Search the Community

Can someone advise which are the popular website for buying/selling a 2nd hand car. I also scouting ard now to buy a 2nd hand car. Can someone advise how not to fall pry to pitfalls, like we read so much abt buyer got con and already paid out huge deposit sum of money only to find out car is still under finance instead of already transfer ownership, etc. and still can’t own the car after paying all the money. Are there such pitfalls for direct dealing with seller? Tks

Was looking for a used car which has 2-3 years left. Seems like used cars with 2-3 years left have ridiculously high depreciation, some cases even higher than brand new cars or those that are 1-2 years old? This is especially so for the popular ones like altis and camry where you can get the brand new ones for lower depreciation, with warranty and 5 years free servicing. I can understand the loan restriction probably pushed the price of these used cars up, but are this pricing really what is happening if I walk into a used car dealership?

Will collect car on 8 or 9 June. Thought I'd list down for fun what stuff I have planned to get ( some stuff may not be locally available I see a lot of Youtube). These are basic necessities. Not interested in nice to have items.... 1. Hozelock fitting for connecting hose to MSCP paid tap 2. Hose - Prob like 10m long 3. Pail with grit guard 4. Car Shampoo - Optimum No Rinse 5. Wax - Meguairs Spray Wax 6. Microfiber cloths - 10 pcs (plan to use Single Bucket with several cloths for 1 wash) 7. Leather cleaner - Chemical Guys 8. Leather conitioner - Chemical Guys 9. Vacuum - I got a Dyson handheld so no need to buy 10. Brushes for tyres - I dont see much point in cleaning tyres to be honest... 11. Suction cup holder for phone for Google Maps navigation 12. Sun shade - Need to install Blackvue first before buying to make sure it doesn't block the view Planned regiment : 1. Wash once a week or 2 weeks 2. Wax after wash once a month 3. Clean leather once a month (condition alternate month) Thats all for now..... Heard about Autobacs to will prob pay the place a visit this weekend. Feel free to post :-)

Hi all, i would like to use this thread to share information when you are looking to trade in your cars to dealers. By making use of this information here, we can provide the trade in price that the dealers are offering for your current car, then the people who browse this thread can also offer you a price that is above what the dealer quotes you. WIN WIN for both sellers and buyers. Sellers can to sell their cars at prices higher than what dealers offer, buyers can buy used car at a much more reasonable price. Hope that i can start this thread to make buying/selling prices more reasonable, more transparent. format as shows. Make: Model Colour COE Mileage OMV Handover date Dealer $$$

Apparently many people do.. https://www.facebook.com/techinsider/videos/440968499434845/

Lets all guess what happens by this year end

REally! Money cannot buy class! Shocking! I would b flattered if it happened to me! Most of us here would anyway, no biggie, just an AMG Gullwing...zzzzz FROM FAcebook just had this BIZARRE experience— I was walking to my car in the carpark of Paragon when i saw this very cool Mercedes AMG with gull-wing doors. I took my phone out and snapped a photo of it. Just then the owner, a lady, comes up and starts SCREAMING at me for taking photos, saying "I didn't give you permission! Stop! I'm calling the police!" I was so shocked and asked her what the problem was, and that I took the photo because she had a very nice car. She continued to shout and said she would call the police, at which point I said, 'Fine call the police" and she takes out her phone and starts taking my photo. I just stood there and smiled at her as she snapped photos. Then when I walked back to my car, parked nearby, she screamed, "Your cheapskate car! You are so cheapskate!" As I got into the car she ran in front of it and snapped photos, saying "See your cheapskate car! Get lost! Cheapskate!" WTF!!??? And yes, she was a local. ‪#‎MoneyCantBuyYouClass‬

Hi guys... I'm noob, hoping to seek your advice if the below is pure marketing talk I was told that there is no point to wait for coe to lower since my trade in car will correspondingly lower. buy low sell also low. zero sum game. Does this make any sense? Age of trade in car matters? I recalled some ppl agreed with this. However some have a different view. Confused

