Humble Me Needs Opinions From You Guys =))

last SG · 2007-10-17T19:54:24+00:00

You should earn some more $ before thinking of getting a car.Road tax,insurance,erp,parking, etc. Once you have enough,I do not advise you to get a COE car a...

RecycleBin SG

hey all, this is my first post here as all of you can see from my post counts. anyway, straight to the point. got my license 1 week back and itching to drive a personal car (u should noe the initial euphoria) so i was thinking of purchasing a car.

im 19 this year (NSF) i should be able to get a car that costs me below 30k and minus off monthly installments (200+), minus off road tax (100+), minus off car insurance(100+), and i should be able to spend approximately 200-250 on petrol per month. with regards to all these in mind, i will have around 500$ left for monthly expenses.

ok so i need your opinions on whats the perfect car for me. im currently thinking about COE Cars about 10years+ old for around 10 to 15k and last me until about 2011. i'll have a hard time finding one which has acceptable bodykits, internal and external conditions and also ensuring its not a problematic one though. (im kinda like a perfectionist which is bad in this case)

or i have another option which is getting a second hand car which is almost new but cheap. probably the Kia Picanto? though i'll have to settle for 1.1l instead of 1.6 and better that i can get from the COE cars, i can have a piece of mind on the conditions of the car.

which is better for me or are there any other better options? (other than not getting one) haha. perhaps suggestions on any other cars i can get for below 30k?

THANKS ALL IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP!!

freakass SG

So sorry to spoil your mood but the costs of earning a car is not as simple as you think. I would advise you to drop the idea (many people will say the same thing later on. Just wait and see).

Why not just drive your dad's car first? There's still lots more to learn about driving other than passing your driving test. It's true. You can ask any driver.

mhcampboy SG

yeap…scrap the idea… at least earn another 1k more.. then think abt it SERIOUSLY again….

tomsss SG

yeah... bear with using public transport for a while till ya earning much more b4 getting yrself a car. Setting $$$ aside for car matters is one thing... you also have to consider the fact that you'll need $$$ for hanging out with frens and GFs too Wink

RecycleBin SG

hmm.. not simple as i tink? apart from the occasional maintenance what else do i have to consider? instead of the usual "scrap the idea" comment and full stop perhaps you guys would like to elaborate and enlighten me? =) thanks

kikenfire88 SG

u haven't include maintainence, parking, ERP, bla bla bla, and this all will eat into ur pocket, i suggest u drop the idea, if not, drive ur family's car or rent one when u really need to drive, and u said that u are a NSF, therefore less time to spend on driving, thus better to take public transport.

my $0.03 thou

n0x SG

1000 a month cant get u a car lah... 2LT so and so.....

juz stick to driving ur dad's...

or juz ask ur driver let u drive the landrover loh.... more rugged than any suv available in sg.... Laughing

mhcampboy SG

http://www.mycarforum.com/forum/General_C1/General_Car_Discussion_F1/Cost_of_Car_Ownership_in_SGP_Per_Year_-_Wats_Yours__P523867

nah go and read... the cost that these people have to pay per yr for their cars including maintenance..petrol..etc....

then u just divide by 12months to see roughly how much they spent per month....

its not as easy as u think now...

specialOps SG

I thought of that idea when I was a NSF...now that i'm working now and doing the sums more realistically....you really can't own a car at that kinda income.

You'll probably spend 800 - 900 a month on a COE car... you can't survive one....really.

