Are independent shops better than chains and dealers for older cars, and why?
My experience so far:
- Chevy dealer - ('95 Prizm is a Chevy, technically). Fixed the problem, but created another minor one, for which I had to return the next day. Slow turnaround, but the dealer paid for the rental while fixing their mistake
- Independent shop - used once. No complaints. I don't think a tow truck could get to them though. In any case, I live kind of far from it now.
- Tire store that also fixes stuff - my current alternator problem. Replaced it with a "new" one, charged me 0 for the part alone, because it's really "new". The alternator isn't working properly 3 weeks later.