“Thayre and the Auto Alternative team have maintained my cars since 2003 or so. Great service at a fair price. They earn and keep my loyalty every visit. (Accord 265K; Highlander 140K; Camry 275K; Lexus SUV 200K)”
-Michael S
“My husband and I & numerous family members have brought all kinds of vehicles — for many years! — to Thayre Hawkins and his team at Auto Alternative and we have always been 100 % satisfied. The work is high quality, the prices are very reasonable and the staff is very knowledgable, competent, compassionate and just amazing. Highly recommend!! 10 Stars! Jan Cottrell, LPC”
-Jan C
“I began bringing my car, 1993 Accord, to Auto Alternatives when I moved to Lexington 21 years ago. I still have the Accord and my husband drives it everyday back and forth to Frankfort. It has 393,000 miles which is a huge testiment to the quality of care and service it has received.
I drive a 2013 Pilot that we purchased so we can continue to bring my cars here for service. It gives me piece of mind to know I have a place that I can trust to take care of our vehicles. The owner Thayre goes above and beyond to ensure high quality service.”
-Kim Z
“These guys are great. Very friendly and don’t “talk down” to women. They are super knowledgeable and very good at explaining what needs done. Fairly priced and conveniently located in Nicholasville. They like to have fun, and as a customer, I appreciate that! Even when it means I’m the unintended victim of a prank!!”
-Laura S
“It is not a small thing for a single woman to find a mechanic that they not only trust to do the work needed (and only the work that is needed), and do it for a fair price, but also one that makes them feel completely comfortable and takes the time to educate them on what is being done!! I was sent to Beth by my best friend’s husband, and I have never felt so completely at ease with anyone who was working on my car!! She always takes the time to explain what is wrong, how it can be fixed, and what my options are! I will never take my car anywhere else!!”
-Maria M
“I just have to give a shout out to the team of mechanics & staff at Auto Alternative in Nicholasville. Once again, their commitment to excellence, to their customer’s safety & satisfaction, their flexibility & compassion have all worked together to help catch a problem with our car before it resulted in a full on emergency… and they have gone above & beyond to make a way for us to be able to get the repair done & not go without transportation! They are hands down the best auto repair shop I’ve ever worked with! We’ve been taking vehicles to them for over 15 years and have NEVER had a bad experience.”
-Martha J
“I highly recommend servicing your car here. They are excellent communicators, provide helpful advice, and do not pressure you into services. They even provide a loaner car while your vehicle is in the shop. They make everything convenient!”
-Liz P
“I highly reccomend Auto Alternative in Nicholasville. The Toyota dealer in Brunsick , Ga. told me I needed a new axel assembly. Auto Alternatives’s excellent staff checked it out for me. Nothing wrong with my car. I appreciate their honesty and great communication skills. Also love their pick up service! Great place.”
-Mary J
“Auto Alternative has serviced my cars since Thayre opened the business 20 years ago. If that’s not enough of a recommendation: I won’t purchase a make that Auto Alternative won’t service. Why? Because everyone at the business has integrity, is fair, does a wonderful job, and treats the customers like family!”
-Julie R
“I have been taking our cars here for over 5 years. I highly recommend them and have used their pick up service many times.”
-Kevin S
“Great place to have your car fixed! Nice and trustworthy people with fair prices.”
-Terry H
“Love these guys! They treat you like family!”
-Leila C
“Excellent service! Recommend them for all your automotive needs!”
-Perry C
“Great shop for ALL your service needs! They addressed what I asked them to and found some other issues that needed tending to. I trust their judgment and was able to get everything taken care of and got my car back in just one day! Thank you!”
-Kathryn C
“Awesome place for your Honda or Toyota. They stand behind their work. Would not take my Hondas any other place. They did my timing belt on my Ridgeline. Warrantied their work. Timing tensionor failed prematurely a year later They repaired it free of charge. How’s that for service. In all my Honda ownership this is where I go. I recommend with five stars!!”
-D Roc
“Auto Alternative has brought peace of mind as far as the care of my 2008 CRV is concerned. I am so happy to have found them. They are incredibly thorough, take the time explaining every thing that needs or does not need to be done and answer all of my questions or concerns in a friendly and kindly manner. When I took the car to Auto Alternative, it needed all the routine maintenance schedule done. The written analysis and description of the job performed is so easy to understand and reassuring, they take the time to explain every step. The staff is friendly and welcoming. I would not trust my CRV to anyone else as long as I live in this area. They have been a blessing to me.”
-Pilar M
“Took 2 vehicles to auto alternative this week. They were able to identify an ignition problem and fix within 24 hrs and we’re able to repair a complex brake problem on the other. Service charges were very fair. Will definitely go back for future maintenence and repair.”