There is a previous discussion, but the individual situation is different so the advice could be different. 52 year old guy middle income owning a 2008 Sti purchased new in 2009 at $124,000. The COE was $12,901 at that time ... Last year, i "blew up" the engine [thats another story] at a cost of $22,000. So the entire block is new, rad, air con compressor .... I honestly don't think i can afford the same "kind" of car at todays prices and although i drive to work everyday, driving is a hobby to me rather than a necessity. So perhaps from an "approaching retirement" point of view, what do you guys think?

my mum recently bought a second hand car and I got for her only third party insurance. I have been thinking if it's been a good idea. That car has about 2 years left on it. Should I have it changed ? What is the usual insurance to take if given a choice?thanks in advance.

SUV and wagon both have extra 'cargo' space but a SUV is heavy and less stable (due to higher centre of gravity), less fuel economical, etc than a wagon. A SUV doesnt really drive like a sedan while a wagon does, more or less. Try going fast through corners and you can feel the difference in handling. In Singapore most SUV users seldom go off road so the so-called off-road ability is hardly needed. But we see much more SUVs than wagons everyday. Not all SUVs on the road are 7 seater, so the extra passenger seats shouldnt be the key reason for the owners.

Hi, The price of really old BMW seems to be on the relatively low side. Some are even cheaper then some luxury Japanese car. Just trying to gather feedback from people with experiences on owning BMW. Is this worth it?. Does the repair cost will weigh on the buying price later on?. Is it better to just buy a Japanese second hand car instead even if it is more expensive or the same price?. How to make it relatively safer to buy an old BMW? Does Vicom check really tells you the condition of the BMW?. Thanks in advance for any advise. rdgs, Gildor

