Cat Clark’s Autos & Trucks

The new owner Larry is a really great guy.
You can find some of the best prices and best customer service here.

I was very pleased with my experience at Clarks Autos and Trucks. I have gotten all of my cats from here and my Outlander was recently involved in an accident. They repaired my car very quickly and it was perfect when I got it back. I love the new license plate frame they put on it too. I won’t go to anyone else to have my car worked on, or to purchase another car. All three cars I have gotten from Clarks have never given me any issues and have lasted a very long time. They do all of the work on them as well.

I bought my Insight from the late Cat Clark in January of 2014 after hearing that NPR report on him and his Eagle Rock shop many years ago when it first aired on the radio. Dealing with Cat was a great adventure and having been forewarned, I showed him the utmost respect and patience. He was kind and generous with me and I liked him quite a bit. When it turned out that my car’s hybrid battery was no good, it was replaced at cost. I love my Insight and it works like a charm. I am so appreciative that the ultra talented and easy going Larry took over the business and has now become the Insight «Whisperer» for all of us out here who needs him. RIP Cat. Long live Larry!

I highly recommend this place if you want excellent customer service and a quality vehicle. There are not many places that service the Honda Insight, but this place does and they are great! I plan to use this place again in the future for my Honda Insight needs. They also have a used car lot that I’m anticipating buying another Insight for my husband. Thank you for such great service guys!

Cslled Clarks and talked to a guy name of Larry. I asked of him about some battery problems and he explained me how to fix it over the phone so i din’t have to spend a lot a money. He knows about this stuff. The guy name a Larry found me a used Mitsubishi Mountero and it is a great car.

I have had a long-​standing issue with the display panel in my 2001 Honda Insight. I haven’t been able to have it fixed because Honda no longer makes the part. I just moved to Eagle Rock and, of course, CAT caught my eye right away. Larry was able to fix it with a used part for an extremely reasonable amount and in only a few hours! Excellent work and excellent customer service. Looking forward to getting every bit of my Insight spruced up with CAT.

My Insight is low-​slung and very quiet — sometimes TOO much so. It seems to be invisible to larger vehicles on the road. Case in point: Recently I was sideswiped by an RV and my insurance company estimated it to be a total loss (repair estimates ran over $ 3500). I had Larry look at it. He said he could fix it for less than HALF the cost. And he did, plus he detailed the car, inside and out! Now my 16 year old car looks brand new. Thank you, Larry! I’ll be driving with my lights on from now on.

Clark has died and there is a new owner who is great. Much cheaper than going to Honda. I go there any time I have a problem and they always fix it or I schedule an appointment. I have two insights and they have been running for years without any major problems. I average 48 MPG. They do not have the best ride but I spend very little on gas.

Really sad to hear the original owner is no longer there. Happy to know the shop is in good hands, with the new owner Larry.

Clark sells lemons. He will talk your ear off telling you a lot of information about the Honda Insight, and he knows it inside and out. But don’t be fooled. His cars will fail. Hopefully someone that reads this will be spared. Here is my story.
I bought a 2001 Honda Insight in May of 2012. Within 6 months the hybrid battery had died. Part of the selling point is that he says he can recharge your hybrid battery for $ 600. This is supposed to be a cheaper option than buying a new one. Even though I only had the car for 6 months I bit the bullet and paid for the re-​charge.
3 months later the battery was dead again. He then stated «sometimes we find the charges don’t last as long as we’d like them too». He also had the nerve to say that sometimes the charges don’t keep in «cold weather». We live in Southern California making this statement ridiculous. At this point he suggested I buy a battery from china for $ 2,100. I told him this was unacceptable as I had not even had the car a year yet. So he swapped a battery from another car on his lot into mine. And within a month or two this was also dead. In that time span I also had to put money into the front non-​hybrid battery which was also expensive.
These 2001 Insights are now over ten years old. If the hybrid batteries aren’t dead already, they will be soon. Clark only gives you a month warranty. His $ 600 battery re-​charges don’t work. If you buy a car from him expect to spend another $ 2,000 — $ 3,000 on a hybrid battery. You will be out at least $ 10,000 on this car within a year between his 7k asking price and battery repair. Kelley Bluebook is only 4k. Don’t get suckered in by this guy.

