In 1957 the USSR launched the first ever spaceship, Sputnik. And in the very same year John Wilkins decided to opt for a career in motoring rather than farming. This is good news. Now these two events aren’t linked in any way, however they both signify the beginnings of something very worthwhile.

John Wilkins Cars in Cheltenham has been providing a ‘sales and servicing’ facility from their purpose-built premises in Leckhampton since those mind boggling days of the space race. They are in fact the oldest family run franchised car dealership in Cheltenham. It’s a testament to the way the business has been run that they’re still around to this very day offering a range of car products and services to the local community. Th company is now spearheaded by his two sons, Stephen Wilkins (Dealer Principal) and John Wilkins (Managing Director).

It’s quite refreshing to see a family business like this bucking the trend. By that I mean that most automotive dealerships these days are usually part of a huge PLC group. So in a sense, individuality goes out the window in a trade-off against the corporate machine. Not so at John Wilkins Cars. The family values are as true today as they’ve always been.

The company has 15 employees with some of them tucking away 40 years of service to the family firm. That’s unbelievable in this day and age. It smacks of deep-rooted values in what’s right and what’s wrong.  As a main Suzuki GB dealership the business offers a wide range of products; everything from new and used cars sales, through to servicing and accessories. In fact, John Wilkins Cars was the very first M.O.T. testing station in Gloucestershire.
It’s really a one-stop-shop for everything Suzuki or Citroën. Servicing cars has changed massively over the last seven years, so much so that most
manufacturers change the diagnostics at least every month, pushing the boundaries of technology and telemetry. Only main dealers can really keep up with this myriad of technical wizardry.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in the levels of technology on the vehicles and it’s our aim and duty as a main dealer to ensure we keep up to speed with all of this,” says Stephen Wilkins. The business has in some cases three generations of customers from the same families returning to either purchase cars or to have them serviced. It’s back to the old adage of customers coming first. “We’ve always been in this for the long game.

It’s a legacy that our father heavily instilled in us. For us our customers will always be the prime focus of the business. We’re adamant that they should be happy with everything we do for them.” The Suzuki side of the family business came on stream in 1995, recently seeing a good period of growth with their latest second generation hot hatch, the Suzuki Swift. This little beauty incidentally returns almost 64mpg. Much cheaper to run than a space rocket.

New Suzuki Swift from John Wilkins Cars

To listen to the interview click on the link below and go to timeline 2:26:16 to 2:28:29

http://bbc.in/cLqAHx

Used cars in Cheltenham from John Wilkins Cars

New Suzuki Alto from John Wilkins Cars

http://bbc.in/axtvdO

and go to time line 1:09:00 to 1:18:00 to hear the full interview with Presenter David Smith in the Afternoon.

http://bit.ly/aPFCr1

Quick, time is running out. Not just on the £2000 discount offered through the Government Scrappage scheme that finishes in February but also on the discounted VAT rate enjoyed by car buyers over recent months. That’s right, the VAT rate on cars goes up from 15% to 17.5% in January.
Now that might not sound like a big rise when we’re talking cars that 2.5% VAT rate rise might well add up to a significant amount of money. That’s £500 on a £20,000 car for example. Move fast to save money.
With year on year increases of 11.4% and 31.6% in September and October respectively it would seem that a combination of increasing consumer confidence, uptake of the Government Scrappage Scheme and the current discounted VAT rates are working powerfully to re-launch the motor industry. With the industry recovering rapidly from the toughest of tough times and now getting back on an even keel there will be no need for further incentives. Don’t miss out on the deals while they’re about. If you are one of the reported 1 in 20 motorists thinking about a new car over the next 3 months then now is the time to put those thoughts into action and save a packet in the process.
This is serious stuff, we’re talking hundreds of pounds, if not thousands of pounds in savings ready and waiting. Don’t find yourself later next year repenting in leisure, wishing you’d move just that little bit quicker and saved cash when you had the opportunity.
Check out the show rooms, talk to dealers and see what sorts of competitive offers they can out on the table. The chance are you will pleasantly surprised. Remember it’s not just car scrappage and VAT benefits on offer, dealers are throwing in free extras, flexible payment terms, maintenance deals you name it. For now it’s still a buyers markets – you’re in the driving seat. Be sure to take full advantage of the situation and enjoy the great offers before it’s too late.

Suzuki 01242 224477
Citroen 01242 255550
Mazda 01242 526981
Parts 01242 573426
Fax 01242 226950

John Wilkins Cars Ltd
170 – 172 Leckhampton Road
Cheltenham
GL53 0AA

email : sales@johnwilkinscars.com