Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Strong Folk Customs in Texas

In the US, you have to pay taxes when you buy a car.

Take Texas as an example: there is a state tax of 6.25%, a city/area tax of 4.85%, and a county/county tax of 0.9%, for a total sales tax of 12%.

Plus a title fee (certificate of ownership) of about $10 and registration and licensing fees of about $75.

Before registering, you must also take an emissions test, which costs $25.

The latest 2000 Ford F350 has a maximum bonus of $96,300. That is, in Texas, buying a Ford F350 with the most advanced configuration, tax plus various costs costs about 108 thousand US dollars.

108,000 US dollars, according to the 2000 exchange rate, this is about 900,000 RMB.

At this price, even in the US, this is still a relatively expensive car.

Excluding used cars, the best-selling cars in America are actually economical models.

That is, prices are typically between 30,000 and 40,000, with a ceiling of $50,000. In the United States, the Ford F-series sells cars at this price point very well.

The F150 priced around $50,000 has always been the new car sales champion at this price point.

Two F350s for under $220,000.

It is different from domestic products.

All new national registration plates of cars must be submitted to the local traffic authority.

And pay fees and taxes. After completing the formalities, it takes one week to half a month to get the official license.

Before the official license plate arrives, you will be given a temporary license plate.

It hasn't been so long in the United States. As long as the procedures are completed, the cards can be placed on the same day. The reason is that in the US there are larger car dealerships and even used car dealerships.

These merchants can give you the card themselves.

After having a license, they will go to the local government to introduce and register.

That is, get the card first and then do the procedures.

So once payment was made, both F350s were registered on the same day. V-type diesel engine, 8 cylinders, 10.2 liter capacity, 6-speed automatic transmission, 6 meters long, 2 meters wide and 2 meters high.

These are two giant gasoline tigers, fuel consumption per 100 km is estimated to be more than 20 liters, or even more.

Luckily, Texas is one of the most famous oil producing regions in the United States and also one of the cheapest places to live on federal land.

In 2000, a gallon of gas cost $1.90 in most of Texas.

1 US gallon is about 3.78 liters. Currently, $1.90 in Texas buys 3.78 liters of gasoline.

Diesel is cheaper, under $1.60, or $1.55 per gallon, to be exact.

This is one of the reasons why Texans especially like diesel vehicles and big-engine pickup trucks.

Compared to New York and Los Angeles, fuel prices here are almost half.

After getting the vehicle certificate and refueling 2 brand new F350s. It was about two thirty in the afternoon.

Abel directly gave Edward the address of his farm and Edward, a local, knew the place.

So let him lead the way and show the way.

After driving on the avenue for about ten minutes, I started following the trail.

Currently there are no wide and good roads to travel on. There are only a few small roads, even some unpaved roads.

In addition to several interstate highways, there are several major arterial roads in the state.

In other areas of Texas, road conditions are poor.

This is why Texans love pickup trucks and SUVs.

With this road condition, the risk of the car breaking down is obviously much higher than these two cars.

It was a bit bumpy, but before 3:30 p.m., two F350s entered the Smith Farm area. That said, because the Smith surname is very common.

If you look it up on a map of the United States, there are not thousands of farms with this name across the Union, but at least a few hundred.

There are probably dozens, if not hundreds, of farms by this name in Texas.

Luckily, Abel's Smith Farm is the largest Smith Farm in Tarrant County.

Alexander Smith is quite famous in the area, which is why this farm is also known locally as "First Smith". Bodyguard and driver Edward, a local, may know the address of this farm.

Otherwise, a stranger came into Tarrant County and said he was going to the Smith Farm.

The person may then be taken to one of the many Smith farms in Tarrant County.

After driving for another ten minutes, Abel sat in the passenger cabin seeing his house through the windshield.

It was built in the desert, on green meadows. The entire building is red, because the main construction material is red brick, and it matches a beautiful building complex with white wooden roofs.

The reason for using the measurement word "one piece" is because behind the house is the farm's working place.

A large building that includes warehouses, workshops, machine repair shops, farmer's dormitories, garages, kennels, stables, sheep pens, etc.

all built together, looks like a small village.

The appearance of two beautiful and strange Ford f350s also aroused the attention and vigilance of the people here. Besides Abel's parents, there are about 50 full-time farmers working here.

Among these professional farmers, there are more than 20 people who live most of the time on the farm.

Others travel by car.

About 500 meters from my house, in front of the left side of the house there are two people on horseback, followed by a dozen dogs.

"Slow down." Abel said. Both F350s immediately slowed down.

For a distance of 500 meters, ride a horse and you will arrive in no time.

"Hey! Dude, this is private property. No trespassing without permission. Do you have an appointment?"

The two riders were both dressed as cowboys.

Both carried rifles on their backs and pistols tucked into their plump belts. The frontman was about 40 years old, wearing a cowboy hat and denim outfit popular in Texas, shouting loudly from more than 30 meters away.

A young man behind him pulled a long rifle behind his back, but he didn't aim, just held it in his hand.

Everyone has guns, the scenery is still Texas.

It's normal.

America has castle laws and Texas has tough folk style. Edward, the local bodyguard and driver, knows what to do in this situation.

So he turned to his boss sitting next to the passenger seat.

Abel nodded, then opened the car window and held out his empty hand.

He is a driver in Texas when he is in the wilderness or in unfamiliar territory.

When I met a man on horseback with a gun, he signaled to me that I was unarmed and had no gun. 伱You also don't shoot indiscriminately.

A few seconds later, he stuck his head out and shouted to two cowboys who stopped about 20 meters away from them:

"Hey little John, calm down, it's me, I'm home."

Hearing his voice and seeing his appearance, the two cowboys on horseback were stunned.

Then, the cowboy named Little John smiled brightly.

"Oh, Abel is back. Oh, you're finally back. Alexander and Emily have been talking about it all day and you're finally ready to go back! Hahahaha~"

Laughing loudly, the cowboy just now cautiously said to another young cowboy next to him:

"Go tell our boss. Their son is back."

The latter should ride with most of the dogs and gallop away.

Little Jean had a happy smile on her lips and walked towards Abel's car window.

"Oh, F350? Latest model? What a beautiful car!"

After coming over, this guy's first reaction was not to say hello, but to observe two brand new F350s.

(end of this chapter)