Test driving Aveo and Vios
1: Aveo 1.4 Sedan Manual.
I went to the new authorized dealer of Chevrolet, Alpine Motors. As
this is a new dealer, just enter the market for 3 months, I hope
their price can be lower than Starsauto.
Searching AM website, good design, but it looks like a fashion
boutique, not a car dealer: http://www.alpinemotors.sg/ and itfs a
single page website, under construction.
Anyway, it has the important information for me, the showroom
address, to me, itfs more useful than Toyota Singapore and Borneo
Motorfs 2 websites, a few hundreds pages to search, but no any
address of showroom and service centre.
@The outlook of Aveo sedan is normal, but the key is quite nice, 2
build-in buttons, one for door remote control, the other for trunk
remote control.
The interior design is great, Itfs the first time Ifm handling a
continental car, everything looks new and elegance. I start the
car, and try to reverse the car, a little problem come out, the
reverse position is different from Japanese cars, need to pull up a
ring so that can pushing the stick into reverse gear.
Then leaving the car park, try left turn signal, the wiper start
working, Oh, the turn signal switch is in the left.
Except these small fuss in Signal light and gear level, other
things are quite OK, the 1.4 liter engine is powerful, no any
problem when accelerating. This may due to manual transition, I can
always get strong power at level 1 or 2.
The suspension system is superb, feel like a luxury car, better
than Toyata vios and Mis. Lancer. The steering system is
responsive, stable, easy handling. At speed 40km, I do an e-brake,
the car stop in 2-3 meters.
I only drive 10 mins, then back to showroom. Now talking about
price.
Althrough the new COE result come out. But Chevrolet new list
prices have not come out, the old list price for 1.4M is $44988,
and the SE told me I can simply deduct S$2000 from it for new
price, which is S$42988. I told him $42988 is too high, the Vios
price is only S$43988 now, only 1,000 different? Vios has much
better fuel consumpion, dual airbag, 4 wheels disk-brake.
I took out the printed basic cost from internet:
http://www.efair.sg/viewad.asp?id=50140956925122305
Total cost including all tax is 24694, plus COE, only 34000, if
they sell it at 42988, the markup is 8900+! The SE has not comment
over the calculation, then he told me he can offer free leather
seat, if take 50% loan, can give S$3000 rebate, and the total price
falls to S$39000+.
I told him I will consider his offer, as his companyf new official
pricelist is not available, maybe we can wait until next week to
discuss the final price base on their official new price.
2: Vios
The 1.5E has a very handsome compact outlook, interior is not as
good as Aveo, but still neat and nice. Everybody is talking the
cramped rear seat, but I feel itfs acceptable. Very good handling,
and also has strong power in accelation.
Nothing surprise me in the test driving, the surprise thing
happened after test driving.
Back to showroom, the sales engineer lady told me the price is very
good now. I agree, then she said that BM only get less than $3000
from this price. She take a calculator calculate it for me, OMV,
she put S$11,000 and told me all the tax is 220%, so itfs
11000+24200+9301=S$44501!, itfs ridiculous, even higher than their
list price S$43900, and still exclude the registration fee, IU,
road tax, radio tax, etc. I told her that the new tax is only 135%,
including 5% Gst, 20% duty tax, 110% ARF. I had to show her the
cost calculation I printed from online, but She denied it.
http://www.efair.sg/viewad.asp?id=50140187251122305
The lady SE looks street smart, but itfs really not nessesary for
her to lie in such issue, the LTA tax is public in the website,
http://www.lta.gov.sg/motoring_matters/motoring_vo_tax_rental.htm
and as a sales engineer of BM, she definetely knows the new tax
rate.
Actually compare with other dealers price struction, BM vios list
price is not high, only about 5000-6000, the only different is BM
do not give too many additional freebies and rebate like others. I
do not prepare to argue with the issue, because first I am ready to
accept the price, secondary, BM is such a big dealer in the market,
itfs no point to argue their company price structure with a SE,
but she raised this OMV and Cost issue, try to convince me that BM
is losing money in Vios sales.
The SE told me that if I take the S$43988 pacage, I must take BM
in-house finance for 25K, and in-house issurance package. I compare
their AIG package with NTUC income later, NTUC income quotation to
me is S$400 lesser.
The only additional freebie she can give me is a free solar film,
roughly S$200. She told me this is come from her personal
commission, for vios, she only get S$400 comm, so she can share 50%
with me. Do not know itfs true or not?
