Swanzey Truck & Auto Center in
Swanzey Township (NH)

I brought my classic ‘72 coupe into this mechanic named Peter after hearing about him in what I can only describe as whispers. You don’t just “find” Peter—you hear about him from a friend of a friend who leans in and says, “He’s not like other mechanics… he has a way with cars.” And not just restoring them—but understanding them. And, apparently, the people who own them. By the time I got to his shop, my coupe and I were barely on speaking terms. It hesitated when starting, stalled at the worst moments, and made this knocking sound that felt less like a mechanical issue and more like it was trying to prove a point. Peter walks out, takes one slow lap around the car, and just nods. Then he looks at me and says, “How long have you two been having problems?” Not “what’s wrong with it”—problems. That’s when I knew the rumors were true. I admit, “A while.” He sighs gently. “Yeah… it’s been building.” He opens the hood and just stands there for a minute, listening—not just to the engine, but to the history. Then he says, “You’ve been overlooking things. And it hasn’t forgotten.” Day one update from Peter: “We’ve uncovered some past neglect.” Day two: “There’s buildup—oil, carbon… unresolved tension.” Day three: “Good news: it’s running. Bad news: the carburetor still has trust issues.” When I picked it up, it started instantly. No hesitation, no attitude, no dramatic stalling in public. It felt like we’d gone back to the early days—before things got complicated. I asked Peter what he actually fixed, and he just smiled and said, “Cleared some things out, tightened a few connections… gave it a chance to start fresh.” Didn’t expect emotional closure with my tune-up, but here we are. Car runs perfectly now. Relationship restored. I’m putting in more effort, it’s meeting me halfway, and we’re both committed to not slipping back into old habits. 5 stars for Peter. He doesn’t just restore cars—he restores relationships. And the best part? Guys like him are out there in small towns everywhere—no big signs, no flashy ads—just quietly hiding in plain sight, keeping old engines (and their owners) going a little longer than they probably should.

Awesome communication from Pete and awesome work from his crew. Got an undercoating and some exhaust work here. Where the dealership tried to screw us, Pete provided an honest assessment and recommended exactly what was needed which saved us a lot of money.

If I could give -5 stars i would. My Mom died a few years ago and all I had left from her was a car. I desperately wanted the car fixed so I had it go to someone My spouse trusted. Car went to Swanzey Truck and Automotive Center LLC November of 2024. Pete Pillsbury received over 3000 to fix what his mechanic said was wrong with said car. We told him it was probably the head gasket. We were assured it wasn't. Fast forward to Feb 2025 We were told it was fixed so we went to pick it up.... didn't even have it 4 hours and it was pouring oil so it went right back ti Pete and Chris. We are then told it was a complete other leak and we needed about 2000+ to fix it. He received that money and we thought all way good. Fast forward to mid May. He messages us and says that we were right it was the head gasket and he fired the mechanic who told him it wasn't. I reached out to the mechanic and found out NONE of that was true. Pete let us use a loaner but took it back in September because we didn't pay for maintenance out of our pocket. So My spouse has now lost 2 decent jobs due to transportation issues because of this. Now Fast forward to last week. We got a message to pick the car up it didn't even make it 5 miles up the road and it died and is pretty much unfixable. PETE and Swanzey Truck and Auto's responses is sorry don't know what to tell u. He refuses to do ANYTHING to fix this situation. We are just supposed to bend over and take it. So now we have no car, no way to get a car. And im out the only thing my mom left me. How can he get away with this? It has completely screwed us in so many ways over the last 13 months. But he is the kind of person who does stuff like this and can still sleep at night. He couldn't care less.