Chapter 270 - Maserati Quattroporte
Translator: Totally Tofu
Editor: Likia
Shi Lei had already called in advance to inquire about the car. The opposite party expressed that they had the Maserati Quattroporte ready. He could take it within a week, the latest, or perhaps within two or three days.
It was the most appropriate option for him at the moment. He had also asked about loans during the call, but they told him that cars weren’t like houses, especially luxurious cars. The value of the car would drop by at least a third as soon as he bought it, so if he wanted to make a loan, he was required to pay forty to sixty percent of the price as the down payment.
This made Shi Lei dissatisfied, but after asking Wei Xingyue about it, she said that it wasn’t much at all. However, she asked him over the phone why he just had to buy a Maserati Quattroporte. Since he had to prepare almost a million for the down payment, he could buy a car around 1.5 million and could take it for under 1.8 million after settling. Shi Lei insisted on the Quattroporte deluxe. Wei Xingyue promised that she would go with him so she could guarantee for him that even if he only paid the insurance fee and tax, he could drive the car home immediately.
Shi Lei had called Wei Xingyue on the way there and she had said she could arrive within an hour because the shop was barely five kilometers away from her house.
Forty minutes later, Shi Lei was standing in front of the Maserati dealership.
Wei Xingyue had already informed the company by the time he arrived. As soon as Shi Lei got out of the car, a slightly chubby, middle-aged man greeted him with a smile on his face. “Are you Young Master Shi?”
Shi Lei froze for a second, but quickly reached out and shook his hand. “You are?”
“Please don’t use the polite form(1) with me. My name is Yu, Yu Hangjian. This here is my dealership. Miss Wei called me and said that Young Master Shi wants a Quattroporte. I was just inspecting the place, so I thought I could wait for you and give you some information about it.”
Shi Lei nodded. He knew perfectly well that Yu Hangjian had not been inspecting because he had heard that Wei Xingyue was coming, so he immediately ran here.
Shi Lei didn’t point that out and smiled. “Then I’ll have to bother Manager Yu.”
“Young Master Shi, you are too polite. Let’s talk inside. The weather is still cold.”
Shi Lei followed Yu Hangjian into the sales hall. All Maserati models were on display. They filled the room. Even though Shi Lei had recently become accustomed to seeing luxurious cars, his heart couldn’t help but beat faster.
This was only three months after the Black Card incident. If it had been before, Shi Lei wouldn’t dare walk into such a place—even if someone else gave him the guts to—let alone plan to take a car home.
“Young Master Shi is so young. Why didn’t you consider a sports car instead of choosing a Coupé like the Quattroporte?” Yu Hangjian asked, beaming as he guided Shi Lei to the display area for the Quattroporte.
“I don’t really have any special reason. I just don’t like sports cars because there is not enough room. It’s more comfortable to sit in a bigger car.”
Yu Hangjian smiled and nodded. “That’s true. The inside of the Quattroporte is way more spacious than that of sports cars. The length of this model is over 5.2 meters, and the width is at almost two meters. If it’s purely for use within the city, then it’s definitely comfortable. A Coupé is between a sports car and a normal car. It can be used for both business and leisure. Young Master Shi, you definitely have good taste.”
“Haha, the thing is that I don’t have much money. I can only buy one car. Otherwise, I’d buy one to use for business and one sports car. That’s the best option!” Shi Lei was a loser anyway, so there was no point in hiding it.
Yu Hangjian laughed dryly. “You are joking. Would you like to try it first?”
Shi Lei nodded. Yu Hangjian quickly arranged for someone to bring the key over. He took a seat on the passenger’s side after giving the key to Shi Lei. He wasn’t worried that Shi Lei would just drive it away, but different car models had different details that required getting used to. Yu Hangjian didn’t know what kind of car Shi Lei had driven before, so he naturally had to explain it to him.
