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I’ve had many many self proclaimed wannabe entrepreneurs approaching me with “compelling” iPhone app ideas, and oh, it’s top secret – before they breathe a single word about it I’ll have to sign a 3,112 page NDA so in an event that somebody else has the same idea I can be brought to court and made to compensate billions.

What is it with iPhone apps, really? Even SMRT released an app and had a press release for it. For what? Can’t they just post disruptions on Twitter and Facebook – which I think they already do? Why build an app? They think my grandmother has an iPhone? An app is not the solution. A proper announcement system and staff training is.

The phone and mobile apps are just technologies and delivery mediums. Building a product around a technology is a wrong start. Technology should be built around a product instead. A lot of “app” pitches I’ve heard have no real value. Technology alone does not sell a single cent. It must solve a real world problem. Would you buy an app because it could, for example, switch on your microwave at home? Has remotely switching on a microwave been a need for housewives?

If you’re reading this and thinking of building an app, please look at the product as a whole. If it’s just another one of those apps, I think you may be better off spending your time and money (app developers charge a really crazy sum BTW, just because it’s HOT) building a real product with a HTML5 site that will truly scale when the need arises… at a fraction of the price. If you are a business owner, don’t derail your core business by focusing on apps and whatever technology trend that comes along.

Sometimes no technology is the best technology.

OK, I read this article and felt I had to put in a few words of my own as it was not accurately represented.

Before I move on, those who are not familiar with the basic taxation structure for cars in Singapore should read my earlier blog post.

If you have understood the taxation structure in Singapore (I know, it’s a lot to swallow) you would realize that the author of the above article failed to take into account the PARF rebate at the end of 10 years. The author also picked a car that’s way overpriced in the current market.

Here’s the facts. A savvy car buyer would have looked at all available options. And to pick a Toyota Altis at the price of $105,988… are you out of your mind?

Let’s take a Volkswagen Jetta. List price $115,800. Called VW, they have a $6,000 discount. So that brings the list price down to $109,800.

The OMV of this car is $18,500, so that gives us a $9,250 PARF rebate (50% of OMV). The straight-line depreciation of the car over 10 years is hence $109,800 – $9,250 = $100,550.

Now, that’s just the car. All taxes inclusive – GST, etc. are already priced into the list price.

Next, the loan. Assuming if you’re buying a ~$100k+ car, you should must have some cash for downpayment. A wise tip here – at least downpay the PARF rebate and don’t take a full 10 year loan or you will be in serious debt in an event you need to sell your car. If you don’t even have cash for downpayment – sorry to say but Taxi is your friend for now.

So let’s say we take a 1.88% (compounded) loan over 8 years for the sum of $100,550, the interest works out to be ($100,550 x 1.88%) x 8 years = ~$15,123.

Adding that to the original sum of the car you have $100,550 + $15,123 = $115,673. The monthly repayment would be $115,673 / 8 years / 12 months = ~$1,205.

The rest is pretty straightforward… let’s use a table to add ‘em up. Here’s the true month-to-month affordability of a VW Jetta 1.4 TSI as of Jan 2012. Note some variables like insurance, parking and ERP really depends on each individual’s profession and usage of the car.

Now, that’s $2,080 for a VW Jetta. So by wise financial guidelines that you should not spend more than a third of your salary on a car, you (or your family) should take home at least $6,000 to buy a car like that…

What if you (or your family) only take home $4,000 a month? Under $1,500 a month for a car… is it achievable? Answer is… YES! Pick up a 2005 Nissan Sunny for $23,800. Bargin a little bit and bring it down to maybe $23,000… and here’s the calculations.

Actual car depreciation (2005 cars retain 55% of OMV) = $23,000 – ($13,000 x 55%) = $23,000 – $7,150 = $15,850.

Loan = $15,850 over 3 years @ 1.88%: $15,850 (principal) + $893.94 (interest) = ~$16,744. This works out to ~$465 per month.

I know what some of you may be thinking – it’s just $600 more a month, why not get the Jetta. Well, $600 can kill you – that’s $7,200 a year. I eat about $600 per month on average so it really makes a lot of difference. I can either eat plain bread or have good meals or I can save that and go for a crazy vacation. It’s all about balance.

Of course on top of just plain numbers, the value of having the convenience of a car is hard to quantify – especially if you have a pregnant wife, or an old folk, or just simply need to haul that big box from Ikea.

