trustworthy Seattle mechanic for used car inspection?

December 2, 2018 7:54 PM

Mrs. Sauce and I need to buy a used car! But we've been relying on a dealer shop for our car servicing needs for the past ten years and don't know where to take candidate cars to get them inspected -- taking them to a dealer shop seems ill-advised. Do you have an independent mechanic you like in Seattle?
posted by Sauce Trough to Shopping (8 answers total)

When I lived in the North End I went to Matt’s Greenwood Auto. When I moved to WSea I went to West Seattle Autoworks until I got a new car and started getting service from the dealer. I would recommend either depending on your location.
posted by matildaben at 8:15 PM on December 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

Maestro Motors in West Seattle is my go-to place. They are small and great to work with.
posted by oxisos at 8:25 PM on December 2, 2018

If it is a Subaru or Japanese, I 2nd Matt's of Greenwood. I've never had a better mechanic in my life. They are so honest, wonderful, and giving. They also are really understanding about cost.
Any time any of my north Seattle neighborhood social media groups ask about a mechanic, every starting raving about Matt's.
posted by k8t at 8:34 PM on December 2, 2018

Mike’s Hilltop Texaco on 15th on Cap Hill. 10/10
posted by clseace at 9:48 PM on December 2, 2018

Do you live in Columbia City? I think I just saw your post on the Facebook group there. We are really happy with Lioe's on Beacon Hill.
posted by QuakerMel at 10:16 PM on December 2, 2018

Marqueen Garage in Queen Anne is an excellent place for this sort of thing – good, reliable, and exceptionally honest. If you're in that part of the city, I couldn't recommend them more.
posted by workingdankoch at 10:21 PM on December 2, 2018

Response by poster: Not in Columbia City proper, but nearby to it. But we'd like to know about mechanics all over town because the carlots are so far-flung ... for example, I could see Matt's in Greenwood being really convenient and useful when we're dealing with the north-end dealerships..
posted by Sauce Trough at 10:24 PM on December 2, 2018

Fat City on 6th and Denny have been reliably delightful for german/euro vehicles in my experience, though they’re exclusive to certain manufacturers. Very reasonable priced work compared to other import-specialty shops I’ve dealt with.
posted by zinful at 1:02 AM on December 3, 2018