-matt l
“I can’t say enough nice things about Auto Alternative and their team: friendly, honest, good listeners, prompt, and highly qualified! We’ve taken several Toyota’s and Honda’s to them, and we have been pleased every time.”
-Charles K
“Above and beyond doesn’t begin to describe our latest experience. To say that Thayre, Nathan, Colleen and the rest of the team are top notch, trustworthy and that I’ve been a satisfied customer for over 20 years would be enough for a normal review that I wouldn’t hesitate writing or recommending them to all my friends and family, which I do. However, last week was an experience I won’t soon forget. My daughter’s car broke down late one afternoon on BG Pkwy a long way from home and certainly didn’t want anyone else working on car but Auto Alternative if I could help it. Thayre, took time away from his family, grabbed his truck & trailer and off we went to tow the car back. Didn’t get home until late that evening, but he gave up his personal time to come to our aid. That’s definitely above and beyond their already great service. Customer’s for life!!”
-Mark U
“My previous mechanic of 25 years died in 2013 and I have been going to Auto Alternative since then for both of our cars. I am particular about our cars, and I have zero complaints. Courteous, professional, highly skilled and always willing to take time to explain work that is needed. The pick-up service is very convenient and appreciated, although if they pick up one of our cars, I don’t get to see the friendliest cat on the planet, Callie (sp?) who frequents the waiting area. Also, excellent communication via email. Thank you all.”
-Sean M
“I highly recommend the team at Auto Alternative. They are thorough, responsive and accommodating. I drive a 10 year old Honda Accord, so I my service needs are a little more frequent and I’m convinced that I’m working with the best auto service in town. Service is easy to schedule and they have gone the extra mile to work with me by helping to move my son’s car seat, arranging a loaner to be available so that I’m not depending on others for rides while my car is serviced. Outstanding service and reasonable cost from a thorough team of professionals!”
-Jennifer L
“My father has known Thayer for 25 years or so. The atmosphere here is great. The work they do here is wonderful.They explain and show you what is going on with your car. great prices and great work. Provided with a very comfortable couch and a beautiful cuddly cat named Cali. They even provided me with a loaner car so i could continue my day while they worked on my car. my car has 223,000 miles on it and still running strong thanks to these hard working folk’s. oh and even toys for the youngster’s. Tire Discounters has super long waits and hard chairs, not the case here.”
-David N
“We brought in several of our CRV’s here to be worked on. They’ve always given a fair price and took the time to educate me on what they were doing. When they could they would let us borrow one of their vehicles while ours was getting serviced. I have since moved out of state and have had some car issues. Taking it back several times for the same symptoms. The mechanics at Auto Alternative took 15 minutes of their time to troubleshoot things with me over the phone. That’s what I call customer service.”
-Chad L
“I had a great experience with this shop. They were up front on everything they did on my car. They stuck to their quote and kept me up to date on what was going on. I would recommend them to anyone. They have built a great business here”
-Michael B
“Awesome place, the people are kind and the work done is great. I don’t know much about cars so its nice to have people that will actually talk to you about it and explain whats going on in terms you can understand. They also give your vehicle a nice look over every time you go in to monitor where problems are and what to keep an eye on, which I love! Great place, great people, highly recommend.”
-Joelle W
“Fords may not be their specialty, but they did wonders on my 2002 Taurus!! It’s an old car but it’s mine and paid for. And thanks to the team at auto alt I’m going to be driving it a whole lot longer! You want trustworthy and great customer service?? you sure do get it with them!! Thank you so much! I am one happy customer!!”
-Gina P
“Thayre and crew have earned and kept my trust since 2003. They’ve maintained my ’93 Accord (190K+, no breakdowns) ever since. When they added Toyota/Lexus, I added my ’98 Camry (250K+, two breakdowns that were “on me” for choosing to defer spark plug and battery replacement too long). Then an ’05 Highlander (115K+, no breakdowns). Read on for specifics. Auto Alternative takes care of all three for oil/maintenance/batteries, all repairs, and tires/balance/alignment.
Excellent value over time: < $0.20 per mile for the Honda and only a little more than that for the Camry. Great customer service. Always willing to take the time to explain needed maintenance and help me to prioritize. (Safety first, things to defer and watch, and optional.) Accurate troubleshooting and diagnosis. Never pushy. Never an unnecessary repair. They inform me, and I decide. Usually things have gone perfectly but once when they didn’t, Thayre and crew took extraordinary pains to make it right. Once he made a house call to tighten something that had come loose. I couldn’t be more pleased, even to the point of deciding to consider only Honda and Toyota when I replace vehicles. Thayre has expanded to other makes, but there’s nothing I’d rather have that I can afford.”