Public busses and trains aren’t fair comparisons as they are mass public transit and may not bring you to your doorstep. Taxis on the other hand are getting relatively expensive and inconvenient – the queue, the wait, etc.

So if it doesn’t break your bank – for better quality of life you should consider a car.

At the end of the day… buy wisely, drive safely. Cheers!

- Justin

As predicted, it’s happening. Used car prices are coming down. It may be partially due to the fear of an impending economic crisis but I believe the problem is more micro than that.

I’ve been watching the market for a while and there are many cars sitting at the stealer(dealer)ship for months. A lot of people are selling their cars either because they want to make a quick buck or because they got an impressive overtrade for a new VW or BMW. Whatever the case is, the used vehicle population is only growing.

Right now there’s 22,283 used passenger cars on the market in sgCarMart. There’s currently about 600,000 passenger cars on the road and that makes up nearly 4% of the car population. Based on COE current quota allocations, this is about a years’ supply of vehicle for the entire nation. If the average vehicle depreciates about $7,000, the entire used car market stands to lose a total of $13m every month.

Let’s check back in 1-2 months and see how this vehicle population has changed.

I saw this discussion and couldn’t help but write a short blog entry on this.

If you’re ever buying a used car, you need to set your expectations right. Ask yourself – why did the car get so much cheaper after the first owner and even more so after its first three years? That’s because the warranty’s over and the first owner has farted all over it.

Here’s some quick tips for the potential used car buyers.

• Buying a used car is not like buying a new car. Don’t bother negotiating for freebies and warranty. True warranty for used cars hardly exists. Negotiate for price, save the extra cash for repairs, and most importantly – do your homework. Don’t stop at one shop.
• STA is only good for chassis inspection, i.e. if it has been in any major accidents that has compromised the main structural strength. If you get A or B grade, then the car is in good shape. Never accept anything with a C and below.
• Don’t trust the mileage – even on high end continental cars this is reprogrammable for a fee. Afterall, it’s just a damn computer! Look for obvious signs of wear in other areas like steering wheel, seat belts and gear knobs. These are usually costly to replace and dealers don’t replace them.
• Don’t look at superficial stuff. Dull paintwork can be fixed with a polishing job. Poor upholstery can be re-wrapped. That stench in the car is easily fixed if you just get the upholstery  and carpets removed and washed.
• During the test drive make sure you test everything. Request for a longer route so the engine warms up. Shift through all the gears including reverse and look out for rough shifts. Turn off the air-con and radio to listen for noises. Turn the steering left and right and check for noises or free play. Let the steering go free on a straight road to see if the wheels are tracking straight. Go over humps and see if the suspension has gone bad. Get on the brakes at both low and high speeds and look out for vibrations that may indicate a warped brake discs. Accelerate suddenly then let the throttle off and see if the engine stalls. Don’t turn off the engine after a test drive – pop the bonnet and listen to the engine run at idle. Look for oil or coolant leaks under the car.
• Be prepared to have it serviced and repaired the moment you buy it. Cars are mechanical and there will certainly be  wear and tear. Do you think the previous owner bothered to service the car when they know they’re about to sell them? Have timing belts changed, oil and other fluids changed for a peace of mind.
• Do your research. I can’t emphasize more on this. If you are intent on buying a specific model of car please join the various car forums and learn about the common issues of the car and look out for them.
• Do your math. Don’t buy something that burdens you. Make sure you are able to finance it and sell it without having to cough up more cash. Usually this means taking a shorter loan term and paying a decent down payment in the region of $10,000 or about half the OMV.

Once you’ve made the purchase, the most important thing is to enjoy the ride and just fix the problems that come. Take it as a learning experience and I believe you will be happy with your second hand motor for few good years ahead.

The first round of November 2011 COE hit a 17-year high of $78,001. Believe me – what goes up, must come down.

My analogy is that COE prices will continue to rise to such a level that many people will stop buying new cars. At this point the 2nd hand market would have also been flooded with those trading-in/making a quick buck selling their cars.

People looking for a bread and butter car will be buying used cars but there will be a point when the market gets flooded with overinflated used cars because the used cars dealers will continue to raise their prices in tandem with the rising COE prices. Used cars will become illogical to purchase at those prices given the amount of risk(s) involved, such as accidents and mechanical issues.