The insurance, parking, fuel will kill your budget already.

mark-x link SG

Trust me, i am also in th process of calculating my budget for a car...around ur age and my insurance is a killer!!!
not to mention petrol etc....just to shear some light, i plan to put aside 2k a month nett for car expenses. jia you

mr_sotong SG

can rid of your probation plate 1st b4 buying a car.. Laughing

ditzy SG

You never include monthly parking, and parking coupon costs, and cashcard for erp and parking. You cannot say you don't need it, you can only say you never know when you need it. Laughing

RecycleBin SG

hmm thanks for the website.. actually the main difference were their monthly installments.. if i do get a car mine would actually be only 250-300 a month whereas theirs were 500 to 700 a month. i dont spend 6$ a day on ERP too(quote from that web). the only worry would be car maintenance. as i said above i calculated car insurance, road tax, monthly installments and petrol already. setting aside all these, i'll still have 500 to live on every month. carpark wise as im staying in a condo im not sure if they charge extra for a second car. (i doubt so thou)

btw. i didnt state that i earn 1k a month. =)

RecycleBin SG

lets get rough figures

ERP Gantries : S$1 per day x 5 days x 4 weeks = S$20.00 per mth

Car Road Tax : S$783 per year = $66 per mth ($783 for a 2003 honda jazz as stated on that web so if i were to get a 2004 picanto i gather it would be roughly the same amount? )

Car Insurance : S$1,900 Per Year = $158 per mth (i'll take the steeper cost as im a new & young driver)

Instalments : S$250-300 per mth (on average for a cheap car like Picanto? )

Fuel : S$250 per month (not a heavy user since im NSF)

Miscellaneous Carpark charges : S$300 per year = 25$ a mth

Maintenance : $500 ( Estimated ) = 42 per mth (taken from the honda jazz 2003 example)

so monthly expenses would be S$811.

assuming i have set aside funds for road tax, insurance, instalments and fuel (that'll be S$724) , after which i would have $500 to live with maintenance,miscellaneous carpark charges ( $67 ) every month.

Now after this breakdown, does it seem feasible? : Surprised

Vigelic SG

and there's one more thing..

(TOUCH WOOD)

accidents. no matter how safe you are, or even if your car is parked with its engine off, and you're sleeping at home, IT CAN HAPPEN.

when it DOES happen, you'll need money.

minor ones will cost a few dollars to get it touched up or u can just leave it alone.

major ones will put you into a financial crisis, might eat up your savings, or land you in debt.

cloud210 SG

don’t own a car, unless the car is meant to earn money for you. such as, sales job, running ur own business etc etc. Since ur NSF, most of the time you will just keep it at home. pay 800/mth juz to keep it at home is a waste of money, i rather you spend the money on taxi, still can oncall somemore + ppl fetch you. Left overs can be used to buy urself some treats for not buying a car and taking public transport

mhcampboy SG

Hmmm see, from your first post after calculations, you just decreased your spending money to $200...

Can you survive on $200? Meals.. entertainment..bills...etc..

Now you say wont use much this and that..... but u will never know..

however.. after all the calculations.. and u still think u can afford it.. by all means.. its ur choice Mr. Green

Unknown_X SG

not advisable for a 19 year old. unless u can get yr dad buy insurance for u, get him sponsor u petrol once in a while. car is only for convenience. every year depreciate 10%, now u dun see it only, but after a while, quite heart pain. just use your family's car if there is any.

once u get a car, u will want to mod it and buy extra good products for it. these accounts to maintenance fees. petrol, u may pump ron98 cuz supposedly, more expensive petrol = better quality. way to cut cost for petrol is to get those bank discounts or whatever.

dont forget parking fees when u go out, ERP and coupons. i spend abt 60-70 bucks on parking monthly, and this is when i dont drive to sch. i only use the car after sch. and it's also when sometimes i nv put coupon or find spots where i dun need pay for parking.

u also wont know when u will get into an accident or maybe slightly bump or scratch your car.

all these indefinite things add up to alot of money. seriously consider it first and have a talk with your parents.

or be like me, use my dad's spare car at home! Twisted Evil

popmynutsy SG

u want to buy just buy. if u think u can survive on it, just buy. anyway, its what u really want. but seriously, before i saw some1 post about u being most of the time in camp, i thought just buy just buy. but seriously that guy say got point. ur 800 can take cab all. and u wont be using much of it anyway. but if u dont care and u want buy, just buy only. u think u can survive, just buy.

AE86tofu SG

dont forget that yea buying a COE car so there'll be alot of wear and tear parts....I'm driving a COE car so i know this Crying or Very sad