Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 404: Swapping a Shotgun for a Cannon
"Buy a car?" Tao Yushu was stunned at first, then smiled and said, "Why are you dealing in motorcycles again?"

Seeing that Tao Yushu had misunderstood his meaning, Du Feng quickly said, "Sister, we're not buying a motorcycle, we're buying a four-wheeled car."

"A sedan?" Tao Yushu was surprised. "A sedan is so expensive. Why would you buy that?"

"It's convenient! Riding a motorcycle is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's also very dangerous, so you have to be very careful when riding.

With a car, I don’t have to worry about wind, rain, or cold winters. I can go to work comfortably. How wonderful! ”

Du Feng's words were very good, but Tao Yushu didn't listen at all. He kept shaking his head and said, "No, no, that thing is so expensive. A car costs two or three hundred thousand. How can our family afford such an expensive thing?"

Listening to her words, Lin Chaoyang silently opened the passbook he had just brought back. There was a six-digit deposit starting with "5" in it. Tao Yushu glared at him.

"Sister, it's not expensive. You can buy a car for 40,000 or 50,000 yuan, and you can pick any one for 100,000 yuan." Du Feng said.

"Buy a Fiat?"

In the 1980s and 1990s, cars have always been an unattainable luxury for the Chinese. Except for a few businessmen who have the financial strength to buy cars, the income of the vast majority of ordinary people is not enough to support such high consumption as cars.

But in fact, not all cars are so unaffordable in this era.

For example, the Warsaw that Du Feng assembled himself, and the Fiat imported from the socialist brother countries in Eastern Europe.

Fiat 126P was first introduced into China to make up for the remaining balance in exchange for a batch of machine tools.

After being imported, this car quickly became the standard for the first batch of wealthy people with an annual income of 7000 yuan, because it was sold for only yuan.

Although it is small in size and has a small displacement, it is a sedan after all!

This Fiat can be said to have fully satisfied the dreams of ordinary people to own a private car, and it also became one of the best-selling private cars in the 1980s.

"How much does a Fiat cost? It's a Japanese car. Hainan is full of cars. You can buy a 10L top-of-the-line Crown for 3.0 yuan.

I have two friends who are tinkering with cars, and I plan to get a Crown to drive.

I came here to ask you and my brother-in-law if you need to buy a car. Cars in Hainan are really cheap now! They are dirt cheap!"

When Du Feng finished speaking, a hint of greed flashed in his eyes.

If it weren't for his strict family education, he really wanted to go to Hainan to be a trader.

In January this year, the old man took a trip to the south and decided to open 1 coastal cities.

Hainan has since been opened to the outside world. At present, due to the influence of tariffs, there are many restrictions on the import of foreign cars in China, and the prices are extremely expensive.

Hainan took advantage of this policy and liberalized automobile imports.

Because of policy support, there were no problems in importing cars to Hainan at the beginning. Hainan only imported 2000 cars in the first half of the year.

If Hainan continues on this trend, it will be a good thing that it can both generate income with the support of policies and develop its economy in a steady and solid manner.

As a result, in the second half of the year, the situation suddenly changed and took a turn for the worse.

At a national meeting of directors of industrial and commercial bureaus held in Taiyuan, Shanxi, Hainan’s leaders relayed the opinions of relevant leaders of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce from the meeting:
In order to invigorate the economy and facilitate commodity circulation, mainland agencies, organizations, enterprises and institutions that purchase imported cars in Guangdong and Fujian should be allowed to do so if they are approved by the competent authorities of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government and are truly for production or scientific research needs;
Groups or individuals who purchase imported cars for their own use in Guangdong and Fujian with certificates from district or county authorities should be allowed to pass.

Before this meeting, according to regulations, cars imported into Hainan could only be sold and operated locally in Hainan. After this meeting, cars imported into Hainan can be sold off the island, which is of course great news for Hainan.

In July, the month after the meeting, the Hainan District Government approved the import of 7 vehicles into Hainan Port, which was six times the total import volume in the first half of 1.3.

At that time, the cars imported into Hainan were mainly Toyota from Japan, which had to be ordered through Hong Kong and transported to Hong Kong.

The FOB price of a 12-seat Toyota Coaster is only four to five thousand US dollars, a Crown is less than six thousand US dollars, and the top configuration is less than ten thousand US dollars.

