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Photos: Craig Miller's Good Time Ol' Fashion Service

Take a peek inside this University Boulevard auto repair shop.

By Hilary Weissman
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April 24, 2012

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Craig Miller, a 43-year-old resident of White Oak and owner of Good Time Ol’ Fashion Service auto repair shop at 2401 University Blvd. comes from a long line of car enthusiasts. His grandparents owned a Pontiac dealership for more than 40 years in Ligonier, Pa., and his dad owned three Pontiac GTOs, fostering a love for the GTO in Miller at an early age, which is now the namesake of his shop. “Most boys develop a want for a car at age five or six, and those were the cool cars we had when I was little,” he said. (April 21, 2012)

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Craig Miller, a 43-year-old resident of White Oak and owner of Good Time Ol’ Fashion Service auto repair shop at 2401 University Blvd. comes from a long line of car enthusiasts. His grandparents owned a Pontiac dealership for more than 40 years in Ligonier, Pa., and his dad owned three Pontiac GTOs, fostering a love for the GTO in Miller at an early age, which is now the namesake of his shop. “Most boys develop a want for a car at age five or six, and those were the cool cars we had when I was little,” he said. (April 21, 2012)

Credit Hilary Weissman

Miller's life seems to revolve around the GTO model; he said it can be traced back to when he was brought home from the hospital in a '68 GTO, the model from the year he was born. He admires the "coke bottle shape," which is also said to be inspired by the curves of a woman's body— wider at the hips. He is fixing up a '70 GTO for a customer named Dawn, the daughter of another Pontiac dealer from upstate New York, who received this car for her 16th birthday, Miller said. (April 21, 2012)

Credit Hilary Weissman

Another current project includes what Miller calls a “high-end show piece,” for Don Engel, a collector and dealer of antiques. This 1934 Ford panel delivery truck, purchased on eBay, once belonged to an old New York catering company; it now has air conditioning and a contemporary fuel-injected engine, Miller said. "He's the only one I take them to," said Engel, who began bringing his vintage cars here when he saw Miller's own out front of his shop. He has also recommended Miller's services to his girlfriend and her sister, and has had Miller work on about 10 of both his vintage and modern cars. "He is very conscientious, all the guys in there love cars and are knowledgeable," said Engel. "If he doesn't know how to fix it he'll find out how, I have full confidence in him." (April 21, 2012)

Credit Hilary Weissman

Miller began to sell and repair bicycles in his storefront when Joey Chrisafulli, the owner of the Schwinn dealership across the street, closed shop four years ago and left him all of his “tools and toys.” Miller had opened his own shop next to that location in ‘91, then moved to his current address 10 years later, and said it was a “no-brainer to fill that need... looking to the future we might all be looking to ride bikes,” he joked. Miller had also once restored a Dune Buggy for the Chrisafulli. (April 21, 2012)

Credit Hilary Weissman

Miller speaks with customers outside the garage on his off time, though he hasn’t been open on Saturdays for the past five years, in order to spend more time with his sons Ricky, 17, and David, 16. “Maybe it’s the Italian in me, but most of my customers become close friends,” he said. “I take care of the car like it’s a kid I adopted.” (April 21, 2012)

Credit Hilary Weissman

After getting his associate degree Miller joined the industry professionally when he was 22 years old. He now employs two other mechanics and an office manager, but in the last few years his budget has grown tight and he has had to let go young trainees. He said his payroll is still high, and he prefers to work on projects individually. “Once I endeavor to finish something, I work a lot of nights and weekends, I need to focus,” he said. (April 21, 2012)

Credit Hilary Weissman

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Related Topics: Auto Repair Shop, Craig Miller, Good Time Ol' Fashion Service, Most Influential, Pontiac GTO, and Vintage Cars

Thanks. We'll email you the next time we update this story.

Danila Sheveiko

9:01 am on Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Craig is great. I've been fixing my vehicles at GTOS for years.

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