COX Chevrolet Mazda

The Cox family has been selling cars for five generations. Steve and Gary Cox, owners of Cox Chevrolet and Cox Mazda, are carrying on a tradition that began 83 years ago.

Father and son James P. and James O. Cox started with dealerships in Ocilla and Tifton, Ga. In 1926 and moved to Bradenton in 1932 during the Great Depression. After the death of his father in 1938. J.O. Cox guided the company through the war years, selling used cars and parts in order to maintain income. It was during this time that Cox established a close relationship with the Ringling Brothers Circus, supplying and servicing their traveling vehicles. Located in downtown Bradenton, the business continued to thrive in the 1940's and 50's and saw the introduction of the Corvette, Camaro and Corvair in the 1960's.

In the 1970's, the dealership, now being run by James O. Cox, Jr. and his son Steve, moved to a new location on Cortez Road, where it still sits. The business kept growing in the 1980's and 90's, and brothers Steve and Gary purchased Thornton Mazda of Palmetto in 2002 to expand the product line. They complete building the Mazda Revolution, a state of the art facility across from Cox Chevrolet on Cortez Road in 2007.

Today, Cox Chevrolet is considered a pillar of the business community and is one of the few family businesses in any industry to thrive into its sixth generation.