After these cars are imported into Hainan, even after paying tariffs, there is still a 100% or even 200% profit.

The policy has been relaxed and the profits are still so high, even Liuxia Hui would not be able to resist such temptation!

Therefore, in the second half of 84, Hainan entered a crazy car import mode, with tens of thousands of cars entering the port every month. Government agencies, groups, enterprises and institutions from all over the country also heard the news and went to Hainan to buy cars.

After all, if you buy a car from a local car trading company at this time, the price difference is not just a little bit, but one or two times.

Even the government has to go to Hainan Island to buy cars, not to mention those middlemen who want to take advantage of loopholes to make money.

Tao Yushu rarely cared about things like cars, and she felt a little frightened when she heard Du Feng's description.

"If you do this, something bad will happen sooner or later, right?"

"Of course. This is a policy flaw, but by the time the higher-ups realize it, they've already made all the money."

Du Feng replied to Tao Yushu and asked, "How about it? Sister, why don't you buy one too while it's cheap. Who knows, the higher-ups might close this loophole someday, and then you'll have to spend two or three hundred thousand to buy a car."

Tao Yushu hesitated when she heard this. She was not the kind of person who had high demands on material life and pursued an extremely comfortable life. She rode a motorcycle only because it was fast and efficient.

"Chaoyang, what do you think?"

"I'll listen to you." Lin Chaoyang said nonchalantly.

Tao Yushu pressed him, "Don't you always say that nothing serious happened at home? This time something serious has happened, and you have to make the decision."

On weekdays, Lin Chaoyang often joked that Tao Yushu was in charge of small matters at home, while he was in charge of big matters. Unfortunately, nothing big had ever happened at home.

Du Feng couldn't help but chuckle when listening to the conversation between the couple, but for the sake of his brother-in-law's face, he held back his laughter.

Lin Chaoyang glanced at Du Feng and saw that his expression became more serious. Only then did Lin Chaoyang feel satisfied.

"It would be nice to buy a car. It would be more convenient for me to go out in the future."

Du Feng said: "Yes! Brother-in-law, just think about it, driving a Toyota Crown on the road, how impressive it is!"

If it were in Europe and the United States, the Crown would at best be considered a family car with a relatively high cost-effectiveness.

But in today's China, the number of cars owned is very small, and ordinary people have seen luxury cars. The Crown, which has all the configurations you want and is good-looking, is definitely the representative of luxury cars.

"What's the use of being so grand? A car is just a means of transportation!" said Tao Yushu.

Du Feng retorted: "Sister, you don't understand if you don't do business. This thing represents strength. Can it be the same if I come to talk business with you on a bicycle or drive a car to talk business with you?" "A car is just a kind of strength. The real strength should be demonstrated in your career. This is the right way."

"Okay, okay!" Lin Chaoyang interrupted the argument between the siblings and asked Du Feng: "What cars are there over there?"

“Toyota.”

"Toyota?"

Du Feng explained: "Brother-in-law, the Japanese auto industry is now competing with European and American countries, and their main selling point is high quality and low price. Hainan also wants to make more money, but importing an American or European car will not make as much as a Japanese car."

Lin Chaoyang nodded slightly. Personal feelings are personal feelings, but we have to admit that other people’s things have their merits.

"Then buy a Crown."

Du Feng clapped his hands and said excitedly: "Great minds think alike! Brother-in-law, we think alike."

Lin Chaoyang joked: "Okay, it seems you have made a lot of money this year."

Du Feng smiled modestly, "All the money was invested in the video hall. How can I have any money left? This little money is only enough to buy a 2.0L car."

He asked again, "Brother-in-law, Crown now has many models with different configurations. Which one do you want?"

"The 3.0L you just mentioned, is it the top model?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go for that one. If you want to buy one, buy a good one."

Du Feng gave a thumbs up, "Brother-in-law, you are really capable!"

Lin Chaoyang scolded him with a smile, and Du Feng said with a smile: "Let's buy two cars at once, and I'll ask them to give us a discount. I'll go to Hainan in two days, and then I'll drive the cars back to you."

"Okay, I'll leave this to you."

After Du Feng left, Tao Yushu still couldn't believe it, "Are we going to buy a car now?"

