Best Auto

Bill and Steve are great guys. If they don't know something, they say so (but this is rare). They have very strong opinions, especially about cars. And it's great fun talking to them as they fix your car. You get to watch, which is a bonus. And if there is a cheaper fix elsewhere in town, they send you there. Their rates may seem high, but they don't bill you for the actual time it takes. Once Bill spent 15 minutes on my radiator to find that I only needed a new cap. He didn't charge me a dime saying, "Go get a new cap. I didn't have to do a thing." Steve does that too. The rest of the crew are pretty good too. If you are looking for an honest mechanic who won't load you with any unnecessary repairs, and who will teach you stuff about your car, don't even think of going any place else. They love cars & it shows.

Absolutely great guys -- they've bailed me out of quite a few messy car situations over the past 15 years or so, and it certainly helps that they're the most convenient garage to campus (Cornell). So for location, sanity, humour, common sense, and the ability to diagnose and fix most things they're at the top of the list of (not that many) great car mechanics in Ithaca. (There are plenty around who seem 'less successful solving problems inexpensively'.)

This is probably the best shop I have taken my car to.Steve walked me through the process of figuring out what was wrong with my car, and made me feel a part of the process.I've never had that experience before.Plus, the conversation is excellent!

Just confirming the stories that now are almost 10 years old on this site. Bill & Steve remain great guys, mechanics I completely trust. I've been using them for more than 10 years. They've helped my kids learn how to pump gas and respond to noises as they learn to drive. They've given my in-laws rides back to their apartment. They've worked on my Subarus, on my Dodge/Chrysler minivans, on my Honda Civic Hybrid. And when they don't know or don't have the skills or the tools, they say so and tell me where to go.

My husband and I have been bringing our cars to Bill's Auto, now called Best Auto, since 1999. They are very competent, funny, and tell it like it is. They have checked out used cars I was thinking of buying and given me great advice.They recently stopped selling gas, which makes me sad because now I only see them when I need service!