huge huge dilemma. 4 wheels vs 2 wheels vs principles/financial consideration

[Guest]

hi all ok i'm kinda caught between a rock and a hard place here.

 

got my class 3 last dec and have been driving my mom's toyota previa the last 4 mths. started bike lessons somewhere ard march (much to her disapproval) and i've made known to her my intention to purchase a bike after/if i pass my tp in june.

 

she's offering to buy me a car but only on the condition that i don't buy a bike. also, the car has to cost less than 50k. she'll pay for the road tax, insuarance and other 'fixed' costs. the variables, mainly fuel and servicing will be borne by me.

 

so i have a few questions here.

 

1) should i buckle and take the car? i'll be starting uni in july so basically on a student's budget. can i afford to pay for the fuel given that i'll drive to sch everyday. (allowance will be 400 plus my tuition income will be bout 700 in all a mth tho i can't say for sure how much my expenses in uni will be. i live in thomson and will be going to nus. live in private estate so no parking charges to consider)

 

2) i get q a kick out of riding on a bike but the general consensus from relatives/frens is that riding on sgp roads is bloody dangerous. is it that bad?

 

3) if i do take the car, i'm looking at the suzuki swift. been looking thru the classifieds and parallel imports for some of the models do seem to fulfil the price range category. is the swift a good choice (PI plus tink it's 1.3A)?

 

ok so i'm stuck here. mainly cos i'm 20 and this will be the first major purchase i'll be making (or rather my mom's making for me)

 

kindly give your opinions with regards to the a/m 3 main points of contention. any sensible input will be very much appreciated. thanks!

[ChaoPuzzy1968]

you get car , bang with ppl...ppl die:cry: , u no die.

 

you get bike....anyway also die.

 

follow mommy advise go get car..

 

I get bike ...because i tell mommy shut up!

 

now i bike rider waiting to die...u want to follow?

[jB]

Singapore is not a bad country to ride, considering the lil amount of Holes and number of streetlights we have.

 

1) you prepare to gamble your life once you mount your bike

2) to live how well depends on how well(mannered;blindspots etc) you ride

3) misc reasons like drunk drivers and your bike problems can kill you too

4) you ride fast doesn't necessary mean you'll crash and die

5) you ride slow doesn't necessary mean nobody will bang you

6) I'm feeling sleepy, if you think you're not the type to whine about cuts here and there then ride. If not, don't endanger your life and others while putting your family with worries day in/out.

 

Tomorrow morning its my friend's 100th day death anniversary.

Godspeed

[arsie]

You have to ask yourself if you will drive or ride in a way that will endanger your own life. If you will, it does not matter if you are driving a car or riding a bike.

 

Your mother is not making a buying decision for you. She is buying the car for you, like she bought your diapers and milk powder.

 

The next question is, are you making this decision to appease your parents? If so, then I suggest you take the bus until you can afford to buy a car on your own.

 

It seems that your mother can afford to own two cars, but are you grown up enough not to burden her with buying a car for you that will be under-utilised as you are just a university student? Are you grown up enough to know how precious your own life is and take care of it? If not, stick to being a rich kid.

[stanco]

ans to your questions from my POV

 

1) is the car/bike really a need or a want? if you only intend to drive to sch and occasionally going out with friends and under used it, i advice you not to cos most of the time it gonna only be in the parking lot. don't give the govt more excuse to increase erp or other charges due to increasing number of cars.

 

NUS got hostel ma. stay there, you dont even need to take any transport plus all the fun you will get with others hostel mates.

 

$700 is enough for petrol but when you need to do servicing plus the normal petrol usage, either you are gonna eat grass for that month or your mum will have to step in again. another alternative would be come out with another lump sum, convert it to a CNG car.

 

2) no road is a sure safe place to ride on. the road can be clear of vehicles, but there are another hundred ways and reasons you may fall. apart from that, you have to keep a lookout for other road users as well. many a times, alot of driver just turn out of slip road or junction without noticing us. taxi cutting into your lane and do a e-brake. so is it safe or bloody dangerous?

