For 51 years, vehicles have been showered and scrubbed at Marlton Classic Car Wash on Route 70.

Consider this: When the Marlton Classic Car Wash first opened, some of the hottest 1972 cars coming in for a cleaning could have included the Ford Galaxie 500 or the Chevy Camaro Super Sport or even the Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special Brougham.

These were times when many suburban car owners pulled their garden hoses to their drives and scrubbed away themselves, but this car wash thrived on Route 70 and has remained a fixture ever since.

Today, most owners do not give their vehicles a driveway wash and instead head for one of the continually growing number of car washes in the region, dotting the main roads like Super Wawas.

Jim Rodgers, current co-owner of what is now the Marlton Classic Car Wash & Executive Lube Center, said he has been around long enough to remember the traffic circle at the intersection of Routes 70 and 73. He said he also remembers when the circle was eliminated in 2011.

And he recalls when a car wash 30 years ago cost $4.50. Today they start at $10.

Rodgers told 70and73.com that the wash's founder, Phil Easterly, originally only opened a car wash, one of the first in the area. The oil change component of the business came several years later.

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Rodgers has worked at the business for 33 years, including when Easterly was the owner. When a subsequent owner, Gerry Barton, decided to retire about six years ago, Jim and his wife, Nancy Rodgers, bought the business, making them the latest owners.

Throughout the car wash's 51-year lifespan, the Tabernacle couple said the staff has done its best to offer customers convenience and courtesy.

"Nobody wants to leave their car in the dealership anymore for oil changes. They just want to be in their car and make it quick and convenient, which is the direction we’ve gone," Jim said. "It takes 10 minutes to get an oil change here, so you get a lot of moms with children running (in here) between stores." 

Most of the customers are repeat ones. Others hear of the business through one of its many local fundraisers for area schools and nonprofits that the business supports, the Rodgers said. 

When the convenience, courtesy and proximity to the intersection of state Routes 70 and 73 are considered, it may explain why Marlton Classic Car Wash & Executive Lube Center has survived amid a glut of car washes opening in South Jersey in recent years, said the Rodgers.

"We were definitely here before any other car wash in the area," Jim said. "Now they are building them everywhere. They are like Wawas."

Added Nancy: Car washes "are saturating the market, which is terrible that the municipalities allow that to happen. Because eventually they will end up with vacant buildings somewhere."

Finding enough employees during the winter months, often the busiest time, is not always easy, the Rodgers said.

To that end, the Rodgers’ three children — Shaun Rodgers, Brett Rodgers and Ashley Rodgers — frequently help at the business. Other employees are a mix of those who only stay for a few months and those who stay longer.  

"We're very lucky (with our summer help)," Nancy said. "It gives Jim and I a chance to take a break."  

IF YOU GO: 

Marlton Classic Car Wash & Executive Lube Center is at 8 Route 70 West in Marlton. The business is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, visit its Facebook page.

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