Recommendations for shops for PPI in the Bronx

Hi,

  I may be heading down to the Bronx to go look at a car for my son.  We'd like to take it to a mechanic for a once-over.  Do any of our NYC Area GRM'ers have any recommendations for a mechanic to do a PPI in the area of The Bronx?

Thanks!

-Mike

Specialty car or just a usual appliance? 

Mazda Protege. My son is going to have it at school.  We just want to make sure there are no timebombs in it.  Not looking for perfect, just some solid basic, with some fun, transportation.

I have no Bronx knowledge but... 

Protege is synonymous with rusty rear wheel wells.  Look there.  But, a Protege should be a great, disposable, city car.  My guess is life in the city is hard on a car.  

Any shop should be able but here's some thoughts:

• Ask if the shop does a written evaluation.  Often these are done with green, yellow, red for things like tire depth and brake pad thickness
• Also, specifically ask if the shop will road test/drive the car.  This then gets into issues of if the shop will take the time to drive?  Are they insured to drive?  And, does their mechanic actually have a valid driver's license?  

Sample of paperwork they should have but you want this and more:

There's two Mazda dealerships within easy driving distance, one in Yonkers and one in New Rochelle. Probably your best bet, especially since it's a NYC car; personally, I'd want an extremely thorough PPI before I bought anything out of the city.