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Opel Car (Shrunk)

Yes, you must have read somewhere (for the umpteen time) that Singapore is indisputably the most expensive country to purchase a car, even more so than Hong Kong.

Just to illustrate, at today’s COE price averaging S$70,000 for 1.6l cars, an entry level Toyota Corolla Altis goes for S$120,000. In Malaysia, it cost about S$42,500. Faraway in US, this car is yours for about S$20,000.

As an ex-public officer, I understand the intent behind the high car tax structures and ERP gantries that mercilessly serves the objective of reducing congestion and discouraging ownership. On my part, I invest in a good GPS so I don’t waste petrol and time getting lost. “Happily retired” also means I can run my errands at off peak hours and avoid peak hours congestion and ERP charges. That’s how i adjust. Oh and I cycle (enjoy it thoroughly) and take public transport too.

If a car is a necessity to you, sure, go ahead and get one. Be mindful however of what you leave behind on the table for the dealer. I believe in a fair deal and avoid buying cars that are highly marked up.

If you study the table below which I’ve compiled from public data provided by LTA as at 1 Apr 2013, when COEs were $61,029 and $67,010 for Cat A and B respectively, you will be astounded by the additional taxes (Additional Registration Fees – ARF, Custom Duties, Registration Fees and COE) paid above the open market prices (OMV) and the dealers’ markup which varies from -2% (Yes, it’s no typo as that NISSAN model was priced to be offloaded) to more than 50%. No prize though for guessing which brands and models are highly marked up (Feel free to ask for serious freebies from their sales staff!) There are a couple of surprises though and you’ll have fun drawing your own conclusions.

As a savvy car buyer who sees my car as a form of transport rather than an ego booster, you will not see me coveting those cars with extremely high dealer margins.

Happy savvy car shopping!

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	Car Model	Avg OMV	Taxes + COE	Total Base Cost	Dealer's Price	Mark up
1	B.M.W. 520I 2.0L AT	41,422	128,904	170,327	267,800	57%
2	B.M.W. 528I 2.0L AT	46,849	138,044	184,893	288,800	56%
3	B.M.W. 730LI AT D/AB 4DR	73,795	192,939	266,734	413,800	55%
4	B.M.W. 740LI AT SR LED DSC	91,023	228,843	319,866	473,800	48%
5	B.M.W. 640I GRAN COUPE 4DR	78,589	202,930	281,519	413,800	47%
6	VOLVO XC60 T5	38,611	124,171	162,783	235,000	44%
7	B.M.W. 320I AT D/AB 4DR ABS	36,665	120,894	157,559	223,800	42%
8	VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN 2.0 TSI AT	36,250	120,195	156,445	221,300	41%
9	VOLVO XC90 T5 R-DESIGN	50,391	144,165	194,556	275,000	41%
10	B.M.W. 116I AT ABS D/AIRBAG	27,412	99,331	126,743	178,800	41%
11	B.M.W. 316I 1.6 AT D/AB 4DR	32,808	108,419	141,226	197,800	40%
12	TOYOTA CAMRY 2.0 AUTO	24,391	100,225	124,616	169,888	36%
13	TOYOTA ALPHARD CVT	43,728	132,789	176,517	238,888	35%
14	VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 1.4 TSI DSG	27,406	99,321	126,727	169,300	34%
15	HONDA CR-V 2.4L SUNROOF	29,892	109,488	139,380	184,900	33%
16	HONDA ODYSSEY 2.4L EXV	29,337	108,553	137,891	182,900	33%
17	VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE 1.2 TSI AT	19,367	86,036	105,403	139,300	32%
18	TOYOTA VIOS 1.5 E AUTO	11,077	75,391	86,469	113,888	32%
19	TOYOTA WISH CVT	23,453	98,646	122,099	159,888	31%
20	MERCEDES ML 350 BLUEEFFICIENCY	66,385	177,496	243,881	318,888	31%
21	VOLKSWAGEN SCIROCCO 1.4 TSI AT	25,861	96,719	122,581	159,800	30%
22	TOYOTA LEXUS GS350 LUXURY AT	64,609	173,796	238,405	307,000	29%
23	HONDA CIVIC 1.6L VTIS AT	17,740	83,947	101,687	130,900	29%
24	TOYOTA LEXUS GS250 AT	49,007	141,678	190,685	244,000	28%
25	VOLVO V60 T4	35,310	112,631	147,941	189,000	28%
26	VOLVO S80 T4	37,153	115,736	152,888	195,000	28%
27	TOYOTA COROLLA ALTIS 1.6 A	15,150	80,622	95,772	121,888	27%
28	VOLKSWAGEN CC 1.8 TSI AT	34,019	116,439	150,457	190,800	27%
29	VOLVO V40 CROSS COUNTRY T4	30,323	104,234	134,557	170,000	26%
30	VOLVO S60 T4	32,088	107,206	139,294	175,000	26%
31	VOLKSWAGEN JETTA 1.4 TSI AT	20,994	88,523	109,517	137,300	25%
32	VOLKSWAGEN POLO 1.2 TSI AT	15,572	81,163	96,735	120,800	25%
33	KIA SPORTAGE 2.0(A) SUNROOF	21,319	95,052	116,371	143,999	24%
34	JAGUAR XJ 3.0S/C PL LWB	79,069	203,931	283,000	350,000	24%
35	KIA SORENTO SUV 2.4 6AT FWD	27,373	105,247	132,620	163,999	24%
36	HONDA STREAM 1.8L RSZ	25,024	101,291	126,315	155,900	23%
37	TOYOTA AURIS CVT	25,193	95,595	120,788	148,888	23%
38	JAGUAR XF 2.0L GTDI	49,939	143,248	193,187	238,000	23%
39	MERCEDES E250 BLUEEFFICIENCY	52,209	147,955	200,163	244,888	22%
40	JAGUAR XJ 3.0S/C PL SWB	74,694	194,813	269,507	328,000	22%
41	HONDA ACCORD 2.4L AT	30,784	110,991	141,775	168,900	19%
42	MERCEDES E200 BLUEEFFICIENCY	50,759	144,933	195,692	229,888	17%
43	MERCEDES BENZ SL 500	152,203	356,342	508,545	587,888	16%
44	VOLKSWAGEN GOLF A7 1.4 TSI	25,520	96,145	121,665	138,800	14%
45	NISSAN MURANO 2.5 CVT ABS D/AB	39,717	126,033	165,751	179,800	8%
46	NISSAN SYLPHY 1.6 CVT ABS	14,902	80,303	95,205	102,800	8%
47	NISSAN TEANA 2.0L CVT ABS	25,208	101,601	126,809	136,800	8%
48	NISSAN QASHQAI 2.0L CVT ABS	21,174	94,808	115,981	119,800	3%
49	NISSAN ALMERA 1.5 4AT ABS	14,511	79,801	94,312	92,800	-2%

