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Yes I'm a shortie, in case you ask...

Do you notice? recently new cars at same engine capacity, korean car have higher HP than Japanese car, and FC not lose can anyone explain what technology korean using?

For wireless internet like 3G and 4G, will the speed be faster if you are staying at a higher floor?

What a high mark up on the body. http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.ph...847&DL=1038

I am currently driving a asian car registered in 09. Since the OMV is quite low at around 11-15k and also I have been chalking up mileage for this car, so was thinking of changing to a 07 registered continental car with higher OMV of around 45k so when nearing end of COE scrap I'm able to get back more. The other reason why I am doing this is also because if I sell my car now, i am able to make a profit of 30k (after paying off existing car loan) and was thinking of using the 30k to downpayment for a 07 registered continental car. Is this feasible by any means? I get best of both worlds - upgrade to continental car, higher cc, more safety yet taking advantage of the higher OMV and high COE. The only downside is that my loan have to restart again as currently car loan only left 1.5 years to clear. Please advise....Thanks.

I am sure most have gone through the process of buying used cars, surfing sgcarmart for days etc. For you , would you pay more for a lower mileage car or price is most important? Let's use a simple example: A) 5 year old car , 50,000 km, $50,000 B) 5 year old car , 100,000 km , $40,000 Which would you choose? Especially those guys that have chosen either way, can you share your views 1-2 yrs after making your choice. Would you make the same choice again in hindsight?

Seems to see more road enforcers on the road these days~ Heard from some friends say they have quota to hit, especially year end, coz they may get higher bonus if total collected amount is high. Wonder if that is true... My car park used to be about 100% full after 9pm, now even after 11pm, there are still vacant lots. A stranger got summon when he just left his car at a side road. Lady in white hid in a corner, and came out to issue summon just when he left the car and walked about a few meters away. Guy turn head to check and ran back to car. They got into a heated argument, he almost beat the lady in white... Scared perhaps, the lady took back the ticket, not sure if she will send him a "home-run" letter later or not though... They look like want to issue summons very badly...

My Daihatsu Sirion 1.3 has min RON of 91. Always been pumping 95RON until recently, pumped w tankfuls of 92RON discovered some sluggishness whenaccelerating and mileage dropped by about 1km per litre. My friend who drives a petrol driven Toyota Hiace school bus also told me he pumped 95RON due to lack of power for 92RON. is this true, or must engine timing be retard for it to accept 92RON?

AsiaOne Thursday, Aug 09, 2012 SINGAPORE - What used to be one of Singapore's

My insurance is due for renewal soon so run thru DA quote & a few broker quotation & found out DA quote me $13xx+ NTUC quote me $1198 & my current Liberty quote me $9xx+ for renewal.. All bro & sis,I urge u guys to get a few quote before settle with DA

recently found out car insurance Premium is higher if we have NCD.. i.e. if without NCD, premium quoted was about $2k.. but once told there is NCD, premium quoted before NCD becomes $2.5k.. net amount paid is still lower with NCD but why base premium increase?

"Nice" move from them, at least can win some votes back during their GE this year I guess.

From CNA: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1191593/1/.html S'poreans to pay higher tolls in JB? By Dylan Loh | Posted: 27 March 2012 2223 hrs SINGAPORE: Motorists who drive Singapore-registered vehicles may have to pay higher toll charges in future when going into Johor Bahru. Reports have said Malaysian authorities may be passing the cost of building the Eastern Dispersal Link, to Singapore-registered vehicles. This is even if the motorists do not use the new highway. The increased tolls may not apply to Malaysia-registered vehicles. The Eastern Dispersal Link is expected to improve accessibility in Johor Bahru and perhaps boost tourism in the area. But controversy has surrounded the project due to uncertainty over toll rates. Singapore's Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) on Transport said it would be illogical if Malaysia goes ahead with the move. GPC chair for Transport Cedric Foo said: "The way forward is to free up the impediments between travel, for travel between the two states, rather than build up more impediments. So I think this would negate investor-confidence." Mr Foo said if Malaysia raises tolls just for Singapore-registered cars, then it would be justifiable for Singapore to do the same for Malaysian cars, so there is equitable treatment. - CNA/wk

SINGAPORE: From April 1, Singaporeans returning from overseas and tourists can enjoy more Goods and Services Tax (GST) relief. Those who spend more than 48 hours abroad will be able to enjoy GST relief of up to S$600 - double the current amount of S$300.