 

3) i dont know much abt the pricing of the car so can't help much. but if you really intend to buy 1, do check and figure out what are the known and hidden cost of owning a car. the petrol, maintainance, parking (when u go out), break-down, plus a bit of spare cash in case of emergency. one of my friend got $200 poorer the first day he drove cos he beat a red light camera.

 

ultimately we can only advice, whether to heed it or not, it all boils down to you again. hope that help.

[spy622]

if ur parents r supportive in getting u a car bearing the "fixed" costs n had no home parking to worry abt, estimated monthly expenses will be around 500-800 depending on ur usage considering fuel, erp, parking at other places n also ur regular servicing...the advice is get a new car or anything less than 3yrs old whereby servicing will be juz down to the regular servicing without wear n tear repairs then it will be better in such a way whereby u will not hav unforseen cases when u need to fork out $$ on certain repair cost.

 

n of coz having supportive parents is 1 major bonus dat u shld really consider yourself in getting the car becoz at the end of the day no matter wat happens they will still help u here n there.

 

IF the biker's blood is in u, it is nv too late to get a bike when ur older n when ur parents gives u the go-ahead to do it.

 

drive a car it is sure better

[Nomed]

hi all ok i'm kinda caught between a rock and a hard place here.

 

mom's toyota previa

 

she's offering to buy me a car

 

she'll pay for the road tax, insuarance and other 'fixed' costs. the variables,

 

i live in thomson in private estate

 

i'm looking at the suzuki swift.

 

 

Your life is made, you are one lucky person.

 

what's the question again ?

[Ah jian_82]

Well.... First of all... Do u really think is sensible to waste all ur 'salary' into ur transportation from point a to b? Maintenance, fuel season parking in NUS, parking in tuitoring plc etc etc would easily cost more or maybe 70-80% of ur total 'salary'... Hence you will not have any allowance left for you to pamper yourself on clothes and leisure.

 

To me, car is just a Transportation for the sake of convenient for enabling 1 to bring 'people' to 1 place to another, which meant to say 1 whom has a family. Hence if u are thinking for transportation for your own, i would rather u take taxi to sch everyday as the expenses would be around same...

 

Beside, the final decision is still on your hand whereby ur mum would buy u a car provided u dun ride. However, if u dun wanna let your parent worry about you all the time when u ride, then dun ride. As u can do that once you been true to yourself able passion in biking when u start to live on ur own in future. Hence i would rather u suggest to them to increase your transport allowance for enabling u to take cab to school.

 

Do think carefully ya...

[DaN zI]

hmmx from my view its all depends on u , do u really like bike or u jus wanna get a transport around ? if u r e latter jus take e offer , but if u really have passion for bike and love e feelin of it , jus continue takin ur bike and i believe u can afford on ur own . Live ur life to e fullest wif no regret . i believe its destinated to "go" if u have to . lolz

[xiaobanz]

you get car , bang with ppl...ppl die:cry: , u no die.

 

you get bike....anyway also die.

 

follow mommy advise go get car..

 

I get bike ...because i tell mommy shut up!

 

now i bike rider waiting to die...u want to follow?

 

Haha yupz yupz love what you say man. But SG aren't so bad if you are careful. Is cos some riders / drivers are reckless that's why.

[Arcfire]

You would have to ask yourself whether you are riding just because it looks cool, macho or do you truly enjoy riding?

Also, do you think you will ride for long? How safe do you think you'll be?

 

If you can answer these questions yourself *touch your heart*, you already have an answer.

The fact that you are giving tuition is a sign that you do not want to rely too much on your parents or they are extremely strict with your pocket money. If its the former then kudos to you. Do you really want to burden your parents with that extra cost? Do note that your uni fees alone will come up to about 45K-50K(for a normal 4 year course). That is already the fixed cost of the car. Parking btw, is not free in NUS.

