Mike Bundy began working on cars in 1990, on a leave of absence from graduate school in, believe it or not, English Literature. He quickly became hooked on the challenge of fixing these complex machines, preferring it to the hours in the library reading scholarly journals. He was fortunate enough to learn from some very conscientious mechanics at a Sears Auto Center, a Dodge dealer, and two independent shops. In 1998 he opened Long Life Auto Repair with an apprentice—now he has four full-time and one part-time mechanics working with him. Besides being an ASE Master Technician, Mike is also certified in Advanced Engine Performance. His wife Natalie is an English professor and biographer—she has written a biography of Clover Adams and is now working on one of Isabella Stewart Gardner.
Laszlo Wells was born in Hungary and came to this country at the age of 15. He went to college for a year after Concord-Carlisle High School but found he preferred working with his hands. He worked for 5 years at Main St. Mobil in Concord, then came to Long Life in 2008. He is Long Life’s electrical specialist because he loves new technologies and is a very quick study at learning how they work. Ask him what European soccer team is his favorite.
Joe Souffrant, originally from Port-au-Prince in Haiti, came to Long Life in 2009 after many years working at Monro Muffler. He is the best at Long Life for diagnosing noises, the clunks and squeaks and rumbles that cars make going over bumps or braking or just cruising. He has two sons and a daughter. He also has a beautiful voice and loves singing at his church.
Jeff Vega is a 2018 graduate of the auto mechanics program at Waltham H.S. You could say he’s the apprentice at Long Life because he’s still learning a lot, but he can handle all of the common jobs the shop does at this point. While his parents are originally from Guatemala, Jeff has been here almost his whole life. He is a big music and sports fan.
As a kid, Herby Fleurimond used to watch the mechanics work at his friend’s father’s shop in Haiti, and one of Herby’s gifts is the ability to retain what he sees. That made him a fast learner at Long Life—with a year of starting in 2008, he went from doing oil changes and brakes to replacing timing belts. He is very methodical and thus often tackles the longest jobs at Long Life: swapping an engine, fixing a head gasket, replacing a heater core. You know that when he’s done, there won’t be screws left over. He and his wife Fredeline have three kids—he’s a Seventh-Day Adventist.
Jack Defina runs the office on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Retired from an administrative job with the state, Jack couldn’t stay home. He likes to keep busy, whether working at Long Life or delivering Meals on Wheels or bartending. His wife is a visiting nurse in Waltham and they have three kids and many grandchildren.
Sabrina Brooks runs the office on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. She knows a lot about cars—she can do her own oil changes and brakes—and also is very computer-savvy, a wonderful combination for keeping Long Life running smoothly. More than that, though, she’s just a natural with people, the friendly face that new customers see first. She has three kids—her partner is an ace tow-truck driver.
Andy King has been running the office in the afternoons at Long Life since 2008. He previously worked as a constituent service rep for a state legislator. But after that exposure to politics, he decided he wanted to deliver a “real” service for a change. And he has been a natural at Long Life, picking up the intricacies of car repair, communicating easily with customers and mechanics, helping to keep the work flow moving as efficiently as possible. However, he is getting an MBA at night—we’ll be sad when he graduates and goes into the corporate world. The darts team that he and his wife are on won the state championship in their class.