After Yu Hangjian’s introduction, Shi Lei quickly grasped the feeling and drove it out at a comfortable speed. He drove around the neighborhood once and returned to the shop after fifteen minutes.
“Alright, I’ll take this.” During the drive, Shi Lei already knew that it was the Quattroporte deluxe. The guidance price for the car itself was less than 2.3 million, but the guidance price was the guidance price. The final price would definitely fluctuate more. The majority of prices would decrease, but there were also some whose price rose even more. However, that was rare.
“Do you want a wine-red color?” Yu Hangjian asked.
Shi Lei nodded. “Wine-red is fine. Manager Yu, tell me the price.”
“Usually, we lower the price by 150,000 yuan,” Yu Hangjian replied without hesitation, “but since you are Miss Wei’s friend, I can spare another 100,000 yuan. 2.05 million is the bare price. What do you think?”
Wei Xingyue’s voice sounded from behind. “What 2.05 million? Two million!” Her voice was firm, without room for negotiation.
Yu Hangjian raised his head and looked toward her with a bitter smile on his face when he heard her voice. “Miss Wei, you are not letting me earn a single cent.”
“Don’t use that on me. Do you think I don’t know how much you can earn?”
Yu Hangjian shook his head. “Alright, since Miss Wei has spoken, two million it is. Just see the 50,000 yuan as me treating Young Master Shi to tea.”
Shi Lei twitched his lips. Damn, spending 50,000 yuan on tea. That’s definitely a wealthy person. It seemed like he had forgotten that he was also seen as a rich person by everyone there.
Yu Hangjian arranged people to get the contract while Shi Lei and Wei Xingyue stood next to the car, chatting.
“Why did you decided on this car? If you wanted to be cool, you should’ve bought a sports car.”
“I’m not crazy like you are and I don’t race with people when I’m bored. I’m just substituting walking with this.”
“If you didn’t want to walk, you should’ve gotten a 100,000 or 80,000 yuan car…You even asked for a loan! I’m losing face!” Shi Lei was probably the only one who could see the enchanting Wei Xingyue trash talk like this.
“That’s my business. I’m willing to, and I like to pay back the loan month by month.”
Wei Xingyue couldn’t do anything against such a shameless method. She could only smile. “Alright, it’s none of my business and I don’t have to do anything. How dare I butt into your business when there are so many people to support Young Master Shi? I spoke with Yu Hangjian. You must pay the insurance fee and tax, and can apply for loans for the others straight through their shop’s account. Oh, how long do you plan on taking to finish paying for the loans?”
“At most, half a year.”
“Then why are you asking for loans…” Wei Xingyue asked again. When she saw that Shi Lei was obviously ignoring her, she said, “Fine, fine, fine. Whatever you say. Then just do something depending on the situation and give some money. The guidance price is 2.3 million and the tax will be around 200,000 yuan. The insurance fee and other fees will be around 50,000 yuan. Just give him 300,000 yuan and tell them to record the rest. I’ll ask him if we can get the car right now. If they have one in stock, we’ll arrange for them to let you drive it home. They can take care of the rest themselves.”
Shi Lei was shocked. Although he never bought a car before, he knew that even if there was a new car in stock, it was rare to have the buyer drive it home immediately after paying for it. The process would take at least a few days. But when Wei Xingyue was there, it seemed like there was no need to worry about any paperwork. He could just take it.
Shi Lei didn’t think it was bad after a moment of thought. However, he didn’t plan on paying 300,000 yuan, but 500,000 yuan.
Yu Hangjian quickly returned. Wei Xingyue gave him her orders and he looked at Shi Lei in surprise. However, it was inconvenient to ask for details, so he agreed. “Alright, we’ll do it according to Miss Wei. I’ll tell my people to get the car from the garage. Young Master Shi can take it home in half an hour.”
Polite form: Shi Lei had used the formal version of “you,” which is “您(nin),” instead of the informal version of “you,” which is “你(ni),” to address Yu Hangjian