 

On the other hand, with a car, you will also become a personal chauffer to many girls and friends. Can you handle that? If you are unable to be generous about the use of your car i suggest you reconsider getting it.

[ChaoPuzzy1968]

Haha yupz yupz love what you say man. But SG aren't so bad if you are careful. Is cos some riders / drivers are reckless that's why.

 

I love riding ....and I kind of feel one day it be on the bike riding that I die:faint:

 

but i die happy:cool:

 

 

someone once syde only a rider knows why the dog like to stick the head out of the car....

 

 

my answer...to get chop!

[speedevil]

Since ur mom goin to bear the main cost, i suggest u get the car.

The time u juz got ur 2b lic, the first yr of riding is also the time when u r most prone to accident, cause u lacking of road experience.

[MUSHA]

Buy the car lah. Free leh. U buy bike, u fork out everything yourself. Ask your mum for a bit more budget at $60k. Tell her small cars got risk too - not enough power to climb slopes, draggy when fully loaded, aircon won't be cold, etc.

 

Don't tell your mum i say one...

[Keynes]

1) should i buckle and take the car? i'll be starting uni in july so basically on a student's budget. can i afford to pay for the fuel given that i'll drive to sch everyday. (allowance will be 400 plus my tuition income will be bout 700 in all a mth tho i can't say for sure how much my expenses in uni will be. i live in thomson and will be going to nus. live in private estate so no parking charges to consider)

 

2) i get q a kick out of riding on a bike but the general consensus from relatives/frens is that riding on sgp roads is bloody dangerous. is it that bad?

 

3) if i do take the car, i'm looking at the suzuki swift. been looking thru the classifieds and parallel imports for some of the models do seem to fulfil the price range category. is the swift a good choice (PI plus tink it's 1.3A)?

 

 

Hi.

 

1) What is your resaon to dirve? For convienence? To impress? For status? If for convienence, how much $ do you thk is worth to buy that convienence? Frankly, whether the money comes from u or ur parents are irrelevant, because both are money, your mum also need to earn that money, so consider the fact tt u buy ur own suzuki swift, are u willing to pay for it?

 

2) Bikes are more dangerous yes, but u can be safe, and believe me, u can. I drive for 5 yrs (solid daily driving, at least 50 km /day), before I started to ride (now almost 5 yrs), I got 3 minor accidents in driving but touch wood, none in riding. When riding, u will be very careful than driving, so it's ok, but make sure u get enough rd experience first, I got the rd ex while driving, so tt's account for the 3 acc, and I'm lucky my learning curve is over (I hope!).

 

3) Suzuki Swift is a good choice for starters.

 

When driving, u leave 3 seats empty, most of the time, when riding, u leave 1 seat empty, most of the time. Isn't it a waste?

 

IMHO, problems of driving are:-

1) high costs, which I thk is not worthwhile,

2) u will have little excuse not to ferry girls, friends, classmates, and end up u are paying for all the extra expenses, parking, petrol, and reach home the latest, and very tired. This is real life, unless u are strong enough to say no to ur friends.

 

Pronlems with riding:-

1) u are more lonely, b cos ur friends will either hitch a ride from other friends or take public transport, they have ppl to chat (or sms) when moving from pt a to b, u are alone.....

2) u don't like to go out when raining or when very hot.

[biting_point]

buy the car, but needa rise the budget a bit higher for Jap cars..

Suzuki Swift is good..

 

go take license till CL2, if years down the rd, you still interested in biking, use your own money to buy a bike..

[Maldini03]

I assume yr family is rich. Since yr mum dun feel the pinch of buying you a car. Decide on which car to buy.

 

Many people here are speaking from their perspective and on the average, most singaporeans have some difficulties maintaining a car so their opinion does not applies to the rich. Spending a bit of $$ to ensure yr safely and comfort and a peace of mind for them are worth it. In the event, you cannot afford you can always go back to yr parent.