-Michael S
“I was referred by a friend and had heard good things. So when I started working in NIcholasville I called Auto Alternative for some brake repair. They were thorough and let me know up front what the costs would be. They came by and got my Avalon, serviced it, and brought it back to my workplace and even left a bag of popcorn on the console for me! I referred my son to take his Accord there and their Honda van and they were equally as pleased as I was. We both even got a discount to use! Finding a top notch operation and great, professional people is such a nice change these days! Thanks for being there Auto Alternative :)”
-Dana H
“Excellent service and repair abilities. Took my 4runner to auto alternative after the local toyota dealership told me I needed a new engine. The guys at auto alternative quickly determined the real issue and repaired the problem which was much less involved than replacing an engine! Glad I took my vehicle to them.”
-Matt L
“I have brought numerous cars to Thayer, and am always made to feel welcome with courteous service, the wonderful cat, and excellent work. Thayer takes a personal interest–unlike the big dealerships–in the work his people do, and his goal is to get it right. Auto Alternative is a place I can trust to never overcharge, and to stand behind what they do. They have spanned the gamut on my cars–from fixing headlights, to tightening my convertible top, to overhauling an engine. I cannot say enough good things about the quality of work done here.”
-Jerry P
“We have been taking our cars to Auto Alternative for about 10 years. The staff has always done a great job on our vehicles. The front office staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. In that 10 year time we have had a few different Honda Accords, a Honda Civic, a Toyota Sienna, and a Toyota RAV4 serviced by them. Since we have mostly old cars, we have had both regular maintenance and major repairs done over the years. The staff do a good job of notifying us of things on the cars that will need attention soon, and when funds are an issue are very helpful in helping us to prioritize what to fix first.
Having Loaner Cars has been a big help when one of our cars had to spend the day at the shop. And most recently they worked us right in when my daughter’s car had a dead battery that needed to be replaced. I recommend them highly. I have found them to be very honest, trustworthy, helpful, and more than competent in what they do.”
-Wendy W
“I have a Chevy Impala which the right axle broke. I didn’t hesitate having it towed to Auto Alternative for service. I used them once before and was so impressed with how they explained what was wrong with the car and the pricing. There is no fancy talk or superior attitude like I’ve encountered at dealerships. If you want to deal with an honest owner, a business that performs quality work at a fair price have them service your car.
Best of all you’ll feel safe driving away.”
-Scotty M
“I was in Nicholasville and needed an oil change so I stopped by Auto Alternative. I also had a question about my ABS system. The lady at the front desk was very polite and knowledgeable. In no time they had my oil change done and even test drove my car and checked the ABS. Luckily, it came back fine.
I live in Lexington but I enjoyed my experience here so much that I’ll be coming back for more car services in the future. It’s important to me that the people who are working on my car actually have my best interest in mind and are not out to just get my money. I felt like the folks here really cared.”
-James M
“Auto Alternative is my GO TO for my Honda Accord. I have traveled and had it serviced at other locations out of state – But NONE compare to the courtesy, honesty, and 5 star work they do. I am prior service military and they always make me feel welcome and the owner even thanked me for my service! Great people – Great Technicians – Great Shop!…I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM FOR ALL YOUR AUTO NEEDS. You won’t be disappointed.”
-Warobi N
“Thyre and his team at Auto Alternative handle my complete fleet of Commercial Vehicles. They are always honest, trustworthy, and dependable!! I have dealt with numerous shops over the years and Auto Alternatives is one of the only honest shops I have found in Central Kentucky.”
-Mark M
“Thayre, Beth & the gang at Auto Alternative wrote the book, or at least a chapter, on customer satisfaction! They are responsive, courteous, and fairly priced at all times and they continually endeavor to go above and beyond to exceed my expectations, which they have each and every time! My car is rarely in their shop, but when the need arises they go above and beyond in offering to come and get the car if needed, provide a shuttle service or even offering a loaner car while mine is being repaired. I cannot say enough great things about what a relief it is to trust my vehicles to such a great team that are as near and dear to us as family! Highly recommend Auto Alternative for all Honda, Acura, Lexus and Toyota needs! …you will not be disappointed!”
-D D
“Great Service. Good People. Thank you.”
-John B
“Outstanding service. Auto Alternative correctly diagnosed the problem with my Lexus SUV (broken axle) that two other garages missed. Beth and Thayer are excellent to work with. They communicated the issue and kept me informed of progress and were fair in their pricing. I will be coming back with all of my Toyota and Lexus repairs.”
-K H
“I had a problem with my ’95 Honda that my previous shop could not figure out. Not all shops know how to work on Hondas even if they say they do. I took it to auto alternative and they fixed it right away. The customer service is exceptional and they know what they are doing. If you are like me and are skeptical about where to take your Honda, I would recommend you give auto alternative a chance.”
-Marquisha P
“I trust Auto Alternative to treat us fairly and to do a great job.”
-Michelle H