1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 133 A rare old guy!
Ronan was afraid that the Marseille salesperson would complicate things because of his skin color and Parisian accent, so he spoke to her in the Luberon dialect:
"I can't understand what you city people are thinking. The car was not invented to attract the shock of strangers and the envy of neighbors. It is just a metal box with wheels. Its function is to transport things from one place to another. Is there any special benefit in buying a new one?"

Thanks to Mr. Nelson, a car salesman working in Apte, who gave Ronan such a great line.

With his characteristic shrugging and spreading hands, Ronan looked like a genuine Provencal from a small mountain village.

The salesman made an exaggerated facial expression, as if he had discovered the most interesting thing in the world:

"You seem to know a lot about cars."

Ronan curled his lips and said in a trivial tone:

"My last car emitted thicker black smoke than a tractor when it was started, but I still managed it."

Thanks to my good brother Louis, who provided Ronan with excellent materials.

The salesman looked at the Citroen Dyane that Ronan was driving and asked doubtfully:
"Is that it?"

Ronan crossed his arms and shook his head:
"Not this one, this one just had a transmission break once, wouldn't go into gear, I was driving too fast and ripped a part off, but I fixed it the next day, but it was so dirty, my wife wouldn't even help me, it was awful."

Thanks to the Maasai people, they helped Ronan find another 'unique' way of speaking.

The salesman's eyes lingered on Ronan's face for a long time before he reluctantly forced a smile:
"Then go to the other side and take a look. I believe that with your ability, you can definitely handle a used car."

To be honest, there was nothing wrong with this salesman except that he tried to 'blackmail' Ronan.

She knew how to carefully inquire about the car's usage scenarios and the people who drive it, and thoughtfully reminded that future "recruitment" plans should also be taken into consideration, and even asked about the customer's personality traits.

"Do you want to buy a vehicle that is primarily practical, or one that has some 'ornamental' value?"

"Practical." Ronan replied affirmatively, "Practicality and affordability are the main considerations."

This car is mainly used by my parents when traveling. They are already old, so what do they need for "ornamental value"?

The salesman nodded and took Ronan to a small vehicle:
"Then take a look at this Citroen 2cv, it's both practical and affordable."

The 2cv is a classic French car produced by the Citroën factory. It was first released at the 1948 Paris Motor Show. Its production period lasted from 1948 to 1990, a total of 42 years, with a cumulative production volume of more than 5 million units.

It is a veritable French national car. It is cheap and durable, easy to drive and maintain, can run on bad roads, and has a fuel consumption of no more than 5 liters per kilometers. It is the choice of countless ordinary French families.

"This car is in good condition. It was manufactured in 1981 and has only been driven less than 10 kilometers," the salesperson continued.

Ronan looked around the 2cv. It was nice, but his father didn't like this plain little car. He liked the Cherokee.

"Do you have a jeep?" Ronan asked her, "something more affordable."

The salesperson thought about it and took Ronan in another direction:

"There are a lot of jeeps, but not many 'affordable' ones. There is one that is quite 'affordable', but——"

She didn't finish, but said in a complicated tone:

"Let me take you there first."

The salesman took Ronan away from the "football field" and came to an area similar to "scrapped cars". It was surrounded by weeds and no one had been here for a long time.

It is no exaggeration to say that the classic cars in the Luberon Mountains can be described as "vigorous" in front of the few cars parked here.

The salesman led Ronan to an army green jeep:
"If you can repair a car yourself, you can consider this one. It is a military vehicle from World War II, manufactured in 1938, and is in very good condition, with only a few thousand kilometers."

"The condition of this car is really 'good'," said Ronan, looking at the thick fallen leaves and rusty body of the military jeep.

It really does look pretty cool.

But it's too 'old'.
And are you sure it still works?
The salesperson heard Ronan's 'hidden meaning' and smiled politely:
“But it’s very affordable. You won’t find a more affordable Jeep in Marseille.”

Ronan said awkwardly:

"Are there any slightly 'new' ones? Those manufactured in the 60s or 70s are also fine."

The price of Lucas's 1984 Grand Cherokee in the used car market is astronomical. If Ronan also wants to buy a Jeep, he can only consider models from the 70s or 60s.

The salesman looked thoughtful and thought for a while before speaking:
"Yes, there are, but most of them are not affordable. There is only one car on sale right now, a 1961 model."

The Marseille salesman, who was good at observing people's expressions, was absolutely sure that he would not be able to make any money from this customer today.

He is a pauper!

"1961?" Ronan frowned slightly. He was also an old man, but he still planned to go and take a look. "Take me to see it, thank you."

