Who hasn't had a dream of turning a junker into a fully-restored, beautiful car?

Unfortunately, conventional wisdom says that is unlikely to happen.  First of all, nobody repairs cars anymore, they lease them and trade them in.  And with car systems computerized, the mouse has replaced the wrench as the auto mechanics tool of choice.

But DIY Auto Parts on Tyler Avenue in East Wareham, says that the backyard mechanic is here to stay, as is the family business, and the "friendly, neighborhood auto parts store."

"Sure it's possible to tinker with cars," said co-owner George Gonsalves.  "We deliver parts to backyards all the time."

The store reopened on June 1 under new ownership with the goal is to make the auto-parts store feel like visiting your family - it's an easy atmosphere to capture.

Gonsalves and his son Daniel, along with co-owner Kevin Connolly and his son Daniel, as well as Parts Specialist Shawn Hesse, are in the store most days.  Renee Gonsalves, George's wife, helps with the books. Together, the employees offer over

"These big stores offer no service," said George.  We're going to bring that back."

And they say that to think that there is no more need for auto-parts stores is simply wrong.

"Regardless of what car you buy, something is going to go wrong," said the younger Gonsalves.  "And your Subaru dealer isn't just going to let you buy new wiper blades."

As for leasing, "the days of driving and turning it in are gone," Kevin Connolly said.  "You have the responsibility to maintain it now."

But some things have changed.

Daniel Connolly peruses eBay and Craigslist for parts, and one of the first investments that the store purchased was high-speed internet so that they could recruit online buyers...of all sorts.

"We've gotten requests for parts for bikes and taxis," George Gonsalves said. "We've even delivered parts to flea markets!"