The Fantastic Little Farmer

Chapter 238: Chapter 238: Then Buy It

”What’s wrong? What’s going on here?” A man who looked like a manager hurried over.

Among the people Zhang Yun knew in the county town, the only ones with any real weight were Zhang Lifeng and He Xiong. Seeing that he was being looked down upon while car shopping, was he supposed to drag them over just to put on a front and flex? Leaving aside whether their influence would even mean anything in this Auto City, the act itself would be way too tacky.

So, he had no intention of making some spiteful comeback to put anyone in their place. If he couldn’t buy a car here, he just wouldn’t. He definitely wasn’t going to buy one out of spite.

”Manager Wang, this gentleman thinks only BBA models will do. None of the cars we represent are good enough,” the female sales rep immediately complained in a huff.

Manager Wang swiftly observed Zhang Yun, analyzing him based on his attire and aura. However, someone capable of being a manager naturally possessed much higher emotional intelligence. He immediately smiled and reached out to shake Zhang Yun’s hand.

”I apologize. Our staff training has been inadequate. I will personally attend to you! You want to look at BBA models, yes? Please follow me. Although we don’t carry them directly, we can help purchase one on your behalf and bring the car back from a 4S dealership in the city. Please, right this way!”

Manager Wang warmly invited Zhang Yun over to his workstation.

”See? You’re just not at that level yet. That’s the right way to handle a customer,” one of the sales reps whispered.

”The manager is a manager for a reason. I’ve learned something today! There’s no need to argue with these people. Just play along with his flexing, show him the price tag, and if he can’t afford it, he’ll slink away with his tail between his legs on his own.”

Several of the sales reps snickered.

Zhang Yun frowned slightly. He had initially thought Manager Wang’s attitude was quite good, and he was even considering letting them handle the purchase. He wouldn’t have minded them making a little commission off the price difference. But listening to the reps, it sounded like the manager was just putting on a smiling face, preparing to use the price tag to humiliate him.

Of course, he could afford it, but with this kind of attitude, he really didn’t want them to earn the commission.

”Please have a seat,” Manager Wang said. ”Would you like something to drink? Coffee, black tea, or juice?”

”Whatever is fine.”

”Then I’ll have someone bring over a glass of juice.”

After ordering the drink, Manager Wang immediately brought out a BMW brochure. He then lowered his voice. ”I apologize. The basic salary for our sales staff here isn’t high, and the commissions aren’t much either, so their attitude can be a bit poor... Please bear with us.”

Zhang Yun was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected the man to be so straightforward.

Actually, even in the towns nowadays, it was an era of competing on customer service. People were enthusiastic even when selling a rice cooker. He could only chalk it up to a high turnover rate among the sales staff here and subpar training.

”Take a look first. These are the current BMW models available,” Manager Wang continued. ”We have partnerships with the 4S dealerships in the city. You won’t have to wait long to pick up the car, unless it’s an imported version.

”What’s your budget? Do you have a preferred model in mind? What type of car are you currently driving?” Unaware that Zhang Yun had arrived on a motorcycle, Manager Wang asked with enthusiasm.

”Well, it’ll be my first car,” Zhang Yun answered honestly. ”I’ve only driven someone else’s BMW for about a thousand kilometers, and it felt pretty decent.”

Manager Wang suddenly understood why the female sales rep had such a poor attitude. This really did sound like he was just showing off—and using someone else’s car to do it.

”For a first car, we recommend not going too high-end. In our county, a car in the three-to-four-hundred-thousand yuan range is already very impressive,” Manager Wang advised. ”It depends on what you like. The BMW 3 Series has excellent handling and a reasonable price point; it consistently ranks number one in the entire B-segment market. The 5 Series also sells very well and is one of the top sellers in the C-segment market.”

As Zhang Yun flipped through the brochure, Manager Wang stood by, explaining the main features and general price ranges.

Zhang Yun was essentially a recent nouveau riche. He hadn’t expected to buy a car so soon. He had just stopped by on a whim while in the county town today, so he hadn’t done any prior research. The only reason he was looking at a BMW now was purely because the car he had driven was Zhang Youcai’s BMW. If he had driven Ouyang Mingruo’s Maybach... well, a Maybach wasn’t exactly something you could just casually buy right now anyway.