Car Prices as at 1 Apr 2013. All figures in SGD

Singaporean wants to go to Mars

A 53-year-old Singaporean widower by the nickname of Robinson has applied for a one way mission to Mars to build a permanent human colony. Motivated to apply after his wife passed away, Robinson reckoned his 3 children would have grown up by the time the space mission is launched in 2023.

Recognizing that he is running out of time, Robinson is determined to live a meaningful life for himself and mankind even in his twilight years.

He said that space traveling has always been his dream and claimed to be able to run a full marathon in 5 hours.

The worldwide search for volunteers like Robinson is conducted by Mars One, as part of a Dutch televised reality show to set up home on Mars in 2023, with more astronauts arriving every two years thereafter.

Mars One long

Robinson’s quest to be part of this brave new adventure set me thinking deep into the night. At 34, I needed a challenge , an impossible fight. For a long time ever since I was a kid, I had pondered long and hard about the afterlife. Death is something we all think about but quickly push to the back of our heads, thinking, “it’s not my time yet, silly.”

jellyfish

There is actually a sea creature that lives forever. I kid you not. One specie of jellyfish, Turritopsis nutricula, is actually immortal! It is able to transform its cells from mature state back to immaturity. The medusa leads a regular cycle of life, but after maturing and mating, it reverts back to its initial state – a polyp colony. The process is referred to as “transdifferentiation”, and this jellyfish lives forever.

There is a lot of research going on in the area of immortality, scientifically known as cell regeneration and I have decided that I will devote my resources to support this frontier of research. There will be a lot of vested interest in this area especially from the pharmaceutical boys and the immense challenge would be to support this research from an accountable, non-profit setup which will ensure that research in this area reaches its full potential for all of us. Just as open source coding has allowed the world wide web to grow beyond our wildest imagination, the same will apply to cell regeneration research built upon such vision of open sharing, backed by strong dedicated funding.

If heaven is the euphemism for immortality, let me try, in my own little way to bring it to the present! Even if the research is only able to extend plant life for 50 years, it would be a remarkable achievement, don’t you think?

A fellow Singaporean, Robinson has inspired me to take on my impossible fight and it is our hope that by knowing how to invest confidently, you’ll be financially secure enough to have time to find your own impossible fight, whatever and wherever it brings you!

Our Best, Always.

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How much are you leaving on the table when you buy a brand new car? – 7 Jun 2013

A meaningful pursuit – 1 June 2013