 The Singapore Customs said the amount has been revised upwards to keep pace with rising expenditures, and brings the relief amounts closer to international norms.

 Those who are away from Singapore for less than 48 hours can get GST relief for goods valued up to S$150.

 Customs will also do away with the age criterion for GST relief claims. Currently, the GST relief depends on the traveller's age, in addition to the time he spends outside Singapore.

 Those below 18 years old currently claim a lower amount for GST relief.

 The new GST relief will apply to all travellers, including children, with the exception of pass/permit holders and crew members.

 All goods brought into Singapore for local use or consumption are subject to GST of seven per cent.

 To minimise inconvenience to travellers bringing a small amount of goods into Singapore for personal use, they are granted GST relief based on the value of goods they bring in. Such goods include new articles, souvenirs, gifts or food items.

 The GST relief does not apply to liquor, tobacco products, petroleum and goods imported for commercial purposes.

-CNA/ac Currently, no GST relief is given to those, such as day tripper to JB, who usually spent less than 24 hrs away from SG if he is below 18 years old. For day-tripper who are 18 years old & above, gets a GST relief for goods up to S$50. With the new rule to be implemented in Apr, day-tripper to Malaysia/Batam who spent less than 48 hrs away from SG, will get a GST relief for goods up to S$150 regardless of the age. Thus, for a family of 4 on a day trip to JB, the total relief will be S$600, which means a family of 4 can bring back more than RM1400 worth of goods from MY wef 1 Apr. Will this result in Singaporean making more shopping trips across the causeway? And also more traffic jams at the checkpoints?

With these new titles, you got to pay more! Please address people accordingly > >*OLD TITLES - NEW TITLES > >*Garden Boy : Landscape Executive Officer (LEO) > >*House Maid : House Upkeep Manager (HUM) > >*Receptionist : Office Access Control Manager(OACM) > >*Typist : Printed Document Handler (PDH! ) > >*Messenger : Business Communications Conveyer (BCC) > >*Window Cleaner : Transparent Wall Technician (TWT) > >*Temporary Teacher : Associate Tutor (AT) > >*Tea Boy : Refreshment Specialist (RS) > >*Garbage Collecto! r : Public Sanitation Engineer (PSE) > >*Watchman : Theft Prevention and Surveillance Officer (TPSO) > >*Prostitute : Practical Relations Manager (PRM) > >*Thief : Wealth Distribution Expert (WDE) > >*Driver : Automobile Propulsion Specialist (APS) > >*Maid : Domestic Operations Specialist (DOS) > >*Employee without Portfolio : Administration Manager (AM) > >*Cook : Food Preparation Officer (FPO) > > >Do Not Forget > >*Unemployed : Town Surveyor (TS) > >*Gossiper : Research Manager (RM)

The market-driven pricing approach taken by the government has contributed to cost in Singapore rising so rapidly, beyond the rate of growth of incomes of Singaporeans and beyond the rate of growth of company profits, Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ang Mo Kio GRC Inderjit Singh said on Tuesday. He noted that the government has often been quick to increase its various charges, allowing costs to escalate, immediately upon a recovery from an economic recession. 'Each time this happens, we bring the cost base higher without having an opportunity for cost reductions. This has led costs to unrealistically increase faster and more than profit and income growth,' Mr Singh said. An example was in 2008, when property prices rose despite the recession because of 'liberal policies on capital inflows'. 'While the government should not interfere in the private market except to curb speculation, it could have done a lot for the HDB market had it not pursued market driven pricing,' Mr Singh said. 'Also market driven pricing has created huge cost burdens and will potentially edge out many of our SMEs because of squeezed margins,' he added.

