| As someone who has always purchased used, low | | | | owner told me why he only concerns himself with the |
| mileage cars in an attempt to offset the expense of | | | | administrative aspects of the business. |
| driving a new car off the dealer lot, I've had my share | | | | According to him, he would rather be under the lift |
| of repair issues over the years. Luckily, I've also had | | | | doing what he enjoys, but the complexity of today's |
| the same reliable mechanic for the better part of two | | | | automobiles precludes him from doing so. It seems |
| decades. No matter what car I owned or in some | | | | modern cars and trucks demand higher standards of |
| cases wished I didn't own, he has been able to find the | | | | technical ability, service procedures and diagnostic |
| source of the problem, fix it, and get me on my way. | | | | equipment than he was able to provide or understand. |
| As the owner of the shop, he is the one who deals | | | | As technical advancements continued to show up in |
| with the customers, prepares estimates and makes | | | | cars that entered the shop, he began to see a trend. |
| the phone calls to let people know when their vehicles | | | | The graduates from automotive technical schools that |
| are ready. What I recently found out, though, surprised | | | | he hired were able to comprehend the complicated |
| me a bit. The man I thought had been fixing my cars | | | | systems of late model cars and perform diagnostic |
| hasn't turned a wrench in years. | | | | and repair services better and faster than he could. Of |
| The last time I was in for a repair, we got to talking | | | | course, they had gone through extensive training for |
| about the late model auto I brought in. I bought it with | | | | just that purpose, where he had learned auto repair |
| less than 20,000 miles on the odometer and didn't really | | | | from his father and through years of trial and error. |
| expect to have to have any work done other than | | | | I asked him if it upset him that he had to rely more on |
| routine maintenance. When I asked a detailed question | | | | others than in previous years. He told me that it doesn't |
| about the reliability of the car, in his opinion, he called | | | | bother him so much, then pointed out the window at a |
| out one of his employees and told me that he no | | | | beautiful 1969 Corvette that pulled in to get gas. "When |
| longer works in the garage. This young man provided | | | | a car like that comes in for repairs, I'm the one that |
| me with the answer I was looking for, and explained | | | | gets to work on it." |
| why the problem I had wasn't likely to happen again | | | | "One classic deserves another" I said, then smiled and |
| through my ownership of the vehicle. While that was | | | | went on my way. |
| relieving, I was still in a bit of shock. I always pictured | | | | Start your Automotive Online Training today. Earn a |
| the same person working on my cars, or at the very | | | | degree online on our other site. |
| least supervising. We joked about it and then the | | | | |