Used car dealers will eventually be stuck with excess stock and there will be price war. A few used car dealers may even wind down due to inability to pay the financing for the cars in their showroom (they are usually on loan). Some people who lost money in the recent downward spiral of the stock market would also be forced to sell or auction their cars for cheap.

When all these happens the prices of used cars will start to come down. People will then again flock to the used cars. But there isn’t enough new car buyers to trade in their old cars. New car dealers will be in trouble when this happens and down comes the price of COE.

Don’t buy a car now if you can wait another year… trust me.

Ever since my two test drive posts I’ve had a few friends contact me about buying a car. I think it’s best that I share it on a blog post so it benefits many others who are considering to buy a car in Singapore.

Disclaimer: Buying a car in Singapore is mainly a lifestyle decision, and also a big financial decision. There’s never a right or wrong time to buy a car. If you need one, just go for it, but make sure you do your finances right.

Singapore’s Vehicle Tax Structure

The tax structure in Singapore makes car buying/financing a pretty complicated process.

The first thing to know is what makes up a vehicle’s price in Singapore:

+--------------------------------+
| OMV | ARF | COE | Profit | GST |= Total price of car
+--------------------------------+

GST, or Goods and Services Tax is a tax on the purchase value of goods or services in Singapore. I think this one is the easiest to understand. Right now this amount is at 7% of sale price.

OMV, or Open Market Value is the declared value of the car. One can consider this the cost of the dealer importing the car.

ARF, or Additional Registration Fee is a form of import tax. As of March 2008, the ARF is 100% of OMV. Prior to that it was 110%.

COE, or Certificate of Entitlement is also a form of tax that grants the owner a right to use the vehicle for a period of 10 years. COE prices are controlled by market forces based on supply and demand and is broken into several categories based on vehicle type and engine capacity. The amount paid is known as a Quota Premium (“QP”).

As of now, Cat A QP (cars 1600cc and below) is somewhere near $47,000. I think most of the readers know this.

Of course, finally there’s the profit and other miscellaneous costs such as registration fees which are pretty negligible in ratio to the final selling price of a vehicle in Singapore.

Now, it is important that one understands the tax structure first before moving on to the next part.

Singapore’s Vehicle Renewal Scheme

Ever wondered why most vehicles in Singapore are new and shiny? That’s because of how the Singapore government encourages renewal of cars by offering tax refunds when one deregisters a car!

This is when you see terms like PARF (Preferential ARF?) rebate. Basically this is a tax refund scheme that reduces in value over a period of 10 years. For the 1st to 4th year, the government grants a 75% refund of the ARF if a car is deregistered. Every subsequent year thereafter, this amount drops by 5%.
Once the car reaches its 10th year, no refund (0%) is given.

1st to 4th year, before reaching 5th year = 75%
5th year, before reaching 6th year = 70%
6th year, before reaching 7th year = 65%
7th year, before reaching 8th year = 60%
8th year, before reaching 9th year = 55%
9th year, before reaching 10th year = 50%
10th year and beyond = 0%

The same goes for COE refunds, but in a linear fashion. COE refunds reduce on a daily basis, so as each day passes, the refund amount reduces in a straight line until the end of 10 years where it will be 0%.

Having understood the tax refund (aka “rebate”) structure, we now come to a term that car dealers like to use to confuse you – paper value.

The oh-so-familiar term “paper value” basically refers to the amount of refundable tax on a car. In other words, it is an amount of money the dealer will certainly get from the government when deregistering the car.

What they do NOT tell you is that your car still has a worth. Look at this chart again:

+--------------------------------+
| OMV | ARF | COE | Profit | GST |= Total price of car
+--------------------------------+

Paper value is a refund of ARF (tax) + COE (tax). What happened to the OMV, or more appropriately, the worth of the car? Ah-ha! They have suckered you into trading in your car for a low “paper value”, and then exported your shiny new car to another country for resale at a pretty decent profit!

Remember, our country is small. Our annual car mileages are relatively low and Singapore cars are well taken care of. A lot of countries favour cars exported from Singapore. Don’t let the dealers bullshit you into believing otherwise.

Understanding Depreciation

So what is depreciation? It is basically the financial costs of a car after tax refunds, over a period of utilization.

Remember the tax refund scheme? You could still get a 50% ARF refund at the 9th year just a few days before the car reaches exactly 10 years of age. This amount is known as the minimum PARF benefit.

Therefore assuming one drives the car for the whole 10 years, the annual cost of financing a car is [(Purchase Price - Minimum PARF benefit)/10 years]. This is known as the annual depreciation.