CNA news : Thundery showers ahead, flash flood reported SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency warned of thundery showers with gusty winds over many parts of Singapore between 12.50pm and 2.30pm on Thursday. Flash floods have been reported in Singapore's business district Shenton Way. Callers told Channel NewsAsia that the water level is about ankle-deep. - CNA/ck I shifted mine, have you ..... Just heard from 90.5FM - water ponding at Shenton Way now ....

I cant imagine what will be the COE like in the coming future.... SINGAPORE: Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew has said that Singapore's annual vehicle growth cap would be cut further from next year. Mr Lui did not say how much lower it will go. The quantum, he said, would be announced in October. Mr Lui said this in an interview with the local media ahead of the opening of the new Parliament sitting next week. The annual allowable vehicle growth rate now stands at 1.5 per cent. One way Singapore manages its vehicle growth population is through the vehicle quota system. Under it, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) determines the number of new vehicles allowed on the roads. It takes into account the prevailing traffic conditions and the number of vehicles taken off the roads permanently. The last time the quota was cut was in 2009, when it was halved from three per cent to 1.5 per cent. Explaining the reason for the upcoming cut, Mr Lui said one consideration is the fact that Singapore's road network will be considerably scaled down in future. "In the recent decade, I think the roads have grown by about one per cent and going forward, we think it probably will grow only about 0.5 per cent per annum, this is the road network," Mr Lui said. "You can't allow it (the vehicle quota) to grow at the rates in past years simply because the road networks are not expanding as what we have done before. "And there is also a limit to what we can do with regard to congestion pricing. So it's really trying to find a balance to these two measures". Mr Lui ruled out the possibility of a zero-per cent population growth for vehicles. "It is a combination of both ownership measures as well as usage measures that is most ideal," he said. "You could theoretically bring it down to zero or even below zero but I think it will bump up against the aspirations of some who want to own a car. "Notwithstanding whatever it is, we try to improve on the public transport system and there are those who feel that they really need a car. "They have elderly, sickly parents around and it is a lot more convenient, so we understand all that." One expert said any drastic cuts would not make sense given that the average speed on expressways last year was about 62 kilometres per hour (km/hr). It was 28 km/hr along arterial roads and within the CBD. In 2002, the average speed on expressways was 64.8 km/hr. It was 63.3 km/hr in 2010. Along arterial roads and within the CBD, the average speed was 24.6 km/hr in 2002. In 2010, the speed improved to 28 km/hr. Associate Professor Anthony Chin, director of the Economic Executive Programme at the Singapore Centre for Applied and Policy Economics, said: "Are we saying that 62.3 km/hr is not acceptable? That we have to cut ownership? "Secondly, do we understand usage behaviour well enough to just go for this blatant cut in the ownership?" "It's not just a question of ownership but it's the usage, because we are now tackling the usage problem -- congestion is a usage problem. "You can own cars but if everybody uses it at the same time, at the same location, well, you don't need a professor to tell you that you will get traffic congestion because you are just loading it into the system." Assoc Prof Chin added: "At this particular moment, the road speeds seem to be acceptable, unless you are saying that in the future, that this road space will not grow by one per cent and you don't do anything, you don't do any traffic management, you don't do any of these policies that would affect the behaviour of the motorist. "Then I would agree that you would have to cut -- that makes sense, does it not? If the space is not going to grow by so much and you want to maintain these speeds, then of course something's got to give." Industry players said the cut in vehicle growth will very likely push up car prices. Tan Chong Motor general manager of sales and marketing Ron Lim said: "Based on vehicle population numbers of 925,772 as at end-August 2011, 1.5 per cent vehicle growth would translate to 13,887 Certificates of Entitlement (COEs). "Thus, every 0.5 per cent cut will translate to 4,629 fewer COEs. "Given the total COE number to be released is dependent on the growth allowed and the replacement of deregistered vehicles, even if we assume de-registration numbers remain constant, as per numbers from January-June 2011, every 0.5 per cent cut in the population growth will translate to a cut in COE numbers by around 10 per cent compared to the current COE quota. "This situation occurs due to the already record low number of COEs released currently. "All these only point to higher COE prices which will further impact purchases, causing further delay in people replacing their vehicles, thus, not addressing the whole purpose of curbing vehicle population growth. "As the reduction of COEs will be across the board, businesses will also be impacted due to higher operating costs from commercial vehicles. "Thus, overall, this will mean an even tougher time for the auto retail industry and eventually higher ownership cost to car buyers and business." But there is some good news for motorists -- evening Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) surcharge at some gantries such as along the CTE, Chinatown and Boat Quay areas may be tweaked. Mr Lui said the tweak will involve the timing of evening ERP, not doing away with the surcharge. He said: "This is something I have asked LTA to study -- whether it's possible to tweak the timings a little bit during the evening period. "Frankly, I think there are some drivers who are prepared to pay a certain amount for ERP in order to have a smoother drive home, particularly in the evenings. "There are some who would say, 'why should I pay?' I think there is room for some re-look into the evening peak ERP, not to do away with it, but to tweak the timings." Details will be announced in October. -CNA/wk