The sharp reduction in COE (certificate of entitlement) supply relative to current demand has led to sky-high premiums and equally astronomical car prices. A Toyota Vios, for instance, now costs $119k – twice as much as it did five years ago. As if that wasn’t enough, the introduction of a tiered ARF (Additional Registration Fee) scheme plus the stricter financing rules implemented earlier this year have truly left aspiring car owners in a quandary, for they’ve created a significantly higher barrier to car ownership for the average buyer. The previous lending regulations, which allowed banks to extend “full” loans with a repayment period of 10 years, have been abolished. Under the new rules, buyers who intend to purchase a car (including used ones) with an OMV less than or equal to $20k can only borrow 60 per cent of the vehicle’s price (COE included), and must repay the loan in five years. If the car’s OMV is above $20k, a buyer can only borrow 50 per cent of the car’s price and must settle the loan within five years. Specifically, it’s the hefty down payment that is a big hurdle to many people. Buying a Toyota Vios, for example, requires one to fork out a $47.6k down payment. Acquiring a Camry 2.0 – which is listed at $167k at press time – would mean handing over $83.5k should you decide to purchase one. If you can’t afford to buy a car, we’ll demonstrate how you can still “own” one. Even if you could purchase a car outright, we’ll show you how leasing could potentially save you a good amount of cash. THE ADVANTAGES Apart from not having to hand over a big chunk of your savings as a down payment, most leasing contracts also stipulate that the leasing company will be responsible for expenses such as road tax, insurance and vehicle maintenance (see sidebar overleaf for potential “savings”). Some dealers even offer the use of a courtesy car while the leased vehicle is being serviced. Of course, the lessee remains responsible for ERP charges, parking fees and any fines incurred for the duration of the lease. The greatest advantage leasing holds is that since you don’t own the car, you don’t have to contend with depreciation and resale issues when changing vehicles. This is significant as, generally speaking, a new car loses 15 per cent of its value within the first year alone. If you’re planning to lease a new car, it is possible to choose specifics such as colour and standard equipment. But if you’re leasing a used vehicle, you’ll be limited to whatever the dealer in question currently has in stock. A new car is, of course, more expensive to lease than an older one. Most firms will also allow you to use your own registration number on the car you intend to lease (as long as you pay the necessary LTA transfer fee, of course). In contrast to owning a car, leasing also gives you the opportunity to change vehicles sooner, without having to worry about settling the outstanding loan for the car in question. According to Steven Ng, marketing manager at Motorway Group, a customer can negotiate to have an “upgrade clause” included in his contract. “But we will only allow a client to change cars within a reasonable amount of time. A customer cannot expect to be able to change cars every two months. But if it’s a four year contract and the client wants to upgrade after two years, we can negotiate and put that into the agreement.” THE CATCH However, when monthly payments on a car lease are compared to monthly payments on a hire-purchase loan, the former’s advantage doesn’t seem especially great. Local Suzuki agent Champion Motors, for example, is offering the Swift 1.4 GLX hatchback (manual gearbox) from $998 a month – subject to a minimum lease period of 36 months. But if you were to purchase said Swift model, the monthly repayment on a five year loan (at 2.6 per cent annual interest) would be $1,231. This is assuming a 40 per cent down payment against the car’s selling price of $108.9k at press time. When it comes to luxury models, however, leasing is a much more expensive option. Under Mercedes-Benz’s Star Lease programme, for example, the A200 Style hatchback costs $2,460 a month for a 60-month term. But if you were to purchase the vehicle, listed at $159,888 at press time, your monthly repayment would amount to $1,506 (assuming a 50 per cent down payment and a five-year loan). That’s $954 more to lease the same car per month, or an extra outlay of $57k after five years. And once the hire-purchase loan is fully paid, the car is “free” to be driven for the rest of its COE lifespan. Besides, if you’re planning to buy a new vehicle, you’ll have your Preferred Additional Registration Fee (PARF) rebate and the remaining COE paper value – provided the owner scraps the car before its tenth year – to put towards the next car. The PARF rebate is 50 per cent of the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) in the car’s tenth year. In contrast, when the leasing period is over, you’re left with nothing. As several industry veterans have pointed out, this is the other reason why many remain cool to the idea of leasing. PRE-OWNED LEASING If leasing a brand-new car is too expensive, you could consider leasing a used vehicle. Performance Premium Selection Limited (PPSL), a dealership that specialises in pre-owned BMWs. If you want more variety in terms of the makes and models available, you can check out multi-brand distributor Wearnes Automotive’s leasing programme, which offers all the models – both new and used units – from the seven marques (Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Infiniti, Renault, McLaren and Bentley) under the Wearnes umbrella. Apart from these brands, the company also claims to be able to meet a customer’s request for any make/model that isn’t part of its portfolio. Unique to Wearnes, however, are the added services not offered by most firms. For instance, Wearnes’ “Full Service” leasing programme includes vehicle pickup/delivery for maintenance, personal accident insurance in addition to the comprehensive insurance coverage, and 24-hour roadside assistance that covers driving in Malaysia, too. The quality of the used vehicles available for lease varies by dealer. Motorway, for example, tries to ensure that its cars have good service histories no matter their age, but if your budget is lower, you’re more likely to end up with a high-mileage vehicle. Wearnes, on the other hand, tries to offer cars not more than five years old. Be aware, too, that some dealers place mileage caps on their cars. Wearnes, for instance, has an annual cap of 20,000km on its vehicles (whether new or used) and charges 50 cents per additional kilometre covered at the end of the lease, although a spokesperson did mention that clients can negotiate to have this clause waived. AN EMERGING TREND Although leasing isn’t popular among local motorists yet, more car dealers have joined the leasing game anyway. Porsche, MINI, Kia and Volkswagen are just a few of the authorised agents that have recently introduced leasing schemes. This is great news for drivers, as more options equal better chances of finding the programme that best suits their needs This article was written by Jeremy Chua, writer for Torque

can only choose one.