I’m going to start by saying that Cat Clark is selling exactly what I’m buying. Hence the positive review. If you’re looking for something that he doesn’t do, then you don’t have much reason to patronize his establishment and he doesn’t have much reason to offer you service. He’s rather eccentric and doesn’t seem to give a shit what you think about him. That to me seems to explain the negative reviews here.
I wanted a cheap, reliable, used hybrid compact. My internet research led me to Cat Clark’s small shop and his obsession with the Honda Insight. He and his small team of mechanics buy wrecked Insights from insurance companies, rebuild them, and then sell a few dozen per year. That’s his business model. It’s not about to get him the capital to buy any prime real estate on the Brand Boulevard of Cars, but it keeps his shop open where he makes a living tinkering with the cars he loves.
Cat could have stopped ten minutes into his half-​hour lecture on what makes the Insight so awesome and just sold me the damn car, but he didn’t, and I was glad to hear it and glad to know I was dealing with someone who really knows and cares about what he’s doing.
I got a gorgeous red 2000 Insight from him for $ 4500. I love, love, LOVE this car! It drives better and has better mpg than the used 1997 Civic for which some lamestream dealership squeezed $ 20K out of me ten years ago. I’m so environmental, my car’s a *recycled* hybrid. AND it looks fucking bad-​ass! Random strangers on the street give me compliments for my 14-​year-​old salvage job.
I understand. I’m weird. I don’t want the same things most people want when they’re buying cars. If you want to overpay for a car with all the bells and whistles that will promptly disintegrate at the moment the automakers’ profit margins dictate that you need to buy another one, then you’ll probably be disappointed. But if you’re anything like me, you just might thank your lucky stars that a place like this exists.

I bought a great 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer from Clark for a great price back in August 2013 and it’s been amazing. He was extremely friendly, warm, and reasonable. He also gave a 30 day/​1000 mile warranty, but it ended up being unnecessary because the car ran, and still does run, like new.
I went in for an oil change today and Larry was there to take care of it. He had one of the skilled workers do the oil change and it only took about 15 minutes! On top of that, they topped off my fluids, took a look at my engine, filled up my tires, and did a quick diagnostic all free of charge. Good quality guys, great workers, they definitely know what they’re doing!
On top of that, they are always very polite, friendly, and good conversationalists whenever I go there. Definitely worth it. I’ve had nothing but good experiences there.

A few weeks later, and the window in the door he installed on my car no longer works. Yes, it was a used door and it had no warranty, but a few weeks seems, well, lame. Under normal circumstances I’d contact him and try to work something out. I’d expect that he would care that this occurred. But under these circumstances, I know that’s not the case. He will not care. He will be a jerk. So I am on my own with it now. Wish I had gone somewhere else.

Clark is the man who owns and sells one of the only used first generation Honda Insights. He is so knowledgeable about Insights and gave us a lesson. It would’ve been a great car-​buying experience. Buyer beware– most of his cars are salvaged. You’ll just have to ask him. His prices are great and he offered us financing if needed. He disclosed to us that he offers discounted and timely maintenance for customers who purchase through him only. He does not deal with outside customers. Rightfully so. He is good at what he does and I wish that he had a clean title car at the time we were planning to purchase.

I called Cat Clark’s Autos & Trucks to schedule a time to bring in my newly purchased 2001 generation 1 Honda Insight. Cat Clarck said it was too bad I didn’t buy my Insight from him and that he was no longer accepting new customers that did not buy their Insight from him. Then he said goodbye and immediately hung up (maybe I got an ‘okay’ in there somewhere).
The business is more of a used car dealership with a shop reserved for existing customers. I didn’t get yelled at but it was a bizarre experience. How many shops refuse your business? Maybe there is a valid reason to limit his customer base, but he did not take the time to explain the loss of my business.

If you have a 2-​door Honda Insight, this guy knows his stuff. Absolutely specializes in it. And he’s cheap, but it’s cash only. He is crazy about those cars.
But he is also just plain crazy. I was talking on the phone when they finished the car. He starts yelling and ranting that I’m holding him up and he’s been waiting for 10 minutes. I calmly said he didn’t have to speak to me that way and I had no idea he was waiting.
He yelled more and told me he didn’t want my money, to get out and never come back. I said he should take the money but he refused. So I left the money there and drove away.