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Hi All, I admit that I am attracted by Jetta because it is a Europe car and the current offered price is very attractive too. it is spacious and the boot is huge. However, when I went through all the threads, it seems it got a terrible history. I have a few questions: 1) the 7 speed gear box- when I checked with the sales, he told me it is not an issue any more for those 2015 Jetta. How likely I can trust him? he told me the sales figure is good this year. 2) Currently WV only offers 3 years warranty for the gear box now. After the warranty, the sales told me it is about 2K+ to replace it. If I want to keep this car after 3 years, Do I have to budget this 2K+ every year based on the information given by some brothers in this forum. 3) Besides this gear box issue, Is there any other main issue for this model? The sales kept telling me that I don't need to worry about it any more since WV has fixed it for the year 2015 model. if it is still a concern to me, he suggested me that I can sell it just before end of the 3rd years. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks, Ken

I came across some good words of advise from MCF bros. Anyone of you seen any wise words from other MCF bros can consolidate them here. Just doing my part to build up the community.

Are You Being Penny Wise, Pound Foolish? (Or in Singapore terms, Cents Wise Dollar Foolish) Recently I had sent a friend home and went up to his apartment for a short 20 minute drink. As Murphy would have told me, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong: Saving the trouble of tearing a 50 cent coupon cost me a $30 parking fine (Gentle reminder: these highly trained ninjas catch you when you least expect it).

This is purely about the looks of cars..... Some new car models are not as pretty (or in fact even more ugly) than the older version......?? For example, some ppl feel the older WRX looks better than the newer ones. True or false??

I can pay full cash for cars not more than 30k so wondering if it is wise to buy such cars at maybe about 2-3k above scrap value then scrap it at 5th year. Some folks tell me that the maintenance will be high. I'm basing on cars which will only depreciate about 4k from 3-4 year to 5th year. Any advice?

Is it true that it is not wise to turn steering wheel when car is not moving but engine is on? even when doing 3/4 turn, we need to pump some momentum to the car before turning?

Three myths about the Singapore woman by Skilldo If you are a male and still single, you may probably have heard these myths about Singaporean women, or even more likely, you may have used them at some point in your dating career. Myth #1: Singapore girls are harder to approach It's highly likely the guy who believe this has probably approached less than than 10 women in his life. Here's the fact: if you have walked up to and chatted with enough women, you will find plenty of highly responsive ones. Sure, there are girls who have their noses in the air. If that happens to you, simply turn away and speak to another lady. There is really nothing hard about it. Never use limited references from just a few approaches to become the overall verdict about women. In the end, it's NOT that S'pore females are harder to talk to. Instead, it has got to do with how much a guy is preventing himself from going up to a girl to break the ice. Myth #2: Women in Singapore have very high standards for men I won't totally disagree with this point, but hear me out. Women all have standards. They all have "wants". In terms of the type of man they want, they say - "I want a guy to have this, I want a guy to have that." But when you attract a lady enough (even if you don't fit the description of what she says she want), she will still be happy being with you. I know women who say they want good-looking guys, but end up with common-looking ones. I also know women who say they want to get a rich guy and be a 'tai-tai' - haven't we all heard that before? - but end up with ordinary salaried males. Of course, we also know examples of rich guys getting beautiful women, but I can tell you surely that for every "rich guy gets girl" example there is out there, I can show you two more cases of "ordinary guy gets girl". And as a personal example of someone who's heard it before, there are women who say they will only consider tall men, but end up with partners who do not fit that bill. Note:I happen to be living this reality. My current girlfriend made it clear that she preferred tall guys when I first met her. Well, I'm at best average height and could have taken what she said as final. But I didn't. If one knows what attraction is all about, he should not be bothered by what a lady says she wants. Myth #3: All the pretty/nice ones are taken Not true. Maybe if you said that the hot ones are more in demand, then it's correct. But when it comes to them confirmed as being taken, then that is not the case. As we speak, countless pretty and/or nice ladies are still holding onto their single status. Again, this relates closely to being limited by a certain view. People who think all the good ones are taken obviously has not socialised enough. They observe the six gorgeous girls in their office who are all attached, and conclude that there is no one else left for them. But if a man gets to know a lot of fine-looking women from different places, they will invariably find a large number of them who are single and 'still looking'. Never be fenced up by what you're faced with. The entire Singapore is your girl-getting arena. About the writer: Skilldo is an 'ex-unhappy' Singaporean guy - who grew from being lonely,dateless and single... into breaking out of it, and obtained a fulfilling social life in meeting, dating and entering satisfying relationships with women. He is the author of 'The Ultimate Singapore Girl-Getter'. A locally-focused guide for Singapore men to approach, date and successfully attract the type of women they want for themselves. He maintains a website containing secrets and training for men at - http://www.seductionsingapore.com

