car or not?

[sai]

hey guys

i am moving from southern california to singapore in a month or so. i was wondering if i really need to invest in a car? a car is absolutely necessary in la just to go to the grocery store. is singapore more like nyc where a lot of people use the subway or cabs? can i pull off the no car shin dig?

mucho gracias in advance.

[mm]

If you are single I think you could definitely get away with no car very easily. We know lots of single people and married couples with no kids who don't have cars and manage just fine. Public transit is good and easy to use and taxis are plentiful and cheap. You can even have your groceries delivered to you, so you don't have to go to the store at all if you don't want to!

We do have a car, but it is because we have young children and it is difficult to get around using public transit with strollers and using car seats in taxis is near impossible.

Good luck with your move!

[sai]

awesome. read the forum earlier and there were mixed views about owning cars. your message really helped. thanks a mill! i

[jivintan]

Hi Sai,

for most expats in Singapore, its cheaper to LEASE instead of own a car. I've served few expats this month and they have happily obtained a lease from me. Indeed, I just pass the car to one of them.

We do lease new (for 2 year contract and above) and used cars and although some expats want new car, others prefer used car as well. So this is up to individual.

Feel free to email me for more details. Have a nice weekend.

[jpatokal]

I'll add a vote to the "not" category. The MRT is so efficient and taxi fares are so cheap in Singapore (especially compared to the cost of owning a car) that there's very little reason to own a car here.

One caveat: this depends a bit on where you live. The popular expat haunts of Holland Village and Bukit Timah are both hard (or at least slow) to access by public transport.

[not needed]

there is nooo need for a car in singapore. public transport is the best whether you have children or not.

btw, how much does buying/maintaning a car cost you in la ?

[sai]

you can get a car for any price stateside. from 200 clams upwards. in la, you can find a car from 500 skins on up. what you have worry is if the car is in good shape or not?

in la, you would worry about smog emissions. if your car does not pass it, it cannot be registered. most people are going for dealer certified used cars. car tax is high in california. then the car needs to be comfortable, cuz you can be guranteed to be stuck in traffic. most i have been in one is seven hours on the freeway at that. luckily i drive a camry and so i just reclined back and took in the traffic. if you were in a hot little ferrari, you would probably shoot yourself.

insurance is a bummer too if you have do not have driving history in the us. they will charge you an arm and a leg. it gets lower once you turn 25, have three years of driving experience atleast and are married.

the whole car thing is different from city to city. you NEED a car in la. la is like a tri-county area streching from zuma beach up north to laguna beach down south and it is fast going to encapsulate san deigo county too. so you will la county, san deigo county, orange county and riverside county all as just la.

ok this is getting out of hand. i shall stop now.

[NBB]

When I arrive in Singapore next month, I know I'm not going to miss my car, even though in Europe I've always had one. Singapore public transport is the best I've seen anywhere, miles ahead of places like Paris, London, Amsterdam, probably most of the US. Very regular, very comfortable, very clean and very efficient.

Sai, just get yourself an EZlink card and you're away. No parking hassles, no huge bite out of your wallet, no jams.

Plus, if you go some place w/o an MRT, just get a cab. There's tonnes around and they're very affordable.

BTW, everything is aircon, even the buses.

NBB

[harri]

NBB is right. Anyway sai if you want to buy keep anything above $40000 for a second hand car or $70000 for a first hand 1.6l i guess.