleased. He is trustworthy and has been very helpful in terms of helping me decide what repairs are necessities and what can wait. He has also been kind enough to dole out advice over the phone, even when it referred to work that I was having done at another shop (for a problem he didn't have the tool to diagnose). I highly recommend Village Auto in North Amherst.

I was told by another shop that I needed a new alternator and serpentine belt and that it would cost about 700 bucks. I had been thinking there was a bit of a noise in the engine, but it was subtle, and it's an old car, so I thought I'd better get another opinion. Joe checked it out, listened to things inside the engine with his handy-dandy stethoscope, we took a ride, and...nothing wrong. Now, it could turn out that Joe is wrong here, and I will be stranded somewhere sometime soon, but I doubt it. He's very thoughtful, careful, and interested, inspires both confidence and trust. Now, who knows, maybe it was a sneaky ploy to gain my confidence so I'll go back and he can fleece me some other time (!,) but I surely do doubt it, especially with all the other glowing reviews here. Thanks Joe!