We walked into Clearwater Toyota on a Saturday afternoon in need of a new whip. Fast. The insurance company rental allowance was about to dry up. We brought along the usual bad attitudes: don’t wanna be here dealing with the obnoxious salesperson, trapped in the box while he or she bounces back and forth between us and the manager. Ugh. Then Joe sauntered up in the asphalt-radiated heat. He was spunky but laid-back. An ex-boxer. Kinda rough around the edges, not a fast-talkin’ slickey boy. He took his time, kibitzed, didn’t seem to mind taking us on a test drive, and actually told us some neat shit about the car. The negotiation lasted a while, with a few back-and-forth offers, but the exchanges remained good-natured. Actually, Joe seemed to be on our side rather than trying to help the house rip us off. We beat him up on the price. He laughed. We bought the car, checked the Internet, and it turns out we got a pretty good deal. We’ll buy from Joe again any time. Clearwater Toyota, 21799 U.S. 19 N., Clearwater, 727-799-1234, clearwatertoyota.com
This article appears in Sep 10-16, 2008.