Why is Depreciation Important?

Depreciation is fundamental to knowing the long-term affordability of almost anything, especially physical goods. Your house, your car, your computer, etc. Everything has a lifespan.

By understanding depreciation, you will also be able to better know if your financial decision is sound and if you are able to cut loss in a dire situation, which brings me to my next section.

Financing a Car and Overtrades

Many people make a financial decision to buy a car only asking one thing: “How much do I pay each month?”

This was my biggest mistake when I bought my first new car; I hope it won’t be yours.

The monthly cost is just part of the affordability equation. The next part of the question is: “If I need to sell my car, will I have any outstanding loans?”

You must be thinking now, “what do you mean ‘outstanding loans’?”

Don’t forget – you took a loan. Assuming you didn’t pay a single cent initially as downpayment, the bank charges you lots of interest for that. Now that you’re selling your car, are you able to pay off the total amount you owe the bank (called the settlement amount) from the proceeds of your car sale?

This is quite hard to understand now, so I’ll use an example.

Let’s just say I bought a car for $100,000. Round figures are easy to work with.

I took a 10 year loan. The loan interest rate is now 1.88%.

Interest: $100,000 * 1.88% * 10 years = $18,800
Total: $100,000 + $18,800 = $118,800
Monthly: $118,800 / (10 years * 12 months) = $990

So I owe the bank $18,800 in interests even before I drove the car!

Now, assuming I drove the car for 3 years and I decided to sell it. I still owe the bank the following according to the Rule of 72:

Amount Paid: $990 * 3 years * 12 months = $35,640
Balance: $118,800 – $35,640 = $83,160
Rule of 72 rebate: Complex formula, etc. = $9,245
20% Penalty: $9,245 * 20% = $1,849
Settlement: $83,160 – $9,245 + $1,849 = $75,764

The real truth is that after 3 years my car would probably sell for only $65,000, So I still need to “top up” $10,764. As the car ages, this value might get lesser.

At one point, you may be able to sell your car for as much as the settlement amount. Some people call this breaking even, i.e. you owe the bank as much as you sold the car for.

A lot of people kill themselves here because they took way too much loan. When time comes that they desperately need to sell the car to relief themselves of a monthly burden, they are stuck in a situation where they are not able to pay off the outstanding loan.

As an end result, most people sell their cars and buy yet another car – likely a cheaper and older car and bundle this outstanding loan into a new loan. This is called overtrade. Overtrades are the worst thing you can do – to take a loan on top of a loan. Don’t ever do that!

Are loans that bad? Should I take a loan?

Why not? Loans are healthy financial instruments if managed properly. The key here is to plan for an exit. My general advise is to downpay at least the dealer’s profit and part of the OMV since tax is a refundable portion. This way, you’re taking a loan on a guaranteed sum! This formula has never gone wrong on me so far.

Financing Tips

The best way to reduce your loan interest is to shorten the loan term. If you are taking a $100,000 loan at the prevailing interest rate of 1.88% for 10 years, that’s $18,800 of interests! Shortening your loan from 10 years to 7 years would reduce this amount to $13,160. That’s a reduction in $5,640 of interests.

Downpayment is useful if you intend to sell your car SOON as it reduces the principal sum. But downpayment does not really reduce interests that much.

Using the above example, if I down pay $20,000 and take $80,000 in loan for 10 years, I’ll still pay $15,040 in interests. That’s still more interests than reducing my loan term by 3 years even after coughing up $20,000.

What are the other costs of car ownership?

Insurance. Insurance can be quite expensive, especially if you are young or inexperienced. I have seen annual premiums of up to $3,400 which averages about $300 per month!

Parking. You’ll need to park your car somewhere. Factor in all the parking costs, including weekend shopping. Typical HDB season parking costs $70-90.

Road tax. These are annual and vary with the engine capacity of your car. Check with your dealer. 1600cc cars hover around $600-700 per year; or about $50 per month.

Fuel. The average Singapore car travels about 20,000 kms per year. For most cars, this is about $300 in fuel monthly. Hybrids will be happy to do that distance for less fuel, of course.

Servicing. All cars need regular maintenance to keep them running well. A neglected car may cost you even more in repairs! A typical car in Singapore goes for servicing twice a year. Each servicing trip can cost $100-300, depending on where you go and what you do.

