Director is all about autos

Henderson Nissan Service Director Gary Delcoure grew up in the car business following in the footsteps of his father, Gary Delcoure Sr.

Starting as a predelivery technician at age 19 at Martin Chevrolet in Torrance, Calif., Delcoure found the car business interesting, profitable and addictive.

"I really enjoyed working with my father in those days," recalled the 51-year-old Delcoure, a native of Long Beach, Calif., who moved to Las Vegas in 2000. "I worked harder than anyone because I was the service manager's son."

It didn't take long for the energetic Delcoure to climb the ladder in the car business to become a service adviser in 1981. At the age of 24, he became a service manager for Beach City Chevrolet in Long Beach.

Joining the Nissan line was an easy decision considering Delcoure's strong background that included a stint with Toyota.

The Nissan product line is popular for a variety of reasons.

"Nissan stays very up to date to make sure the product lines are appealing mechanically and aesthetically," Delcoure said. "Nissan also makes certain that its vehicles are affordable.

"The cars are very dependable. Most of the Nissan products are very fun to drive, too. Next year we're going to have what is called the Juke, which is a turbocharged four-cylinder sporty passenger car. It's one of the nicest new models to be introduced in the past few years."

Nissan has very loyal customers, Delcoure said.

"People know when they purchase from us that they are getting a quality vehicle," he said.

Although the car business can be stressful, Delcoure may have found the ideal therapy by competing in go-kart racing. He races with his sons, Holden, 14, and Gary, 29.

"For the past five years, we have had a great ability to bond as a family through go-karting," he said. "The sport bonds you because you get to spend time together, and it's very competitive. It's a team type of thing and we work together well as a team.

"I'm going to run S4 Shifter class at the Super Nationals at the Rio in November. When I'm in a go-kart, I forget about everything else."

Henderson Nissan is led by General Manager Marty McKenna. The dealership is part of the Super Store Auto Group, which has five dealerships in Las Vegas and 26 throughout the nation.

For more information, visit www.hendersonnissan.net or call the dealership at 558-5800.