Lin Chaoyang looked at her and probably understood her mentality. They felt sad when they bought a bicycle a few years ago.

Things are changing so fast in this era that we are always caught off guard.

"Reform means that life will always be better than before, otherwise what's the point of reform?"

More than a week later, Du Feng drove two Toyota Crowns all the way from Hainan to Yanjing, and also thoughtfully helped Lin Chaoyang complete the formalities.

The policy for individuals to purchase private cars was only opened this year, and it has become much easier for ordinary people to go through the procedures for buying a car than before.

That morning, a white Crown stopped in front of Lin Chaoyang's house.

Du Feng got out of the car, closed the door neatly, and did not forget to gently press the car key and lock the door. His posture was indescribably cool and high-spirited.

He entered the yard and called Lin Chaoyang to come out and check the car, but he didn't expect that six or seven people swarmed out of the house.

Hearing that Du Feng was coming to deliver a car today, the siblings Tao Yucheng and Tao Yumo skipped classes and came to watch the fun. Also coming were Lin Erchun and his wife.

Everyone followed Du Feng to the gate of the courtyard, and saw a Crown parked there. It had a square outline, clear edges and corners, and a shiny paint that sparkled in the sun, revealing an extraordinary style.

If not compared with BBA of the same period, the appearance of the Crown is indeed very eye-catching. As soon as it stopped at the door of Lin Chaoyang's house, it attracted the attention of many neighbors. At this moment, the car was surrounded by neighbors who came to watch the fun.

Du Feng handed the car keys to Lin Chaoyang, "Brother-in-law, get in the car and take a look. Your car is much better than my low-end one. I regret not trying harder to get a high-end one."

Lin Chaoyang got into the car. Compared with most cars of this era, the interior of the Crown was much more refined, just like the domestic new energy vehicles compared with joint venture cars after 2020.

The design style of the interior is as angular as the exterior of the car. Except for the steering wheel which has a slight curve, other places are straight, full of a sense of technology and luxury.

As for the configuration, this Crown has the most complete configuration, which not all cars have even 40 years later.

3.0L V6 engine, ABS anti-lock braking system, four-wheel independent suspension, TEMS electronic control suspension system, cruise control, independent air conditioning, refrigerator, automatic headlights, electric rearview mirrors, steering wheel and seat memory function...

Du Feng introduced the car with saliva flying all over the place, just like a car dealer.

At the end, he still touched the velvet seat with shining eyes, muttering: "If I had a little more money, I would at least get a top-of-the-line car. Compared with yours, my car is almost as cheap as a beggar's."

The car Du Feng bought was also a Crown after all, but its configuration was not as rich as the one Lin Chaoyang bought.

After Lin Chaoyang finished watching, his family members took turns getting in the car to experience it. The old couple Lin Erchun sat in the car and touched and touched it, marveling at it.

When it was my brother-in-law's turn to get in the car, he couldn't wait to sit in the driver's seat.

Men, just like they have no resistance to cars, are attracted by beautiful women.

Tao Yumo sat next to him and looked at him with some disdain, "Brother, please control yourself. Your drool is almost flowing onto the steering wheel."

Tao Yucheng subconsciously wiped the corner of his mouth and glared at his sister, but he didn't have time to teach this girl a lesson at the moment. The crown in front of him had attracted all his attention.

"This car is great, great!" Tao Yucheng said with admiration.

Tao Yumo teased, "Try hard and you'll buy one in a few years."

Listening to his sister's words, he looked sad, "Such a nice car, I can't afford it even if I earn my whole life!"

"Isn't the video parlor you and my sister-in-law run making a lot of money?"

Tao Yucheng became even more frustrated when he heard this. "I work for your brother. Besides, your sister-in-law is in charge of all the money. Why buy a car?"

Tao Yumo felt no sympathy when he heard this, but instead gloated over the other's misfortune.

"Don't be so ungrateful. The capital was provided by others, and it was my sister-in-law who worked hard. You make money by lying down, and you are not happy!"

Tao Yucheng was speechless because of his sister. He opened his mouth to refute, but Tao Yumo didn't give him a chance and rolled down the window to ask Du Feng.

"Brother, how much did my brother-in-law spend on this car?"

(End of this chapter)