Fines. This needs no explanation!

What about 2nd hand cars?

2nd hand cars are certainly good financial decisions as they depreciate lesser than new cars. When cars go out of warranty after their 3rd (or 5th in some) years, their values drop quite significantly. Once they reach the magical age of 5 years where the ARF drops an additional 5%, a car’s value drops even further.

The problem with 2nd hand cars are generally mechanical risks. You’ll need to ask yourself if you can afford to have a car in the workshop for several days. Some people depend on their vehicles for a living!

You’ll also need to ask yourself if you have sufficient budget for repairs. I would generally say budget up to $2,000 for initial repairs (worst case) and thereafter up to $1,000 annually (again, worst case). If you cannot cough out this amount of money on top of your expensive insurance premiums and road tax, you should consider alternative means of transport.

2nd hand car buying tips:

• Insist that you send the car to STA for inspection of chassis alignment. STA has computerized chassis alignment tools that will be able to tell if your vehicle’s main structure has been compromised. Some small accidents cannot be detected (e.g. bumper dents, etc.) Make it clear to your dealer that a grading of C and below should be rejected immediately.
• Insist that you send the car to a third party workshop for inspection. Ask around for reputable mechanics who would inspect the car for a small fee. If the dealer disagrees to this, drop the deal. The car is likely a dodgy deal.
• Test drive the car – go over humps, switch off the A/C and radio, listen for noises, turn the steering left and right quickly, get on the gas and brakes randomly, test the lights, test the horns, insist on new tyres.
• Don’t judge a car by it’s paintjob. Most dealers send the car for a respray to cover up the dings and scratches left behind by the previous owner. Look for oil and coolant leaks under the car, especially after a test drive would be more ideal.
• Don’t trust the mileage. 9 in 10 car dealers meddle with the odometer. If you check your sales contract you’ll be surprised theres a paragraph that disclaims them from the accuracy of the odometer. Look for tell tale signs of wear and tear – seats, steering, gas/brake pedals, seat belts.

What are COE cars?

COE cars are basically cars without a PARF rebate. Before a car reaches 10 years of age, somebody decided to forgo the PARF rebate and renew the COE on the car so it has the right to drive for an additional 5 or 10 years.

I would advise against purchasing COE cars unless you are into vintage cars. They may look cheap, but in actual fact they depreciate much more because of their age (more than 10 years) and the lack of a guaranteed tax rebate.

If an average Singapore car travels 20,000km per year, a 10 year old COE car would have travelled 200,000kms! Be prepared for a major mechanical overhaul.

Always buy a newer car that you can afford.

With that, I end my super long blog entry. Happy motoring!

OK, it was another idle Sunday not knowing what to do, so we decided to go poke around more showrooms after lunch at Old Town White Coffee along Chun Tin Road (Bukit Timah).

First stop, Volkswagen

We test drove the new VW Passat 1.8T (not the Passat CC) which was launched just 2 months ago. I was pleasantly surprised by the car – powerful, quiet, comfortable and feature packed.

Assisted by a light pressure turbo, the engine’s torque can be felt as early as 1,500 rpm. By 2,000 rpm there was sufficient torque to haul the heavy 1.5 tonne car around. The 7 speed DSG was such a marvel – you wouldn’t notice it shifting. Moving off from a traffic junction, it shifts from 1 to 2 in about a second… before you know it, you’re at gear 7!

Sound insulation was excellent given the 18″ alloys and low profile tyre – it’s about as good as it gets.

I like the hold assist feature – it keeps the car stationary once you bring it to a complete stop; to get it going again simply just tap the accelerator. This is particularly useful at traffic junctions but when you are stuck in a traffic jam or are parking your vehicle, Hold Assist can get annoying. It can be turned off by flicking a switch beside your gearstick.

On top of that, the Passat comes with a built-in GPS navigation (beautiful maps and touch screen, BTW) and a reverse camera with direction guide, i.e. it draws a line of your intended direction of travel based on the angle of your steering. This is nothing like the bolt-on 3rd party reverse cameras in JDM/KDM rides.

For the price of $15x,xxx (after discount), this is easily the most value-for-money buy in the luxury sedan category. Not to mention the boot is HUGE!

