Chapter 23: This is the one!

Wuling Hongguang S—of course, Tang Song had heard of it.

In the domestic MPV market, its sales and reputation were among the best.

As a young man, he had encountered plenty of memes about Wuling and didn't harbor any prejudice against the brand.

Since this was to be his first car, influenced by those around him, he had always been considering a sedan; he truly hadn't given much thought to microvans or MPVs.

But looking at the spirited Wuling Hongguang S under the sunlight, he felt a genuine spark of interest.

It was like discovering a giant cabbage in a field of flowers—the aesthetic was a bit unconventional, but it was a pleasant, unique surprise.

Tang Song walked up to the car and asked, "Brother Li, how much is this Wuling?"

Li Mingjun hesitated for a moment before explaining, "Let me be clear, I'm not trying to rip you off. The owner has modified a lot of things, and since the car has been very well maintained, the price is a bit high. The owner wants forty-three thousand, and I estimate I can only knock off a thousand at most."

This car cost over 60,000 when new. For a three-year-old used car in this condition, the market price is less than 40,000.

This was exactly why he hadn't bought the car himself and was only helping with the consignment.

He had posted it on his WeChat Moments before; many people inquired, but they all lost interest the moment they heard the price.

Often, when you spend several thousand or even ten thousand on modifications, you can't recoup that value when selling the car; sometimes, it's even harder to sell than a stock vehicle.

The owner might have been in urgent need of cash; two days ago, they had parked the car directly at his place, wanting customers to see the actual vehicle to reach an agreement as soon as possible.

Hearing Li Mingjun's words, Tang Song nodded. "Brother Li, I really like this car. Tell me about its condition."

Although the price was a bit steep, it was within his acceptable range—after all, the system task required a value of 45,000.

Hearing this, Li Mingjun patted the rear of the car and began his introduction.

Registered in April 2020, it had been exactly three years, and the entire body had its original paint.

It came in Candy White, featured fog lights, and had very bright aftermarket LED projector headlights. It was fitted with 3M window film and an added roof rack.

It had power steering, central air conditioning, 14-inch alloy wheels, and electric windows and doors.

The rear seats could fold completely flat, creating an expanded trunk with a length exceeding two meters and a width of nearly one and a half meters, making it perfect for hauling goods.

Then, Li Mingjun opened the door to reveal the interior.

The overall interior was covered in greyish-white leather, while the door handles, gear shifter, headrests, and center console had been swapped for brown.

The combination of the two colors looked very stylish.

In addition, bright metal accents adorned the button areas.

The overall look was simple, elegant, warm, and high-end.

Tang Song's eyes lit up. It was clear that the original owner must have loved this Wuling very much, as the modifications perfectly suited their taste.

A lot of things come down to personal affinity; this "gap moe" between the exterior and interior gave Tang Song an instant feeling of attraction.

Li Mingjun squeezed the seat and smiled, "The entire interior is soft-wrapped, with full-coverage black mats, a high-definition large-screen navigation system, a branded dashcam, upgraded audio...

To be honest, I spent nearly ten thousand on modifications at my shop.

Everything is high quality. If you can appreciate the interior design of the original owner, paying an extra three or four thousand to buy it is definitely not a loss."

Tang Song thought for a moment and said directly, "Brother Li, do you have the keys? I want to test drive it."

"Wait a moment, I'll get them for you!" Li Mingjun quickly agreed and walked toward a small room.

Guo Peng couldn't help but say, "Xiao Song, the car is good, but it is indeed a bit expensive. And there's another key issue: you're at the age where you need to start looking for a partner. You have to consider that when buying a car. If you drive this to pick up your buddies, they'll all be laughing and fighting to take a turn, but if you actually drive this to pick up a girl for a date..."

Guo Peng didn't look down on the Wuling Hongguang; in fact, since entering society, he hadn't looked down on any car.

However, Tang Song was 25 this year and would soon face blind dates and marriage; having a decent-looking sedan would be a good bonus point.

Hearing Guo Peng's words, Tang Song nodded. "I understand. Thanks for the reminder, Brother Guo."

If it were the old him, he would likely be driving his first car for a long time, so he would indeed need to consider many aspects.

But now that he had the system, as long as he completed this task, he would obtain a car worth up to 500,000.

This removed all his hesitation; as long as he liked it, he would just go for it.

Li Mingjun soon returned and handed over a remote key.

Tang Song thanked him, leaned down to sit in the driver's seat, and adjusted the position; the comfort level was excellent.

Fastening his seatbelt and gripping the steering wheel, the corners of Tang Song's mouth curled up slightly as a sense of joy and satisfaction welled up in his heart.

Confirming the gear was in neutral, he pressed the clutch deep, inserted the key, and turned the ignition.

Accompanied by the roar of the engine, the instrument cluster and the infotainment system lit up.

Releasing the handbrake, shifting into first gear, and coordinating the clutch and gas, he set off.

Having test-driven several cars before, this time was very smooth.

The handling was stable, the steering felt moderate, and the steering was agile. Thanks to the relatively light body and decent power output, the acceleration performance was also good.

After a lap of test driving, it felt very easy to handle.

Looking at the warm and stylish interior, the fresh and smooth body lines, the spacious interior, the massive trunk, and the winged Wuling logo.

Tang Song took a deep breath, touched the rearview mirror, and said excitedly, "This is the one!"

Guo Peng opened his mouth to say something but held back.

Li Mingjun was stunned, not expecting the other party to be so decisive. "Alright, I'll contact the owner right now and try to push the price down even further for you. Let's sign the contract today; the ownership transfer can wait until next Monday, and I can handle the paperwork for you."

With this kind of consignment car, he only earned a brokerage fee and a service fee.

"Alright, thanks for the trouble, Brother Li," Tang Song said with a smile, making an OK gesture.

Since things had reached this point, Guo Peng gave up on his attempt to persuade him. He climbed into the car with Tang Song to experience it for himself, taking some photos to share in the group chat.

He left a message: "Congratulations Xiao Song, about to take home a 2020 Wuling Hongguang S!"

As soon as the message was sent, the other three exploded.

[Li Zhichao: "The interior is freaking beautiful! You must let me test drive it when you drive it to the office, please!"]

[Wang Chaoyang: "@Tang Song, I'm calling you when it's time to move house!"]

...

While the five of them were chatting nonsense in the group, Li Mingjun finally rushed back.

He looked at the car and said somewhat awkwardly, "Regarding the price, the owner can only concede 500 yuan at most, so the final price is 42,500. See if you can accept that? However, both the compulsory and commercial insurance have six months left, so they can be transferred to you together, which will save you some money."

"Not even a thousand off?" Guo Peng frowned. "Jun-zi, talk to her again."

Li Mingjun thought for a moment, looked at Tang Song, and said, "How about waiting a bit longer? The more time passes, the more urgent the owner will be, and the price will definitely be better."

"No need, let's just do it this way." Tang Song didn't want to delay any longer.

Seeing the deal struck, Li Mingjun also breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright then, the owner will come around 1:00 PM. I'll prepare the contract for you first."

Tang Song nodded, his gaze falling back onto the Wuling Hongguang S, unable to look away.

His first car in life—he had finally chosen one he truly liked. Truly worth celebrating.

(End of Chapter)