A mechanic who is honest, fairly priced, professional, and trustworthy in Orlando (Central Florida) requires you do your homework. Customer service is not high on many mechanics priority list when the unsuspecting customer without auto repair knowledge is easy prey for the profit driven mechanic.

I previously owned a Saab, a European made car, which gave me many problems and frankly became a sob story. Not only were the parts expensive to replace, but finding a knowledgeable mechanic was a never ending struggle. I paid one guy who claimed to be a mechanic at the Texaco gas station around the corner from my house a whopping $350 to fix my car, which he never did. In fact he escalated and created new repairs that suddenly also needed to be done. The car never was done and after spending hundreds of dollars, I caught on and decided to be done with the shady mechanic.

I wouldn't wish this experience upon anyone. I can only imagine how many trusting women and elderly get taken to the cleaners by such crooks who claim to be mechanics. You can hardly get your oil changed these days at Jiffy Lube without the sales staff trying to sell you some unnecessary item to increase the final bill.

My first car was a used Nissan truck, which I owned in high-school. Thankfully it was a perfect first automobile, as the Japanese built vehicle gave me no troubles whatsoever. I even gave it away to a friend when I moved to California, after which he drove it for a few years (never even changing the oil -- as it was his first car and he was clueless).

The third car I bought (well my grandfather generously bought it for me), which I still drive today, is a 1997 Special Edition Honda Accord. Besides changing the oil and maintenance which I do every 30,000 miles -- the car has given me no problems whatsoever. Another Japanese success? Not entirely.

My friend from church worked for the Honda dealer as a mechanic for a number of years and was kind enough to take care of any miniscule maintenance matters that arose on occasion for me. He always told me about his dream to open his own auto mechanic shop, which I eagerly encouraged.

Today my mechanic buddy does have his own shop and like always he continues to give me great deals with outstanding customer service. Having gone around the block with auto mechanics posing as professionals serving the general public, I have come to appreciate my dear friend whom I trust to work on my car and not soak me dry for everything under the sun.

That being said, I urge you to do your homework and consult your Better Business Bureau before diving in headfirst for auto repairs with a mechanic you know nothing about. Being unable to drive when your car is down is difficult, but being driven crazy by crooked mechanics soaking you dry financially is even worse.

Thankfully I can rest in peace and enjoy the nice waiting room at my buddy Richard's family auto shop, where they have great reading material, play interesting TV shows and have a clean bathroom. When I get hungry, there is a Latin restaurant next door to the right and a seafood restaurant to the left. Everything I need while my car is being worked on.