the perils of car shopping

(clockwise from top: toyota vios, suzuki swift, kia rio and kia picanto)

it's not easy to decide to get a car, especially in singapore.

when cars cost much higher than their counterparts in other countries, it's easy to make price the main criteria, but then there are lots of other things to take into account, brand, resale value, quality etc. however, it's also really easy to make the jump from one car to the next. afterall, when you are paying this much, what is a couple of thousand more for something a little better?

for those of you who aren't from around these here parts, here is a breakdown of just how much vehicles can cost. what with our small island's limited space, the government decided years ago to implement the coe (certificate of entitlement) system, where you have to bid for a limited amount of these bits of paper that costs oodles of money, at the end of which you get something that pretty much says "you are allowed to buy a car".

the good thing these days, is that all the paperwork and COE crap is thrown into the price of the vehicle. and with the elections coming up, it seems like the government is dangling a carrot in front of all us materialistic singaporeans again, this time, in the form of cheaper COEs and reduced car prices. to make it short and simple, cars are costing almost $10,000 less than the equivalent a year and a half ago. that and the number of COEs are going up. bear in mind that the prices i will quote are CURRENT estimates and will probably bounce back up again come march or april. (note: to friends overseas, pick your jaws off the floor please)

good time to buy a car? i think so.

so now that one has (somewhat) decided to plonk down a whole load of cash on a car that will last, oh, probably no more than 10 years. the next question to ask is "which one should i get?"

here is where it starts getting complicated.

a summary of my thought process:
"mmmmm... suzuki swift 1.5 ($55,800) i like!! ...but maybe a bit too expensive, so what about the cheapest?.. kia picanto ($38,000)... not bad.. but a little small...sigh... and a 1.1 litre engine which means it'll be slow, not to mention that it's touted as a woman's car in other markets... but wait... the kia rio is not too shabby! 1.4 litre manual version for about $45,000, add $2,000 more for an automatic car, but then if i get an auto, maybe the 1.6 litre might give more power (add $2,000 more). hmmm... but wait... no ABS or airbags. hold on... toyota vios? what? $52,000? 1.5 litre engine? and it comes with ABS, airbags, low fuel consumption AND the fact that it's a toyota means the resale value will be good! all that for $52,000 or so! but wait... that's only a couple of thousand less than the suzuki swift, which is the one i liked in the first place... so maybe that's not so out of reach after all..."

notice how easily my price range went from $38,000 to $55,000 in the blink of an eye? "just a couple of thousand more.."

yeah right.

so at the end of the day, which one am i going to get? damned if i know, but i think it's a toss up between the vios and the rio. afterall, they are only a few thousand dollars difference. but then again, the picanto is cheap and functional, which would compliment the motorbike i already have. and yet, the suzuki is still strangly alluring.

sigh... decisions decisions.