Thinking of buying new tyres? I list out some of the popular tyres that i personally have tried or tried (from my fren's cars). Tyres are major investment, buying a tyres that doesn't suit your car and your driving style will be like have a beautiful girlfriend that always wear oversize t-shirt and jeans. You need to wait for it to wear off or a sudden tyre puncture before getting a new set. It may be a drag till then. And let be honest. tyres shop owner are like used car dealer. They will always push you with the best profit margin ones or the ones that gonna reach the 1 year mark from manufacturing. And buying tyres now have so many variety and some are even from parallel importers. So how do we know what we are paying for? And what are the popular tyres among the roads? The simplest solution is to buy the same tyres your car came with, and that's a good option - after all, the engineers designed the suspension to match the OEM rubber. So you can't get wrong with it. But if you like something more grip, can withstand tyre puncture or much silent tyres, i will start with my recommendation. Bros here are welcome to add in!!! UHP tyres Dunlop Direzza Sports Z1 Good thing don't come cheap, cheap thing don't come good but this tyres really mix this equation by abit. At a affordable range, this rubber grip well during the dry weather and the handling is superb. Highly responsive in when turning to make the car smooth in transmission. Highly Recommended! Run Flat Tyres Pirelli Cinturato P7 Run Flat Only for those who boot that have not enough space, wanna save weight for fuel saving, or have no expertise on changing tyres and wanna play save. This is the tyres you should take note. The engineers in Pirelli have a very vast knowledge in motorsport racing even thou last F1 there is tyre explosion during the race. But they have understudy the racing characteristic and created this green yet performance level tyres. It have fuel saving technology, eco compatible material to make it "green" and longer lasting thread life (which i don't think so.) But never the least, Handling during the dry and even the wet is impressive. This can be a track tyres in my humble opinion. The only downside might be the noise. But when u are driving at 140km/h, i am sure you will focus in your steering more than the noise it produces... Super Quiet Tyres Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 With its latest ActiveBraking Technology, this isn't a gimmick that goodyear come out with. Great response and oother than that. This tyres give you a quite ride. That's all i am gonna say. Come share your tyres review and best is you got lobang to share lah. Currently still at 16" (:

Buying a car in Singapore is both exciting and nerve-racking, for the joy of having your own set of wheels is accompanied by the toil of paying for it by instalments. Before you sign on the dotted line, think carefully about these: THE RIGHT MACHINE Buy the vehicle you need and not the one you want, because the latter usually ends up costing you more than it’s worth. It doesn’t matter if you’re a petrolhead – if you have two toddlers, for instance, it’s more practical to get a saloon instead of that sporty coupe you’ve been eyeing. BUDGET CONSTRAINTS According to a financial consultant who spoke to Torque, you should allocate no more than 35 per cent of your monthly income to servicing loans. Assuming that 20 per cent of your salary goes towards your home mortgage, you’re left with just 15 per cent for your car loan. So if you draw $3,000 a month, your monthly car instalment shouldn’t exceed $450. ‘HIDDEN’ COSTS These motoring-related expenses aren’t obvious upfront, but definitely make a big impact on your wallet. Parking, petrol, road tax and motor insurance can be a drain on your finances. For example, year-long season parking in an HDB multi-storey carpark would cost $1,080 ($90 x 12 months). That sum alone is more than the annual road tax for a 1.6-litre petrol car. TEN-YEAR TEMPTATION Although it appears more affordable, choosing a 10-year, 100 per cent car loan is actually a decision you can ill afford. Zero downpayment means a larger loan quantum that takes longer to repay, and the total interest in the long run will be higher. Car buyers should also be aware that longer loan tenures mean that their ride will be in negative equity for a longer period. This article was written by Jeremy Chua, writer for Torque.

I always have this mindset when it comes to buy things, products and services. Especially when i am servicing my car or intending to upgrade some of the parts. When you are looking for cheap and good, it will not be fast. when you are looking for good and fast, it will not be cheap. when you are looking for fast and cheap, it will not be good. Just my 2 cents if thoughts! Do give me your opinion on this!