Writing this article from the perspectives of local, Omaha-Metropolitan mechanics was more difficult than I imagined it being. The idea behind this piece was to provide data on reliable cars (and unreliable parts to avoid) to hopeful car-buyers as the economy starts to tense up. Tariffs are hitting and prices are rising, not to mention President Trump’s flat-100% China-specific tariffs which will likely increase the cost of many things, state-side.

The idea was to go into mechanic shops and ask to interview the people who work on the vehicles – five minutes of their time when they are free – for their opinions on which cars they saw often because of the same thing breaking down, and which ones they recommend, and in return I offered to put a blurb of their business in this article for free. I would lead with the aforementioned when speaking to the front desk. However, what I got initially was two mechanic shops telling me that their mechanics were on vacation, and to come back next week. (I did explain what my intent was) I went back to one, only to be told that the mechanic “extended their vacation.” That place I called a third week later, only to be informed by the person answering the phone that, “Our regional manager came in, and said that none of us are allowed to speak to journalists.”

“Oh, ah, I understand.” I said, only for the person to add, “You have to think of the people. Not just yourself."

"Uh,” what? I thought, “I am thinking of the people? I am trying to write an article to help the layman out with purchasing a car.”

He might have repeated himself again, but his response was so confusing that my mind drifted back to the beginning of the conversation to see where I had misstepped. 

After being rebuffed, I started calling local repair shops.

A truck repair company hung up on me after I explained my task, and then when I called yet another location two-and-a-half hours before closing and explained myself I was told, “We are closing soonish, there are no more mechanics left.”

A local tire store I contacted briefly told me to avoid cheap tires, but then hung up.

Discouraged, I did leave many voicemails, but eventually got a call back!

The owner of “3C Mobile Automotive Repair,” Zach Cardisco had been laid up sick for a few days and had plenty of time to speak. As a mechanic for more than twenty-eight years, in our rolling conversation he would rattle off which companies bought other companies and why that led to a decline in parts, while also being very forthcoming with his own journey and his opinion on cars and parts.

“I started my own business ‘cause I used to work at other shops and they would lie to old ladies and tell them they would need things that they don’t.”

I felt his statement on a personal level, how many of us have gone in for a tire change, for the automotive shop tech to tell us that a family of squirrels seems to have up and teleported into the air-filter or some such nonsense?

“Lookeh here, three o’ spec’s o’ dust. Yuh gotta change your pneumatic-thinguh-kebab. Or. Else.” –so says the shop tech. Which is part of the whole point of this article.

“Education is a big thing," Zach urged, then added how hard it is for a customer to trust a mechanic who doesn't take the time to explain why something is important. Onto questions about the “Best car model or brand," he replied: "Depends on what you expect. Don’t expect 200k miles with a Kia.”

“Which car can you go the longest without repairing?”

“Toyota Camry. World-wide fact.”

His stance was corroborated by another mechanic in a later call at another automotive repair shop, who did not want to be named. Said mechanic stated that the Prius and Toyota Camry were the most dependable cars, while a prospective buyer should stay away from General Motors. While in two separate interviews, both mechanics at different shops said almost identical things in regard to ‘CVT Transmissions’: that they should be avoided. The unnamed mechanic brought to my attention that there were lawsuits against Nissan/Infiniti for their CVT transmissions in many of their vehicles. I confirmed this on classaction.org.

Of my seven long interviews with different mechanics around the metro area, all of them wished to remain anonymous when talking about which cars to avoid.

“Worst car type?”

“Chrysler 3.6, the Pacifica. My buddy can’t do anything to be rid of it.”

“Mopar in general is not very good." (More than two mechanics stated, in their different words.)

“Ford is middle of the road. You get what you pay for.”

“Teslas: if anything goes wrong it’s bricked.”

“Avoid 1.4 liter turbos in Buick and GM’s. I can’t tell you how many that I’ve replaced. Avoid little turbos.”

In my first interview with Zach, I wondered if there were items on a car which must always be attended to if need arises.

Regular oil changes, more often than is even recommended, is important, however you don’t always need a tire rotation, or an air filter. At another mechanic shop in Omaha which didn’t want to be named, the mechanic I spoke to said that the Timing Belt and water pump must –absolutely– be changed at certain mileage. If you don’t replace your timing belt when the manufacturer says, you risk bricking your engine.

I spoke to a Master Mechanic (of 25 years, did not want to be named) at the automotive repair shop: ‘Grease Monkey,’ who implored that anyone who intends to buy a used car should have it taken somewhere to get inspected, as he has seen far too many people in his line of work purchase a car, only to find out it needs thousands of dollars in imminent repairs. It was the opinion of the Master Mechanic that all vehicles need regular, and consistent maintenance, rather than any one brand or car being particularly egregious.

The polite store manager, Keith, who runs the fluid-change side of the shop commented that he has seen “lots" of Chevy 5.3s leaking from rear seals. A quick Google search says that repair can cost anywhere from $800 to $2000, mostly due to how hard the part is to get to.

Mostly, the verdict that I collected from multiple mechanics was that the Toyota Camry was the absolute favorite for reliability, while General Motors, Mopar, CVT transmissions were the subject of abject ridicule.

For the quality of the data collected: I did not prompt any brand name, nor did I ask any mechanic to comment on the opinions of the others. I did inform them that I would be interviewing others, and I did offer to put their name and their company’s name in the paper. My questions were very straightforward: “What is the most reliable car, what is the least, what can you go the longest without repairing.” etc. There were no leading questions.

To the mechanics: Thank you all for graciously giving your time to help inform those in the metro area. At least those like me who aren’t car-guys.

Of the phone interviews, only two automotive shops had the confidence to put their good name out there:

‘Grease Monkey “Oil Changes and More."’

at 3820 N 90th St, ever polite and direct,

and ‘3C Mobile Automotive Repair,’ at 6019 Holmes St.

with Zach, who said to putting his company’s name in the paper, “You gotta stand behind your work.”

Austin Petak is an aspiring novelist and freelance journalist who loves seeking stories and the quiet passions of the soul. If you are interested in reaching out to him to cover a story, you may find him at austinpetak@gmail.com.