HISTORY

Cornerstone Vehicle Consultants was created during October 1985 after I had been working in the aerospace industry for a number of years. From an early age I'd always had a passion for cars and motorcycles, and would spend hours watching my Dad repairing his Morris Minor and old motorbikes. I was fascinated with anything that had an engine attached, even if it was a Briggs and Stratton lawnmower!

During my engineering apprenticeship with Lucas Aerospace, I used the facilities available to experiment with engine tuning. I was (and still am!) a keen motorcyclist and I rebuilt and tuned various Japanese and British motorcycle engines in my spare time. My first car project was a blueprinted VW Beetle engine which more than doubled the power output. The Beetle had a 90 mph speedo and I often managed to get the dial starting to go around for a second time (on private land of course)! The engine was transplanted into a VW camper and was still running four years later when the camper was sold. I began rebuilding turbochargers and gearboxes along with engines, all in my spare time. Eventually the demand for my services exceeded my available time. With having a young family to consider, I made the decision to hand in my notice, and started on the road to a new career.

VEHICLE PROCUREMENT

It wasn't long before I was being asked to locate cars for people who did not have the experience or the time to track them down themselves. With the knowledge obtained, and with my mechanical experience this was a natural progression, and complemented the motor engineering side of my business. A network of good suppliers was established. These were mainly leasing companies who usually have an excellent  range of  good quality cars available at the end of their contracts. Older cars were sourced from main dealer part exchange stock. The business progressed to a point where vehicle locating became the main aspect, and the engineering became secondary. Although I still enjoy tinkering with engines, it is a very small part of my business now.

In 1999, after being asked to locate a budget people carrier, I researched and found there was a plentiful supply of good value, low mileage, astonishing condition cars available in Japan for export. I was able to establish links with an excellent Japanese based company and still use them as my main supplier. They have the same values as I do, and from the hundreds of vehicles shipped over in the last few years, not one single vehicle has been a disappointment!

OUR PHILOSOPHY

From the beginning I believed the key to success in any business is honesty and integrity, combined with the desire to establish solid long term business relationships with customers and also to be competitively priced. I have always strived to inspire complete confidence in the ability to source good value cars and commercial vehicles of an exceptionally high standard. This has been achieved through hard work, by not compromising, and by ensuring every vehicle sold meets my own strict personal standards. I approach the sourcing of each and every car as if being bought to use myself. I always consider if I would be happy for my wife and children to drive or be driven in it.

QUALITY CONTROL

The one thing that has become clear to me over the years is the car business, like many others, unfortunately attracts more than it's fair share of rogues, and this has undermined the confidence of many people.  A rough seller usually means a rough car. There are so many hidden pitfalls. You have to be 100% sure the car you are buying is exactly as it is portrayed. Buying a (used) car is not like buying a fridge or a music player, there are too many variables to cast into the equation to make an uninformed decision. Has the car been accident damaged repaired? Has the speedo been tampered with to make it appear to be lower mileage? Is it stolen or been given a new cloned identity? Has the vehicle been maintained properly and cherished, or is it a 5th hand rebuilt reject someone is trying to offload? For this reason It is impossible to compare like for like when looking through car papers or magazines.

It is a cliché, but the old saying is true, when buying a car you tend to get what you pay for, perhaps more so than with any other purchase. My Dad often quoted to me a statement that was on the wall of the company he worked for:  "Quality remains long after the price is forgotten" I have always remembered this, and he was absolutely right!.

SATISFIED CUSTOMERS

I cannot emphasise enough the utmost care taken in ensuring our vehicles are from a reputable source. Every UK vehicle is checked through HPI for outstanding finance, accident damage history and against the stolen vehicle register. Likewise Japanese imports are checked through similar systems with Interpol and the BIMTA (British independent motor trade association). This is of course additional to my own stringent checks and visual examinations. Before delivery, each vehicle goes through the workshop and is subject to strict 70 point checklist to ensure everything is as it should be. If I am not 100% happy with a car, another one will be sourced.  We are all human, and if there is anything I have overlooked I will find a remedy and solve the issue. Fortunately this does not happen often, however cars do have complex mechanical and electrical systems that can occasionally go wrong. The important point is how the problem is resolved. My aim is for you to be a happy, satisfied customer, and this will allow me to fulfil my ambition of being here for years to come.

Thank you for visiting my web site. Please take sometime to look at the information pages and I hope my service will be of benefit to you. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.