Xu Xiuwen thought about buying a car on his way back to Jiaotong University yesterday.
Last night, during a moment of clarity, he seriously considered it again and felt it was time to get a car.
He shared this idea with An Shishi, who fully supported his decision. However, they had different views on what kind of car to buy.
An Shishi didn't know much about cars and thought that spending tens of thousands of yuan would be good enough.
In his previous life, having a car worth that much while in college would have been very satisfying for Xu Xiuwen.
But now, with ten million yuan in his bank account, buying a car worth only tens of thousands felt a bit underwhelming.
Xu Xiuwen's philosophy was simple: if you don't spend your money, why bother earning it?
He aimed to choose from three luxury brands, favoring BMW the most. He didn't see the need for anything more extravagant.
After lunch, Xu Xiuwen and An Shishi went to the nearest BMW 4S dealership. As soon as they entered, a sharply dressed salesman approached them and asked, "Hello, are you here to look at cars?"
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "Yes."
The salesman asked, "Do you have a specific model in mind?"
An Shishi had no clue about cars. Xu Xiuwen knew a bit more, at least that BMW had the 3 Series, 5 Series, and 7 Series, and he knew their prices correlated with their series. For example, the 3 Series was about 300,000 yuan, and the 5 Series was about 500,000 yuan.
He asked, "Do you have any 5 Series cars in stock?"
Xu Xiuwen's budget was around 500,000 yuan, give or take a bit.
The salesman's eyes lit up at the mention of the 5 Series. He didn't underestimate Xu Xiuwen and An Shishi because of their young age.
Typically, young people without money wouldn't walk into a BMW dealership. Those who did were usually wealthy second-generation kids.
He noticed their branded clothes, which didn't look cheap, and assumed at least one of them was wealthy.
So, the salesman smiled even brighter and said excitedly, "Yes, we just got three 5 Series cars in stock: Mineral White, Cashmere Silver, and Carbon Black. I can show you the cars."
"Alright, lead the way," Xu Xiuwen responded.
Since entering the dealership, Xu Xiuwen had done all the talking, so the salesman assumed he was the wealthy one.
As they walked toward the 5 Series display, the salesman enthusiastically described the various benefits of the 5 Series.
Salespeople are naturally good speakers. An Shishi, being in a 4S dealership for the first time and with little experience, found herself very intrigued.
Initially, she thought spending so much on a car was wasteful, but now it didn't seem so bad.
As they reached a white 5 Series car, the salesman pointed to it and introduced it warmly: "This Mineral White 530i is a genuine German import, with a 3.0L 231 horsepower L6 engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission..."
The salesman rattled off the car's specifications.
Xu Xiuwen didn't fully understand or care much about the details. He only cared if the car looked good, drove comfortably, and had a pleasant ride.
Under the salesman's guidance, Xu Xiuwen sat in the car to experience it and even took it for a test drive.
After the test drive, Xu Xiuwen asked An Shishi, "What do you think?"
An Shishi, who had been sitting in the backseat, thought for a moment and said, "It's quite comfortable in the back, and the space is pretty big."
"What about the color? Do you like it?"
An Shishi nodded, "Mineral White, right? It's a nice color."
Having understood An Shishi's opinion and feeling satisfied with the car himself, Xu Xiuwen had made up his mind. He turned to the salesman and asked, "How much for this car?"
The salesman, seeing that both were satisfied, felt confident about the sale. He quickly replied, "Sir, let me calculate the exact price for you."
The three of them moved to the showroom's lounge area. The salesman took out paper and pen and started writing down numbers.
"Sir, the official guide price for this car is 618,000 yuan. I can apply for a 9% discount with the manager. The purchase tax is 10%, insurance is 15,000 yuan, accessories 18,800 yuan, and registration is 3,000 yuan, totaling 655,400 yuan. We can round it down to 655,000 yuan."
Xu Xiuwen, having bought a car in his previous life, knew that the so-called insurance, accessories, and registration fees were often inflated, and the actual discount could be more than 9%. If he shopped around and haggled, he might bring it down to 600,000 yuan. But Xu Xiuwen didn't feel like bargaining anymore.
Spending an extra 50,000 yuan to save time and effort seemed worth it to him.
Xu Xiuwen straightforwardly said, "If you make it 650,000 yuan, and everything is included, I'll pay today and take the car."
The salesman, overjoyed by Xu Xiuwen's decisiveness, agreed immediately, "Sure, sir, 650,000 yuan it is. We'll handle the paperwork, and you can drive it away today."
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "Alright, go ahead with the paperwork."
The salesman happily went off to process the transaction. After he left, An Shishi couldn't help but ask, "Honey, isn't 650,000 yuan too expensive?"
Xu Xiuwen's initial budget was 500,000 yuan, so this was 150,000 yuan more, but it was still within his acceptable range. He gently replied, "It's fine. Money is meant to be spent. It's going to cost roughly the same everywhere. Let's just buy it."
An Shishi nodded and fell silent. For such major purchases, she trusted Xu Xiuwen's judgment.
Soon, the salesman returned, "Sir, the contract is ready. How would you like to pay?"
Xu Xiuwen took out his bank card, "I'll pay by card."
After swiping the card and signing the purchase contract, Xu Xiuwen and An Shishi continued to wait in the lounge.
To take the car immediately, the dealership needed to complete various procedures, which would take a few more hours.
The dealership thoughtfully provided tea and some fancy snacks while they waited.
By 4 p.m., all the paperwork was done, and Xu Xiuwen received the car keys.
He gestured to An Shishi to get in the car. An Shishi excitedly shouted, opened the car door, and got in.
Once she was in, Xu Xiuwen hit the gas and drove away.
This was his first car in this life, a BMW 5 Series that he could only dream of in his previous life.
Naturally, Xu Xiuwen was in a great mood. He drove around the city with An Shishi.
Since getting in the car, An Shishi hadn't taken her eyes off Xu Xiuwen, watching him the whole time.