About the shop
A Cranford familybusiness since 1990
Carmen Finocchiaro opened his first shop in Linden in 1987 and moved the business to 48 North Ave East in 1990. His son Mike runs it with him today.
Two generations, one shop
Our story
From Honda motorcycles to North Ave East
Carmen's has been part of the Cranford community since 1990. It started with bicycles and a tire shop in Italy, moved to Honda motorcycles and then Honda cars in New Jersey, and it is still the same family answering the phone.
That history is the reason the specialty stuck. Decades on the same Honda and Acura platforms mean the diagnosis is faster, the parts are right the first time, and the repair holds up through another Jersey winter.
1971
Carmen arrives in the United States
1987
Opens his first shop, in Linden
1990
Moves the business to Cranford
Today
Mike works the bays and the front office
The people
Who is under the hood
Carmen Finocchiaro
Born in Italy, Carmen Finocchiaro came to the United States in 1971. He had worked on bicycles in Italy and owned a tire shop. Once he was in the United States, Carmen began working on Honda motorcycles, and then Honda automobiles. In 1987 he opened a shop in Linden before moving the business to Cranford in 1990.
Though Carmen has been working as a mechanic for years, he still feels that he is continuing to learn. He comes into work every day and appreciates that his job lets him work with his hands, rather than sit behind a desk.
“I must be doing something right,” he said. “We have customers that have been coming here since we opened. We care for our customers and they know that we do a good job.”
Mike Finocchiaro
Mike started coming into his dad’s shop as a child. His father started him on small things: brakes, exhaust systems, oil changes. Mike was always interested in cars, and as his skills improved he started building them with a focus on appearance and speed. He did not expect to end up working full time at the shop, and attended college for Business Management. “I started working here the summer after college and I just never left,” said Mike.
Mike splits his time between the business side and working on cars. “Every day here is different,” he said. “It involves a lot of trouble shooting, so it’s never boring. I’ve also learned that hands-on experience is the most valuable tool. There’s no substitute for actually working on the cars, especially as there are always new models and new software that you need to learn.”
Pedro Vasquez
Pedro has worked at Carmen’s for nearly seven years. Asked what he does here, Pedro chuckles and says, “A little bit of everything.” His father is a mechanic and started teaching him as a teenager; Pedro has been working as a mechanic for 15 years.
His days are filled with typical mechanic work: oil changes, alternators, brake jobs and more. No day is the same as the one before, which he appreciates. “Every year I learn more so I’m never bored,” said Pedro. “It’s a nice, quiet town. Our customers are great, and a lot of them have been coming here for years.”
4.7 out of 5 on Google
222 neighbors have rated the work
Tell us what the car is doing and you will get a person on the phone during shop hours, not a queue.
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