Fords, Toyotas, Jeeps, Chevrolets and other makes of vehicles are for sale, pre-owned, at Cecil Atkission Motors in Fredericksburg.

“Cecil Atkission opened this dealership in Fredericksburg out of a desire to accommodate the town’s need for pre-owned vehicles,” said Ed Brown, who serves as Atkission Motors’ general manager. “We have two new dealerships here, but not many pre-owned dealerships.”

Price ranges for their vehicles range from low teens to up to $60,000. Their target is customers who need a “newer,” rather than “new” car. The idea is to help them maximize their transportation dollars.

Joining Brown on the staff here is Mac Knapp, sales consultant, and Art Mendez, the finance manager.

Customers can either buy something on the lot or use a computer and find a vehicle from another Cecil Atkission location. (Atkission owns nine dealerships with approximately 1,100 vehicles at any given time.)

“We can pull inventory from other stores, if needed,” Brown said. “We just sold a Nissan truck to a man who lives near Dallas in Whitesboro. He saw our price and bought from us.”

“These days,” Mendez said, “people rely heavily on the Internet. That shows that people from far away can still find us. They look up the type of vehicle they like and see where it’s sold.”

Like other dealerships in town, Mendez said at Atkission, pickup trucks sell the best — particularly four-wheel drive and SUVs, along with the heavy duty trucks.

Many of the vehicles they sell are from trades, and a lot of them Brown will purchase.

“I’m very picky,” he said. “I want to make sure they’re clean and well represent our company and culture.”

Before being sold, all Atkission vehicles are inspected and serviced.

They’ve also done recent remodeling at their location to have more room for customers. A storage room is now an extra office, and they’ve put in walls and new carpet.

The sales manager also considers Atkission, a friendly, personable man to work for.

“For my birthday, Mr. Atkission sent me a signed birthday card and called me on my phone and wished me happy birthday,” Mendez said.