Comfort: 9/10 – Quiet, spacious and smooth ride. Great workmanship. Floor mounted gas pedals reduce fatigue on long distance drives.
Features: 9.5/10 – Everything in, except for bluetooth. Love the navigation.
Engagement: 9/10 – Very forgiving on the inputs but still precise. Engine torque kicks in quickly.
Design: 7.5/10 – A little squarish for my personal taste, but still looks reasonably modern.
Value: 9.5/10 – Certainly value-for-money for a car this size.

Second stop, Audi

So we went next door to the big brother, Audi, and tested the A4 1.8T. Vorsprung Durch Technikkkk… *boop boop* *boop boop*.

The first impression of the A4 was so-so. Although the interior bore some resemblance to VW, it was actually lacking in features probably because the A4 is already a 3 year old model (launched in 2008).

In normal (“Auto” Drive Select) mode, the engine felt slightly more responsive than the Passat and is perfectly suited for day-to-day city driving. Switching Drive Select to Dynamic mode made the steering heavier and improved throttle response. However, the gearbox downshifts a little too eagerly for my liking though it may be just my personal preference.

What I did not quite get used to was the brakes – it was overly sensitive. For those who drive their car like they stole it, this aggressive braking behavior is fine. But for older folks, maybe not – they might unintentionally execute an emergency brake at a traffic junction. So now you know folks, don’t tailgate an Audi driven by an uncle.

Oddly the sound insulation was a fair bit poorer than the VW (older car?) and the sportier drive actually made wife sitting at the back a little uncomfortable.

No GPS navigation, a lower resolution display than it’s sister VW and rivals BMW and Volvo (more on that later), plus a not-so-intuitive joystick on the front panel instead of having it beside the gearstick (like the BMW) takes a lot of points off the A4. For a premium brand, from Premium Automobiles, I’d expect more. It does however feature bluetooth connectivity for your mobile phone – the Passat didn’t.

For the price of $18x,xxx (after overtrade) for the “Ambition” model, it’s not a very good buy. They have a cheaper “Limited Edition” model at $15x,xxx (after overtrade) but it lacks lots of features, including LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL) which are probably the only other reason why you’ll buy an Audi!

Also, just like VWs, Audis are FWD. For an additional $10k, you’ll get a Quattro 4WD; the rivals (BMW 3-series and Mercedes-Benz C-class) are RWD in comparison at similar price ranges.

Comfort: 8.5/10 – Gear downshifts a little too quickly when accelerating in dynamic mode, brakes a little too sensitive for uncles. No floor mounted gas pedals!
Features: 8/10 – No GPS, low resolution screen. Response of the MMI is a little laggy also.
Engagement: 9/10 – Engine is powerful and responsive, 8 speed gearbox shifts seamlessly, unfortunately it is a FWD.
Design: 8.5/10 – No DRL for “Limited Edition”, interior looks cluttered and confusing.
Value: 7/10 – You can get a fully packed version of a VW for much lesser, or a fully-packed BMW with all the bells and whistles for an extra 10k.

Third stop, Kia

I hopped by Kia to take a look at the new Kia Optima K5. At $119,xxx it was indeed the cheapest of all the luxury sedans.

The K5 had a fair bit of bells and whistles, although nowhere near the VW Passat. Factory fitted bluetooth, rear air-conditioning, electric memory seats, auto headlights, rain sensors, paddle shifters, cruise control, and the start-stop button made it stand out from the other KDM/JDM rides.

According to the sales guy, the new units of the K5 arriving in Q3 2011 will also feature 6 airbags (instead of 2), a panoramic sunroof and a in-dashboard LCD display which is a huge step in closing the Continental vs KDM gap.

Unfortunately I cannot rate the car yet – the sales guy was extremely talkative and that actually prevented me from asking for a test drive as it was getting late. I will try to get a test drive soon!

Fourth stop, Volvo

Since Volvo was just next door, I drove by and took a quick glimpse at the new Volvo S60. The built-in LCD was beautiful and in my opinion better than VW’s and Audi. The screen was of a very high resolution, similar to that of the new BMW iDrive (CIC). The controls were intuitive and lag-free and I loved the simplicity of the interior.

One thing I didn’t like though was the type of leather Volvo uses – they are prone to cracking after 3 years. I’m surprised they have not changed the leather material.

I didn’t have much time to look further into detail or ask for a test drive, but at first glance the S60 looks very promising. I will try to find out more soon!

I got a call from Performance Motor Limited (“PML”) about a private sale, so guys being guys, I agreed to go down. Of course, I brought the wife along so she can play “finance manager” and say NO in case I get tempted.