”What do you think?” Zhang Yun asked.

Manager Wang stared blankly, not expecting Zhang Yun to ask him that. ”Boss, I can provide professional advice, including current market prices and such, but I can’t decide what car you should buy for you.”

”It’s fine. Just tell me. I didn’t come prepared, so I want to hear your professional opinion.”

Manager Wang said tentatively, ”How about we go with the 3 Series? After all, it’s your first car. Perhaps you’ll want to change cars very soon. When that time comes, it’ll be perfect to pass down to a family member or girlfriend. It won’t become a useless white elephant.”

Zhang Yun asked another question. ”I’ve heard people say that a beginner’s first car should ideally be a second-hand or a cheap car. That way, it won’t hurt as much if it gets a few bumps and scrapes, and you can upgrade once your skills improve. What’s your take on that?”

Manager Wang smiled. ”Actually, that’s a misconception. The only difference is that a nicer car has higher repair costs, but nowadays, everything goes through insurance. Even if you have it repaired a few extra times, your premiums will only go up by a few thousand at most. But with a cheap, second-hand car, its resale value drops significantly. You’d lose tens of thousands at the very least.”

”That does make sense.”

”Of course, driving around here sometimes means taking dirt roads in the countryside or mountain paths. For the sake of cost-effectiveness, you could choose a more economical car, which is why our agency primarily carries those types. But if money isn’t an issue, Boss, you can just get it right the first time, saving yourself the hassle of being stuck with a white elephant a few months down the line.”

Zhang Yun found Manager Wang’s analysis quite reasonable. Whether he bought a BMW on his behalf or sold a brand they represented, the manager would earn a commission, so he laid out both options and let the customer decide.

”Then let’s get the 3 Series!” Zhang Yun immediately made his decision. Once he got used to driving, perhaps he could consider a Porsche or something similar.

”Shall I write up the invoice for you then? We’ll need to order the car from the BMW 4S dealership, so that will require a twenty thousand yuan deposit.” Zhang Yun had agreed so readily, yet he didn’t look like someone who could casually pull out hundreds of thousands of yuan. Manager Wang even began to suspect if he was just messing with him.

”Sure. Write it up!”

Manager Wang blanked for a moment, then got busy. He confirmed the optional features with Zhang Yun, estimating that the final price would come out to around 350,000 yuan.

He signed the contract and swiped his card for the deposit.

The entire process felt too surreal for Manager Wang. He wondered if Zhang Yun had really just bought it. There was no way someone would throw away twenty thousand yuan just to flex, he reasoned.

”Boss Zhang, rest assured, I will contact the 4S dealership in the city right away. We’ll have the car brought back first, and we’ll handle the purchase tax and other paperwork on your behalf. When the time comes, you’ll still need to visit the DMV in person to inspect the car and select a license plate, but of course, we’ll arrange for someone to accompany you.”

Manager Wang respectfully escorted Zhang Yun out the door.

The previous female sales rep and several of the others were completely dumbfounded.

Did this guy actually buy a BMW? He hadn’t inspected a car, hadn’t test-driven one, and hadn’t even confirmed the exact final price yet, but he had already paid the deposit and bought it through them?

”He told me I was having a Chunqiu pipe dream, and that he wouldn’t contribute to my sales or commissions. Liar! He really proved me wrong!”

”Well... it is a little different,” one of her colleagues pointed out. ”Whether it’s the sales record or the commission, it all goes to Manager Wang.”

”Thanks for the comforting stab in the back!”

”Don’t be so down! You missed out on the sale, but you can always make up for it with the man himself, right? Besides, this just shows the manager’s charm. If it were us, we might not have been able to make the sale anyway.”

”How do I make up for it?”

”With the man! Look at him. He’s so young, he’s definitely not married yet. Someone who can casually buy a BMW without batting an eye must have more than a million in cash on hand, right?”

”Exactly! If I weren’t already married, I’d go for it myself! Go find out his phone number and start flirting with him right now!”