This essay is an unsolicited testimonial from an Alexandria VA resident!!

Jack Taylor’s Alexandria Toyota is a title recognized by most in the city of Alexandria, Virginia. If you haven’t seen the name surrounding hundreds of license plates around the city, you must recognize his signature at various fundraisers, and charities citywide. Since the dealerships’ opening in 1973, Mr. Jack Taylor promised, “quality...for our customers, our community, in the products and services we provide and for all the agencies and suppliers who do business with us”. Taylor passes this same credo onto every one of his employees in all of his departments. Buying a car is a task that a lot of people dread, and traditionally has been described as “nerve-racking” or “a hassle”. Before entering the lot I was prepared for angry costumers all over, upset over a deal gone wrong or upset over a sneaky, deceitful salesman. Contrary to these stereotypes, after entering Alexandria Toyota, I was able to observe a wide range of interested buyers, all sharing a common sense of comfort, trust and excitement.

Entering the dealership driveway, you are immediately exposed to a hundred or so new and used cars. After entering the recently renovated show room there is immediately a warm, bright, and comfortable feeling. Right inside the door is an information desk, willing to answer any questions the costumer has or help him/her get set up with a salesman. Towards the back of the showroom are two rooms designed for kids to play in while their parents decide on the best vehicle investment for them. Each of these rooms are filled with video games and toys to keep any child busy for hours. Next to these play rooms is a soda machine with a wide selection of drinks and an area to sit and take a load off.

Walking out the side door of the showroom, you catch a glimpse of the massive parking lot in the back of the dealership with hundreds of cars, both on lifts, and parked underneath the lifts, giving what costumer Gary Campbell calls, “an inventory with a car or truck for anyone’s preference or price range.” Campbell was looking to purchase two cars on that cold January afternoon. He was planning on purchasing a newly designed Toyota Tundra for himself and a Toyota Sienna minivan for his wife. After asking Campbell if he enjoys car buying, he admittedly replies, “spending thousands of dollars is never easy, but if you have a dealership you know and trust, it makes it a whole lot less stressful.” Campbell’s’ family has not only purchased cars from Alexandria Toyota before, but his sons boy scout troop has made use of the large conference room inside the dealership. “It makes it a lot easier to spend my hard earned money if I can trust that some of it will be put back into community. With Jack [Taylor], donations to various clubs, scholarships, and fundraisers occur on a regular basis”

Further down the line of cars, standing next to a Toyota Corolla on the lot, Edgar Ventura explained his reasoning for being at the dealership on that day. He claimed that he and his two kids were new to the area and were in the market for a new car. He was surprised when he arrived at the dealership because he was not “swarmed like a pack of bees with salesmen looking for their commission for the day.” “I believe people are so afraid of car buying for just this very reason,” Ventura claims. He was approached upon his arrival, and after explaining that he was just looking today, his salesmen showed him no pressure and told him if he had any questions not to hesitate to ask.

Walking around the outside lot really showed the wide range of people that you find at a car dealership. With a salesman, a man in a white jumpsuit covered in paint was talking over the specifications of a red Toyota Tundra that he looked very interested. Mr. Campbell’s wife, Janine, was putting her face up to the driver side windows of several different colored minivans, looking for the perfect one. Twenty-two year old, Abigail Smilly, was looking at the new Toyota Highlander. She brought along her father along with her to pick out her first car. “I don’t know the first thing about cars, or buyin’ a car for that matter, so I brought along my pop for some guidance,” Smilly admits. This was her family’s first visit to Alexandria Toyota, but she also was, “very impressed with the selection and the lack of pressure involved.”

Walking back into the showroom was the best representation of what buying a car is all about: The contracts, the cups of water to quench the cottonmouth of committing yourself to thousands of dollars worth of investment, the financial specialists, and most of all the negotiating. The inside of a car dealership made me recall a time I was at a market in the Middle East. Buying a car is a negotiation game. The costumer will do anything to knock a couple hundred dollars off of the sticker price of the car, or to get a lower finance rate for their loan, while the salesman still tries to keep some kind of profit on the vehicle. It was interesting to watch these salesmen and costumers discuss a reasonable price. They would talk for a little, and then the salesmen would get up to discuss the proposed deal with a higher ranked salesman and come back with an answer. Even with this back and forth bartering, there was still not an upset or frustrated person to be found in the room due to patience, negotiations, and a friendly environment.

After observing the process of buying a car it can be concluded that the car buying stereotypes do not apply to all places. Jack Taylor has been in the business long enough to master the art of running a successful business with a healthy profit margin, while still displaying his large sense of community outreach. His employees run a pressure free showroom because they actually care about making a happy costumer and because they know that it sells. This is very significant to the business because it promises return costumers. Taylor’s commitment to community service has also proven to be very significant to the growth of his business. Having his logo spread throughout the city at various events is both good advertising, and shows that his business gives back to the community in a very strong and generous way.

-Andrew Mitchell