By Denny Deady | Published Thursday, August 27, 2009
James Wood Motors in Decatur may be the king of the GM pickup truck, but it's now in the limelight for being the first dealership in the United States to sell a 2010 Buick LaCrosse car.
Wood delivered the restyled and technologically enhanced sedan to Andrea "Andi" Smith of Fort Worth at noon on Saturday, July 26.
Smith traded in a 2005 LaCrosse, which was the debut model for the Buick that replaced the Century and Regal. She had purchased it at Wood's used-car lot a couple of years ago.
In recognition of its red jewel tintcoat color, she has nicknamed her new LaCrosse CXL "Ruby." (Her car's interior is in cocoa leather).
"I had seen the new LaCrosse in several magazines, and it looked like such a pretty car," said the administrative assistant for a financial planning firm. "I figured I would get another gold or silver car, but while I was driving the 50 miles to Decatur, I decided what I really wanted was a pretty red.
"They were willing to move two or three other vehicles to get it off the showroom floor so I could drive it," Smith said. "This car is so luxurious. The steering is like butter, and the turning radius is like no other car I've ever driven."
Her LaCrosse is equipped with a 255-horsepower direct-overhead cam V6 and an electronically controlled six-speed automatic transmission.
Smith said her family has bought four vehicles from the 30-year-old, locally-owned dealership known for its massive light-duty truck and SUV inventory.
Her husband, Thomas, purchased his 2006 Yukon from Wood on the same day their daughter, Elizabeth, bought a 2006 TrailBlazer.
"I just like dealing with them. It's such a friendly atmosphere," Smith explained. "I tell them what I want, and they have it ready when I get there. Their salesman, Beau Bell, was right when he told me I would really like this car."
Bell predicts the LaCrosse's styling, quiet ride and easy-to-use technology would make Buick a real competitor to the finest the Japanese and Europeans have to offer. "The Enclave started the trend," he noted.
Obviously, the 2010 LaCrosse impressed at least one customer that day. Bell recalled: "We pulled up to the showroom after her test drive. She put it in park and said,'I'll take it!"
