I was waxing nostalgic about the good old days recently and was thinking about my teen years. I spent much more time thinking about, and racing cars, than school. My first muscle car was a dark blue Ford Torino 390 cubes with four on the floor. Man did I think I was hot. I could fill my tank for about $10.



Every Sunday afternoon I would head outside my hometown of Hattiesburg, Ms and race that Torino down the quarter-mile track at Hub City Raceway. I'll never forget their radio ads with the announcer yelling "Sunday, Sunday, Sundayyyyyyyyyyyy!", with each Sunday getting louder and louder.

One of the major topics of conversation was "Who was the best mechanic in town". Since that time, I sold or wrecked and/or rebuilt about seven other race cars, probably my fastest being white Pontiac Tras-Am with a 454 cubic inch engine in it. It was the second year they came out and Pontiac only made them in that color. A Sunday didn't go by that I did not take home a trophy.

My youth seems like another lifetime, yet I still seek out the best mechanic. I now live in Southern California in the L.A. 'burbs. Last week I accidentally stumbled across not only the best mechanic in town, but the most honest.

It was on my newly bought used Saturn that was perfect in every other way (sans the clutch). I had even driven it across the country with no problems.

AAA towed it to a recommended man of whom I'd never heard, named Vladimir Morsach, a Russian Immigrant now in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. He knew exactly what the problem was and quoted me several hundred dollars lessthan the mechanic on the other side of town, in Woodland Hills where the car sat on the curb until the AAA friendly driver picked it up within minutes and took it away.

To my surprise, a call came from Vladimir the very next day and he said, "You may pick up your car. It's fine."

I went to pick it up. I still had my out of state checks as I'd just moved from Arkansas, and since there had been some unauthorized charges on my Mastercard, I had canceled it and could not use it. He had to take my word that the check was good. He did.

I have been to numerous mechanics both here and other places,and my vote for mechanic, at least my choice, in America, is not even a native-born named Vlad. But don't let that fool you. He fixed it as professionally and courteously as anyone with which you could hope to deal.

Vlad also said, "If there was anything else wrong with the car, he would let me know before fixing it. I thought "Uh oh...what is coming next", based on my experience with so many mechanics with which I'd worked in the past. He called me again to let me know it was only the clutch. Now that is honesty, and certainly worth driving a few miles (or in my case having it towed, to get it fixed better, cheaper, and from a very nice person, Vladimir Morsach). I am so glad Vlad chose America as his new homeland. So are a lot of happy car owners, I can guarantee that.

Vladimir's garage is at 18440 Vanowen Ave, Reseda, Ca in the Valley. His phone is 818-719-8610. He's great to talk to also. Sounds like I'm his p.r. agent, I'm not. I simply am a very happy customer and glad to know he is so nearby. Since that time I've talked to others who have had similar experiences with this engine-magician. I have a feeling you will too. Keep in mind, I am picky about my engine. I raced cars. I want someone who knows his stuff, and I can smell one who doesn't. Vlad knows it better than anyone, regardless of the make.

In the process of writing this piece, some news came to me about Vlad that I found interesting so decided to add it as a footnote. he is a mechanical engineer, went to the one of the best University's in Russia and had many years of experience working with cars from every continent. Vlad is not in good terms with languages, so he feels, but I understood him very well. But he believes he can't learn English and states that he'd better do what he knows best and it is repairing cars, remodeling, and more... For him, it is NOT just about cars, it is about his passion, but mostly: his honesty and integrity. He guarantees his work for one year and if your car is NOT working properly and has same problem he will repair it for free.