New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
People ask a lot of questions on the New Bedford Guide Facebook page and we get an unbelievable amount of messages in our inbox. Almost daily people will ask us about the best neighborhoods to rent or buy a home, where to get ice cream, best places for a date, who to talk to about noise complaints or potholes, etc.
Two of the most asked questions are “Who can I go to for car repair?” and “Where can I go to get a used car without getting ripped off?” Car salesmen and repair shops aren’t trusted institutions because we’ve all been bilked, ripped off, and overcharged. Often, we hop from one to another.
It’s gotten to the point where we got to friends, or friends of a friend and even then, that can turn out to backfire. No one trusts and advert and when you’ve been burned enough, you learn to rely and trust family or word-of-mouth.
We don’t all have family that do car repairs or work at a dealership. So who do you go to that is reputable, can be trusted to charge the right price and only for the work needed? We’re here to help those who have asked!
One family owned and operated place that has built a reputation on these very things is New Bedford’s own, Paul’s Place at 364 Dartmouth Street. Proprietor and mechanic Paul J. Duarte opened his door more than 20 years ago and have been on Dartmouth Street for the past 16 years.
His son Dillon and close friend Kevin Currin form a solid team with synergistic efficiency and together they have provided a one-stop shop that provides performance upgrades, tire & wheel packages, as well as sell quality used vehicles. They have the tools, knowledge and ability to service all makes and models especially Volkswagen and other European brands.
Paul was always mechanically inclined and growing up he was always working on cars. He would graduate from Greater New Bedford Vocational-Technical High School in 1988, and further his knowledge base by completing a number of education classes offered by various automotive manufacturers, parts companies and industry leaders in order to stay current on trends and innovations in automotive service.
Paul comes from an era where you word was “bond” and your business and your good name were synonymous. That’s why he didn’t come up with a snazzy name for his business – he purposely put his name on the sign flying outside.
“When you come to Paul’s Place you know that you are getting quality service at a reasonable price. And you know that I am going to stand behind the work because my name is on the sign.
As a customer you want to be confident that you are making the right choice buying a car from me or entrusting your vehicle to me and my staff, I want to make that experience easy for you. I don’t ever want a customer to feel as though they made a mistake in choosing to purchase a car from us or have us service their current vehicle.”
Paul couldn’t be more pleased when it comes to his son’s presence in the business. He really had a “This is why I am doing this for a living.” moment when his son first came to work with him. It filled him with a sense of pride to be able to do something he loved for a living and have family involved.
Kevin Currin is extended family and the trio are like proverbial pigs in mud when it comes to car repair and selling the used cars on their lot. Each car is given a thorough going over and anything and everything that can be done to improve the car is undertaken. No shortcuts – Paul feels that word-of-mouth is the best way for his business to grow and every problem-free car sold is the best advertising possible. In fact, the used car aspect has been growing like gangbusters and this September he will be expanding his inventory substantially.
If your car is giving you grief and you need some repairs or want to replace it, give Paul a call. If you want someone trustworthy that won’t charge you an arm and a leg, but will charge a fair and accurate price, Paul’s Place’s twenty plus years speaks volumes.
364 Dartmouth Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
Monday-Friday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am-12:00pm
Sunday: Closed
Appointments Available
Phone: (508) 991-4489
Email: Paulsplace364@gmail.com
Website: paulsplacema.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/pauls.place.752
