Jason Carey of Chesterfield County wasn't satisfied with the height of the truck he bought in 2003.

After talking with friends, he decided to take his 2003 Ford F-250 King Ranch Crew Cab to Davis Auto Sales to have it lifted.

"They put 8 inches of lift on it along with 20-inch rims and 38-inch tires," Carey said. "Last year I took it back there and got them to put 4 more inches of lift along with 22-inch rims and 40-inch tires."

Davis Auto Sales, owned by Jimmy Davis and his wife, Gail, do quality work, Carey said.

"They don't try to take advantage of you. They give you a fair price. They're pleasant and easy to deal with."

The automobile business is a natural fit for the couple. They opened Davis Auto Sales in 1976.

Jimmy had worked for his father, who owned T.L. Davis Auto Repair, before opening his auto sales business.

Gail worked part time in the beginning, handling accounting duties on Saturdays. She kept her full-time job at Philip Morris USA until she retired in 2005 to join Davis Auto Sales full time.

"Gail's been with me from the beginning," her husband said. "We utilized the fact that she had a stable, permanent job. She was the anchor with benefits and income. That allowed me to get started."

Davis Auto Sales began in the same location as his father's auto repair shop on Woodpecker Road near Ettrick. It is now at 10016 Jefferson Davis Highway.

"We relocated to Jeff Davis to improve visibility and it worked immediately," Jimmy said. "We moved again to our current location, only a block away, because we needed a bigger facility."

At first, the couple sold used cars, pickups and four-wheel-drive vehicles. From 1990 to 2000, they focused their attention on minivans.

"Back in the 1990s the market was strong for minivans," Jimmy said. "That was the accepted mode of transportation for soccer moms. It transitioned to sport utility vehicles."

Today, the company sells heavy-duty pickups that can be customized with larger wheels and lift kits as well as commercial vans, SUVs and work trucks. The company also specializes in customizing trucks and SUVs.

The couple's three sons, all of whom work in the family business, convinced their parents of the growing trend toward lifted or raised trucks.

The business changed to accommodate the next generation. "The market is there," Gail said.

Davis Auto Sales had one employee when the company first opened. It now has nine.

"When he wanted to open the business, I went to John Tyler Community College and took accounting, business law and classes on taxes so I could run the business from that perspective," Gail said. "Because my background is in IT, I did anything that involved computerization."

Now that she's full time, Gail's job has broadened. She does everything from accounts payable to sales.

She also serves as district president and state vice president of the Virginia Independent Automobile Dealers Association and is on the association's board.

In March, she was selected as the district Quality Dealer of the Year.

"She will be competing against seven other dealers at our state convention in September," her husband said. "Gail received the award because she contributes her time and efforts to the association, the community and the industry."

If she wins at the state level, Gail will move on to national competition. This is the second time someone in the family has won the district award. In 1998, her husband won not only the district award but the state award as well. In 1999, he won the national dealer award.

Charles Muncy, first vice president and dealer finance manager for First Market Bank, isn't surprised that the family has been recognized for business expertise.

"They are very professional," Muncy said. "They have great character in the way they handle their business. They're very organized and easy to work with."

The company continues to grow and gain customers, many via the company's Web site, www.davisautosales.com.

One customer lived in the western United States and was working in North Carolina when he spotted the site.

"He brought his truck up here to have it lifted and then he drove it back home," Gail said. "We've even had customers who learned about us on the Web fly in to purchase a vehicle. That's the beauty of the Web."