Punggol resale flats close the price gap They now cost not much more than new flats in the area. -ST Sun, Mar 08, 2009 The Straits Times By Jessica Cheam PRICES of resale HDB flats in Punggol have fallen in recent weeks to the point where they are now around the same level as new ones launched barely two months ago. Normally new flats are markedly cheaper than resale ones as the Housing Board 'deeply discounts' their price to prevailing market values as a form of subsidy to first-time home buyers. But the worsening recession, fragile job market and weak property sector have closed this 'discount gap' to virtually nothing in some cases, making resale homes as attractive as new ones. This is a reversal of the trend during the pre-crisis property boom which saw first-timers flock to HDB for new flats when they found themselves priced out of the resale market. Experts also point to weaker demand for premium, five-room flat types, which has led to a drop in prices. The HDB's website this week showed that the range of resale prices for such five-roomers in Punggol had dipped, from $375,000 to $462,000 in December to about $350,000 to $440,000 last month. Out of 36 five-room transactions in February, a majority of 29 were priced below $400,000. This puts them in a similar price range as new five-roomers launched at Punggol Regalia in December at $342,000 to $428,000, and Punggol Arcadia in November at $356,000 to $416,000. Even prices at the lower end for Punggol's premium four-roomers have fallen from around $338,000 in December to $306,000 last month. First-timers eligible for housing grants that may reach as much as $70,000 could now be paying much less for a resale flat than a new one. This could prompt some cost-conscious buyers in the queue for new flats in Punggol to drop out and buy resale ones, said ERA Asia-Pacific's associate director, Mr Eugene Lim. Analysts say the dip in prices has come as home buyers are less likely to pay a premium, or cash-over-valuation, for a flat amid a deepening recession where every quarter sees fresh layoffs. When HDB launched the Punggol flats late last year, the prices were also based on earlier, higher-priced transactions so it was 'inevitable' for new and resale flat prices to have some overlap. A similar scenario was seen in the 1998 Asian financial crisis when new flat prices were 'outdated' quickly due to a downturn in the property market, said PropNex chief executive Mohamed Ismail. One such area was Jurong, where some first-time buyers eventually discovered they paid more for a new flat than for some resale flats, he said. It is difficult to compare that situation to Punggol now as the latest projects launched have a premium price due to their attractive location near Punggol MRT station and proximity to the town centre. Punggol also has long-term potential due to plans to transform it into Singapore's first waterfront public housing estate, added Mr Ismail. Chesterton Suntec International's head of research and consultancy, Mr Colin Tan, pointed out that, unlike private developers, the HDB does not have the luxury of flexibility to adjust prices according to the market immediately. 'Once they've launched, the price is fixed. So there'll always be a lag effect,' he said. One outcome might be that if the projects do not sell out, the HDB will take back surplus flats and relaunch them at a more attractive price later, he said. Engineer Tang Zhi Wei,who is in the queue to buy a flat at Punggol Regalia, said the prices of resale flats are starting to look very attractive. 'I'd be tempted to drop out and get a resale flat if time was important and I couldn't wait,' said Mr Tang, 26. But while it seems he is no longer getting a 'deep discount' for a new flat, he will still buy one as it is 'new and the location is good'. The HDB has stated previously that it follows the market and adjusts prices accordingly. In the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis when the property market suffered a severe downturn, new flats in Sengkang, for example, cost up to 30 per cent lower in 2005 than when they were first offered for sale in 1997 to 1998.

45 choose 6 = 8 145 060 combinations $.50 x 8145060 = $4,072,530 million. Pool now is $5.5million or higher. The group 2,3,4,5 price money is about $500k each group (as refered to 6th Sept07 resulte). Assuming 90% of all the other group ratio are in my winnings as well. Another $2mil x 0.9 = $1.8mill Technically invest $4.07mil, get back $7.3mil. All for ONE day investment? (if two group 1 winner, then $2.25mil + $1.8mil = $4mil almost break even. But 3 winners then lose investment.) A case of the rich getting richer scheme?

Hi all, Need your views and opinions before I get stuck with something I don't really need. In buying a condo, do I really need to get mortgage insurance? And since I'm working and my spouse is not, should I get joint mortgage insurance or just insurance for me. By the way, our loan is for 30yrs. My loan agent said should get one. One of my friend said should only get for me, as my spouse anyway is not contributing to income. Would like to understand the pros and cons of getting/not getting mortgage insurance. Your opinions pls. Thanks, An