So the private sale was like this – you must be on the invite list, and must have a car to trade-in and they offered an insane price for the trade-in. The trade-in price was easily >$30K above market prices, which brought the BMW 318i price down from $180,800 to $14x,xxx or a BMW 320i from $203,800 to $17x,xxx.

The discounted price for a 318i is good considering that a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord are selling at the same price in the current market.

But I was more interested in the 320i. That’s a crazy price for a car, I’m sure. But I was pleasantly surprised by what the latest model offered – all the electronic gadgets makes me pee my pants. It has 17″ rims, iDrive with built-in navigation, bluetooth telephone w/address book and voice activated dailing, in-vehicle information display such as service intervals and other mechanical status of brakes, engine, blah blah blah, timer for air-con recirculation so you don’t get into a baking hot car parked under the sun, and here’s the best part – INTERNET. Yes, bluetooth tethering with the iPhone.

The 320i also has fold-down rear seats (the old one didn’t, or was an option) and the audio system has been marginally improved with more powerful bass (up to +/- 10 step adjustments instead of +/- 6 on the old models).

I also test-drove the 318i which had the new electronic steering system and it was indeed much lighter and easier to park the car, but there’s a slight lack of “road” feel. I still like it though, cos the wife doesn’t like the heavy steering on the old model.

It was very tempting at $17x,xxx. Damn bloody expensive, I know, but I really liked it – it’s a dream car. We spent a few good hours in the showroom, and the salesman started giving an additional 1-2K off. But the wife said NO. Sigh. No new high-tech ride for me.

So being unconvinced that BMW was the best car around, I went pouty faced over to Lexus to test the new CT200h which they claim to be oozing with technology. It is lower in price too due to government discounts on green cars.

What a disappointment. The interior looks sub-par (compared to the BMW) and the sales guy also sucked – he treated me like I couldn’t afford a Lexus. Yeah, maybe I can’t but the showroom looks pathetic – it’s was EMPTY.

The base model at $154K didn’t have leather seats so I asked him how the fabric looked like. His reply was, “Huh? Cloth lor.” I was like WTF? Like show me some samples? He said they didn’t have any.

Anyway, no leather? For a Lexus? Borneo Motors, I don’t know what you were thinking.

The higher “Plus” model at $158K had leather seats. That was the only difference – top up $4K for factory fitted leather.

So I decided to cut the crap talk and asked for a test drive. Here’s a summary of my experience:

The seats were manually adjusted. For a $158K car, I wouldn’t expect that.

The moment I pushed the START button, the car feels weird – it was silent except for the air-con blower. I got on the gas a bit – still silent.

Then at approx 30km/h the petrol 1.7 litre inline 4 engine kicks in and you suddenly hear a low rumble and more power.

My first foot on the brake in the carpark felt weird too – it wasn’t progressive and the braking effect was sudden as if somebody else was braking the car harder than you wanted for you. My feeling is that it’s caused by the car engaging a flywheel of sorts to charge the NiMH batteries.

After getting up to speed, braking felt slightly better but still weird – it’s just not progressive. Adding to the weird braking behavior, you could hear the whine of the dynamo/generator which was a little annoying.

I was still driving in “normal” mode all this while. Then I switched to the “sport” mode – oh what a difference. The CVT gearbox kicks me into a lower gear and now the car takes off on it’s 1.7 litre engine. But again, this felt weird. The change was too abrupt – from a tame hybrid it was suddenly TOO responsive and I had to change my footing.

Then finally I tried the “eco” mode which was oh my god slow as a turtle. I couldn’t stay on it for more than 5 seconds, so I switched back to “normal”.

It was a short test drive, but it wasn’t a good experience at all. As a driver, I felt weird. The car’s behavior was abrupt, unpredictable and unrefined. The wife sitting quietly at the back also said the ride was rough and the interior didn’t give her a “wow” feeling. The audio system was terrible – in fact worse than my Nissan Latio. On the level of sound insulation, the BMW wasn’t any different. So whoever that tells me a Lexus is silent, I’m going to beat you up.

At $158K, I’d rather buy the BMW 318i which would be packed with slightly more features and a more refined drive. The $10K difference could pay for lots of fuel – at least 3 years’ worth.

I think that these hybrids still need some time to get their act right. To achieve 24km/l it might be worth considering a Toyota Prius instead.