The salesperson reminded:
"But this car doesn't meet your requirements. It's not a jeep, nor is it a practical model." Ronan didn't hold out much hope, but he was really shocked when he saw the guy in front of him.

There is such a rare car model here?

He suppressed his excitement and listened carefully to the salesperson's explanation:

"This is a Citroen DS1961 produced in 19, but it is not the 4-door regular version or the 5-door travel version that everyone likes, but the 1-door convertible version. It has been here for more than a year, and we decided to sell it at a discount."

The Citroën DS series is definitely a classic of French cars. When it was first unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 1955, it received 15 orders within 743 minutes, and on the day of its debut, it received a total of 12000 orders.

Before this series came out, no one could have imagined that a car could have a streamlined design.

DS also saved the lives of former French President Charles de Gaulle and his wife Yvonne.

During an assassination attempt on Charles de Gaulle by a secret organization, they blew up all four tires of Charles de Gaulle's car, the Citroën DS. Despite this, due to the superior performance of the car's suspension, the driver was able to accelerate out of the front wheel skid and drive away safely. Charles de Gaulle and Yvonne were not injured.

In French, "DS" is pronounced "Deesse," which means goddess.

From 1955 to 1975, Citroën sold a total of 1455746 DS models, which shows how popular the goddess is.

However, in 1976, the DS was replaced by the smaller Citroën CX model, and a generation of classics officially withdrew from the stage of history.

DS系列一共发布过DS19、21、23三款车型，三款车型中的数字，代表了它们搭载的发动机排量分别为1.9L、2.1L和2.3L。

Among them, the third-generation D1967 released in 23 is undoubtedly the most mature one in terms of technology and design, and is also the most popular among current second-hand car owners.

But DS19 has an advantage that no other version has. It has released a soft-top convertible, two-door, four-seater version, which is the one in front of Ronan.

"This car looks pretty cool when you drive it, and it's not a jeep." The salesman looked at Ronan, "But it's affordable enough. Are you interested?"

Ronan is so interested in it!

The DS series represents the best aesthetics and top technology in France at that time. The first-generation model DS19 is a favorite model of countless car collectors in the future, especially the convertible version with extremely small production, which was sold at a terrifying price.

Ronan remembered reading a report before his rebirth that in 2023 a French car dealer took its DS19 convertible version to the United States for auction, with an estimated value of around US$22.

The DS was not considered an expensive car in that era. The final version of the DS23 was priced at around 1973 francs when it was new in 27000.

In 1986, this now-discontinued model wasn't a 'retro car'; it was simply a product of its time.

Moreover, the car looks very good after the modification. Ronan thought that he might consider buying this old guy back and letting it have a "second spring" in Luberon.

"How much is it?" Ronan tried his best to keep his tone calm.

But Ronan's vigilance was completely unnecessary. This old guy was born in 1961 and was already 25 years old. There were only a handful of people willing to buy it home to live in in their old age.

"4000 francs," the salesman said with a smile.

4000 francs sounds cheap, but it must have all kinds of problems, big and small. Ronan believes that the cost of repairing and modifying the car may be several times the purchase price.

The Marseilles have the ability to read people's expressions that the Luberon residents don't have. The salesperson saw Ronan's hesitation and struggle:
“It’s not as practical as a 2CV, but it can carry a family; it’s not as imposing as a jeep, but it’s convertible.”

Ronan shrugged.

“But it’s also old.”

The salesperson said playfully:

"Age has its own charm. Do you want me to take you for a ride in it?"

"It can still open now?" Ronan was a little surprised.

Ronan was extremely fortunate that he had chosen a sufficiently professional car factory and the cars were well maintained.

The 25-year-old car had no major problems except for holes in the seats, a damaged radio, fixed dashboard needles, a loose gear lever, a steering wheel that was tilted to the left, and a weak horn. Of course, this could only be confirmed after he drove the car back to Lourmarin and had Pires do a further inspection.

The biggest reason that pushed Ronan to make up his mind to buy it was that the salesperson took the initiative to lower the price while taking him for a ride.

3000 francs, which also includes all subsequent handling fees.

The Maasai are indeed 'cunning', but they are more interested in making money.

It’s better to earn less than no money, right?
Ronan can't wait to drive this DS19 away for modification!
The salesperson sent Ronan away and happily described the successful sales experience to his colleagues:

"That customer wanted to buy a practical jeep, but under my guidance, he actually bought a convertible! And he is also an automotive expert. I am such a genius!"

(End of this chapter)