Cars a Way of Life for Central Street Garage Owner in Foxborough

Paul Rogers started Central Street Garage on 385 Central St. in 1983, but his love of cars has been going on far longer than that.

“My grandfather was a mechanic and so was my father,” he said. “I raced cars for over 15 years, so I was always around cars.”

Rogers said he raced tracks in Norwood, Westborough and Seekonk, then known as the Northern Circuit. The cars were the Nascar Busch division.

“It was great competition,” he said. “It was just a great time for a young guy to come through. I made a lot of friends and kept a lot of friends.”

Rogers said that he left the racetrack and started Central Street because he felt he needed a more stable occupation.

“I bought a house, had a family and decided that it was time to provide for my family and get going,” he said.

Rogers said his experience, both on the track and in the shop, has helped him to gain the trust of his customers.

“Thirty years being the neighbor helps,” he said. “I started servicing people’s cars and their kids started coming in and now their grandkids are showing up. It’s been a long great ride got a lot of support form the town and people in the town.”

Rogers said that while the technology and way to repair vehicles has changed drastically over the years, with computers now in cars, sensors and numerous advances in suspension and safety features, the job itself hasn’t changed all too much.

“I still like repairing cars,” he said. “We service all makes and models and all ages.”

He said now he can just look at a sensor and find out what’s wrong. He said before that, pointing to a stacked and full bookcase, it took a bit of research.

He said his favorite car is his 1965 Pontiac GTO.

“It was a muscle car in '65 and it was just a great handling and a great riding car,” he said.