ST Forum Stuck in housing limbo despite higher ceiling MY WIFE and I were delighted when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the income ceiling would be raised to $10,000 and $12,000 for new build-to-order (BTO) flats and executive condominiums (ECs) respectively ('HDB raises income ceiling to $10,000'; Aug 15). We checked the HDB website several days later but discovered that we were once again ineligible to apply for ECs even though our combined income falls below $12,000. That is because of a clause stating that an applicant cannot own any private property 30 months prior to EC application. We are prepared to sell our private property to apply for an EC. However, requiring us to sell it 30 months before applying for an EC does not make sense. Where will we stay for 21/2 years? In fact, if one includes the time taken for construction of the EC, we would have to spend at least five years renting a place or living with our parents. We have a toddler and plan on having another child. The waiting period will surely disrupt their education and childcare. Two years ago, we did not qualify because our combined income exceeded $8,000. With sellers seeking cash-over- valuations of between $60,000 and $90,000 in our preferred location - near both our parents' homes - we were forced to buy a small private condominium apartment that was selling at valuation as we did not have enough cash. The inescapable irony was that we qualified for a bank loan to buy a private property but did not have enough cash to buy a subsidised public flat. Being forced to buy a private home saddled us with a whopping $600,000 loan. We are toying with the idea of selling our private property as our joint income is just below the income ceiling for now, but we are uncertain if we will still be earning the same income 30 months from now. All we want is to live in a home we can afford and, yet, we are caught in a predicament. We think this could be our last chance to buy a Housing Board flat. We hope the Government would consider revising this rule for the sandwiched class. Lim Chong Wee

looks like better than nothing. but wonder how strict and how hard they will examine the qualifications and experience. let's wait and see. ----- Higher pay threshold for entry & mid-level foreign execs By S Ramesh | Posted: 16 August 2011 1422 hrs SINGAPORE: The Manpower Ministry (MOM) has announced details of the enhancements to the Employment Pass framework which will take effect from 1 January 2012. The ministry said the demand for Employment Pass has increased rapidly since the economic recovery in 2010, and it's likely to keep growing. It is introducing measures which will tighten the eligibility requirements for those entering the lower and mid-level professional and skilled jobs. The ministry added that the move will also ensure that as the salary of local workers rise, they would not be disadvantaged by Employment Pass holders who are coming in at lower wages. A key change will be to the Q1 pass. The ministry said it is tightening the educational qualifying requirements so that only those from good quality institutions will be eligible. It is also moving away from the single qualifying salary of $2,800. Instead, the applicant will have to earn at least $3,000 and the ministry will also look at his qualification and experience. For P2 pass holders, the qualifying salary will go up from the current $4,000 to $4,500. There will be no change in the qualifying salary for P1 pass holders, which will remain as $8,000. As for existing Employment Pass holders, the ministry will phase in the new requirements over the next 1 to 2 years, depending on when their current passes expire. This is to give businesses time to make necessary adjustments. For example, existing Employment Pass holders whose passes expire before 1 Jan 2012 will receive a one-time renewal of up to 2 years, based on the pre-July 2011 Employment Pass criteria. For those whose passes expire between 1 Jan 2012 and 30 June 2012, they will get a one-time renewal of up to a year, while those whose passes expire on or after 1 July 2012, will be subject to the new Employment Pass criteria. - CNA /ls

in the news yesterday. he said Singaporean understand and agree to pay higher for water supply. did u agree? did someone actually interviewed u?