I’d love to test a BMW ActiveHybrid if it comes here though. I have confidence in BMW’s engineering to build a more progressive and predictable hybrid.

OK, enough for the day. Back to reality. No high tech cars for me!

I don’t understand why we still have MBT and TPL in Parliament. Screw the GRC system, each candidate should be opposed one-on-one. Singapore today is mature enough to not make race or religion a deciding factor.

Workers Party, please do us proud. I offer my 2 cents:

Abolish the CPF installment payments starting at 62 years of age – it does not benefit the poor at all. Not many of them live till that age. The statistics are flawed. Only the rich get to receive this money.

Please don’t raise the HDB income ceiling already – it will encourage more rich people to buy and further inflate the flat prices.

Instead, stagger the income ceiling based on the flat type, i.e. bigger flat bigger ceiling so the higher income group don’t contend with the lower income group with the 4-room flats causing it to rise much faster than the rest.

Lower the income ceiling for PRs – this will encourage the well-to-do PRs to either rent (good for Singaporeans) or buy private property at inflated and more violatile prices.

Impose more penalties on crappy public transport operators.

Stop the gerrymandering and grant us our rights to freedom of speech.

Lower the crazy ministerial salaries, tax the rich, provide healthcare for the poor.

Finally, curb the influx of foriengners that are not only taking away some low income worker’s jobs but also breaking up families.

Create quotas for different industry segments based on supply and demand.

I’m not saying all foreign talents should go – skilled white-collar workers that we can learn a trick or two from can stay. That’s what they are here for – they want a jumping board, trade up their knowledge for a few years. Fair and square.

OK, I’ve had enough of people blindly saying good things about the men in white and that the oppositions suck. We have to discount the opposition because they haven’t been on the job yet – how would I expect you to know how to fix my problems if I haven’t even hired you?

Yes, due respect for LKY. He’s a great man, but things have changed. This country is no longer 3rd world and cannot be managed like the way it was before.

I quote a note shared by a friend on Facebook:

I fear the Singaporean who says “I think the opposition candidate in my constituency is crap, but I will vote him anyway because I think the PAP is arrogant.” I cannot agree with that.

Cannot agree with what? Arrogance? Arrogance diminishes wisdom my friend.

No doubt there are really good and smart people amongst the men in white, such as GY, TCH, GCT but I’ve had enough of them especially the MP in my area (now contesting in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC). Let me relate my experience.

I have a neighbour noise problem. And trust me I’m not the only person in Singapore with this issue. Google it and you will find it. Some people have it worse than me and this affects people’s lives.

Yes, I’m a musician and I’m sensitive to noise, but I am not unreasonable. I’ve been living in HDB flats since young and haven’t heard such noises at my parent’s flat. Worse even, these noises occur at night right above my bedroom. I can’t sleep in peace or spend a weekend at home without going crazy. HDB flats nowadays are built cheaply with paper thin walls that I can hear every noise my neighbour makes. I’ve tried to talk to my neighbour, called the police, visited my MP and even written in to HDB.

What pisses me off is my MP being the last resort not giving a hoot about my neighbour problem. When I asked him if there’s any law governing these issues, he said “not really” and there’s nothing much he can do except write a letter to HDB. Yes, he did indeed write a letter to HDB, but I’ve never seen the HDB officer visit my flat to even listen to the kind of noises I have to put up with.

So what do I need my MP for when he doesn’t even bother? I’m not saying all of PAP is bad, but some shit needs to be fixed.

And I quote my friend again:

But I don’t think voting against someone good as a statement against the GRC system is entirely logical…

So if I vote for the same group, I will get the same guy who will not solve my problem anyway. How about let’s say have you ever done a project with a crappy team mate? Reality of life is that if you have a bad team mate, he/she drags you into the water. If I stand up for such a system, I’m supporting gerrymandering and the GRC bullshit.

I feel the severe lack of freedom of speech, the lack of the right to even request for something. I’m not taking about Mas Selamat, the floods and the overcrowded MRT and roads. These are civil service issues that are brought about by the policies that were (or not) made.

Get this fact right – the civil service will only act by the book and these laws are defined by our government. As of now there are no laws protecting us. Read the first few pages of the WP manifesto, it is quite interesting.

FYI, I had to take things into my own hands and it got really ugly to a stage that my property agent actually went up to my neighbour with some fruits to make peace. But the issue is still not totally resolved. Take it that I’m firing my MP and finding a new one.