In the spacious showroom of the 4S shop, seven or eight different types of demo cars were on display, with a few scattered customers looking at vehicles alongside salespeople. Suming and Wang Hao had just entered when a lightly made-up female sales associate approached them proactively.
"Good day, sir. May I ask what kind of vehicle you're interested in?"
Although she asked, she didn't wait for Suming and his friend to respond and instead started to introduce the closest compact sedan, "You've come at just the right time. This Vios 1.3 manual edition is currently on a special promotion, exempt from purchase tax, and the on-the-road price is just over 70,000. It has a fuel consumption under 6 liters per 100 kilometers, making it a very cost-effective choice in many aspects."
As a salesperson, 'reading people' is an important skill, and the sales associate, with her wealth of experience, had recommended the car she felt was most suitable for Suming and Wang Hao the instant she laid eyes on them.
Youthful buyers generally don't have strong purchasing power, and they don't know too much about cars, focusing mainly on fuel efficiency and looks. They want something fuel-efficient and stylish, and this Vios meets both of these criteria, enjoying consistently good sales.
"We are interested in looking at SUVs," Suming said.
"Oh, right this way, please!" Although the sales associate was somewhat surprised, her smile remained unchanged, and she turned to lead Suming and Wang Hao in a different direction.
"The Rav4 is a well-established SUV, this is the new model for 2015, the price range is from 180,000 to 270,000. Among its peers, it has ample space and a very fashionable appearance," the sales associate explained.
"This car is in the same category as my Escape. I've test-driven it, and indeed, it has plenty of space but average power," Wang Hao added from the side.
Suming thought the Rav4 looked quite attractive; its front gave off an imposing yet somewhat adorable impression.
Most Toyota models have appealing designs, with smooth flowing lines and beautiful shapes, but as Wang Hao mentioned, like the Escape, the Rav4 is more of an urban SUV, a "grocery getter," not worth considering.
"Shall we take a look at the others?" Suming asked.
The sales associate smiled but didn't immediately take them to see other models. Instead, she hinted, "Well, anything above that will be quite expensive and not in the same range as the Rav4."
"Let's take a look and then decide," Suming suggested.
"Then you might consider the Prado and the Land Cruiser," she said.
This time, the sales associate didn't provide much of an introduction, simply leading Suming and his friend to the demo vehicles and standing nearby with a smile, saying nothing.
It wasn't like this was the only good car dealership around. Although his money came easy, almost as if blown in by a strong wind, he had no intention of being fleeced. Since he was a child, he hated being coerced. Just because he liked this car, they demanded a higher price for collection; was there any difference from extortion?
"Wait, let me discuss with the manager and try to minimize the collection fee..." The saleswoman, seeing a big sale about to slip away, hurriedly chased after them in her high heels.
By the time she reached the doorway, Suming and Wang Hao had already entered another 4S shop.
"There goes the deal." The saleswoman sighed dejectedly, feeling quite down.
...
Suming and Wang Hao continued to browse through several 4S shops.
At GAC Toyota, they checked out the Highlander — a good family car, but wanting in off-road capabilities and requiring an additional collection fee; the Buick Enclave was powerful, but Suming didn't like its design, and the cheaper Land Rovers seemed to be more for show than practicality; as for Mercedes and BMW, they were definitely top-notch cars. One could get one for four or five hundred thousand, but Suming felt he wasn't quite at that level yet.
Wang Hao, tired from following around, said, "Man, having money is its own trouble, not knowing how to spend it!"
"That's because it's still not enough money. If I had a few hundred million, I'd just buy whatever I liked, and that'd be simple!" Suming joked.
"I don't even dream of a few hundred million; if I can make ten million in my lifetime, I'd consider it a life well-lived," Wang Hao said.
Legitimately earning ten million is no small feat for anyone, but for Suming who had never taken ten million all that seriously, if he didn't earn it in his lifetime with his animal friends' abilities, he might as well be dead.
As they talked, they arrived at the east end of the luxury car plaza, in front of a modest-looking 4S shop.
The shop was quiet, without a single customer. There was only a young male salesperson sitting to one side with his leg casually propped up, smoking away, completely nonchalant. Seeing customers coming in, he didn't bother to get up to greet them and simply shouted from afar, "Feel free to look around..."
Suming was here to buy a car, not to make friends with salespeople, so their enthusiasm, or lack of it, didn't matter. He headed straight for the display area.
His eyes lit up when he saw the Jeep Wrangler on display.
"Damn, how did I forget? When it comes to off-roading, of course, it's got to be Jeep!"