I used to have this thinking that German cars, being heavier, have higher fuel consumption than Jap cars, but both BMW and Merc have higher Km/L rating than Toyota and Mazda. Toyota Prius has the best rating at 25.6km/L, follow by Merc C200 at 14.5km/L. Is this a misconception??? http://www.sgcarmart.com/new_cars/newcars_...mp;Subcode=2788 Toyota Camry 1,998 cc Fuel: 10.4 km\L Weight: 1,480 kg Mazda 6 1,999 cc Fuel: 11.4 km\L Weight: 1,407 kg Toyota Prius Hybrid 1,798 cc Fuel: 25.6 km\L Weight: 1,420 kg Lexus IS250 2,500 cc Fuel: 11.1 km\L Weight: 1,530 kg Merc C200 1,796 cc Fuel: 14.5 km\L Weight: 1,505 kg Merc E200 1,796 cc Fuel: 12.9 km\L Weight: 1,615 kg BMW 320 1,995 cc fuel: 12.6 km\L Weight: 1,465 kg

Typically no T.C Hyundai vs Honda (The Most powerful Japanese) Hyundai Elantra 1.6 (130bhp) vs Civic 1.6 (125bhp) Hyundai i45 2.0 (166bhp) vs Civic 2.0(155bhp) ...... ......

HOME > ST FORUM > ONLINE STORY Apr 13, 2011 Glad Singapore's frugal rather than profligate NOT only are our taxes low as Mr Byran Goh pointed out ("Forget pay size, this govt's value for money"; last Saturday) but also our Government has made very good use of our money - giving Singaporeans a standard of living that is higher than that in an average Western country. For example, the World Health Organisation ranked our health-care system the sixth best in the world. According to Newsweek, our education system is the fourth best in the world. We also enjoy low unemployment, strong economic growth and a strong dollar, earning us Newsweek's accolade as the world's most dynamic economy. Our per capita income (based on purchasing power parity), according to the International Monetary Fund, is around $57,000, making us the third richest country in the world. The majority of Western democracies tax their people more than Singapore does and spend even more money, resulting in massive borrowings. Yet, the performance of the average Western democracy is worse than ours in terms of education, health care, job creation and general prosperity. Their citizens pay more taxes than we do and get less of a return from their governments. Despite the exorbitant taxes, the governments have to borrow money. So while Singapore was accumulating budget surpluses over the past 40 years, which it invested in stocks and bonds, they accumulated a portfolio of debt. Tan Keng Soon

Prata man got so li hai one meh? ST Forum Mar 18, 2011 Why the President's salary is pegged higher MR TAN Chak Lim queried the provision of $4,267,500 in the Civil List for the President's salary this year ('About the President's pay...; Wednesday). As Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean explained to Parliament recently, the salaries of the President, ministers and senior civil servants are based on private sector benchmarks. The principle and benchmarks have been extensively debated in Parliament, most recently in 2007. A significant part of these salaries depends on the GDP growth rate. Hence annual salaries dropped by up to 22.5 per cent for two years during the downturn, but are expected to return to the pre-crisis level this year, in tandem with the economic recovery. Nevertheless, total annual salaries remain within the established benchmarks. The President occupies the highest office in Singapore. He exercises custodial powers to protect our past reserves and over the appointment of key public officers to protect the integrity of the public service. As the head of state, he represents the country and advances our interests internationally. This is why it is appropriate to peg the President's salary higher than ministers' and just above the Prime Minister's. Chen Hwai Liang Press Secretary to the Prime Minister