 

Second issues, you are pursuing a degree in NUS, why jeopardise yr future after paying so much for yr school fees in the event you meet an fatal accident on a bike.

 

Conclusion... yr parents are rich, dun ill treat yrself, It doesnt make u less mature if u take the car.

[Keynes]

To the Thread-starter,

 

The oipinions are all for u to consider, the final decision is all up to u.

 

Trust me, if u really have "riding blood" in u, u'll NEVER give up riding a bike even if u decided to drive a car now.

 

Even in future (and I can c tt u have a bright future), u can afford luxurious cars to drive, u'll still admire beatuiful bikes in carparks, of bikes stopping beside u at traffic lights, and u'll drive a car to visit bike shops just to admire and worship those beauties.....

 

I did tt last time, bike shops sales man asked "Is tt ur car, u want to buy a bike? For weekend bike is it?", they didn't treat me seriously.

 

Although rare, there are ppl in S'pore still riding a goldwing during weekends and use their cars for work during weedays.

 

Perhaps tt will be a better path for u if u drive first, so that the learning curve is on cars, not bikes.

[Throttle]

hi all ok i'm kinda caught between a rock and a hard place here.

 

got my class 3 last dec and have been driving my mom's toyota previa the last 4 mths. started bike lessons somewhere ard march (much to her disapproval) and i've made known to her my intention to purchase a bike after/if i pass my tp in june.

 

she's offering to buy me a car but only on the condition that i don't buy a bike. also, the car has to cost less than 50k. she'll pay for the road tax, insuarance and other 'fixed' costs. the variables, mainly fuel and servicing will be borne by me.

 

so i have a few questions here.

 

1) should i buckle and take the car? i'll be starting uni in july so basically on a student's budget. can i afford to pay for the fuel given that i'll drive to sch everyday. (allowance will be 400 plus my tuition income will be bout 700 in all a mth tho i can't say for sure how much my expenses in uni will be. i live in thomson and will be going to nus. live in private estate so no parking charges to consider)

 

2) i get q a kick out of riding on a bike but the general consensus from relatives/frens is that riding on sgp roads is bloody dangerous. is it that bad?

 

3) if i do take the car, i'm looking at the suzuki swift. been looking thru the classifieds and parallel imports for some of the models do seem to fulfil the price range category. is the swift a good choice (PI plus tink it's 1.3A)?

 

ok so i'm stuck here. mainly cos i'm 20 and this will be the first major purchase i'll be making (or rather my mom's making for me)

 

kindly give your opinions with regards to the a/m 3 main points of contention. any sensible input will be very much appreciated. thanks!

 

 

When i was 19, my father offered to buy me a car if i gave up riding.

I told him that, i do not need a car at that stage, a bike is more than sufficient. I was more keen on riding than i was on driving.

 

From your posts, it is clear to me that you prefer the car.

If your mum can afford it, then get it.

However, i feel it's extravagant anyhow.

 

Dont forget that with possessions come responsibilities.

So please drive carefully and dont let your loved ones down.

[LordCani]

If u haven started riding at all then dont ride lor, i assume your family is quite ok financially so take the car la. But you gotto consider this and that first, parking 1/2hr cost 50cents, wanna po heng suay dont put, kena $30, coupon exceed abit, another $10 or $20. Park at red lot awhile go pack lunch, kena $50. Nowadays cisco very on one! you stop awhile with engine on they also wanna summon!

 

Since you getting new car then ok la it comes with warranty... but when time comes you have to service this service that, nothing to service already u will find things to zeng the car. See pple change exhaust change rims you also feel like changing, if you dont change? Then everyday u will think about it... Even when the what ambipur dries up already, it cost $5+ to refill! Then u realise... u become a slave to your car.

 

Another thing is at this point of time u will think "oh from my house to school and back i can set aside how much how much for petrol." But then got car already different, "Orchard ah? Ok!".. Sure run here run there then have to pick your friends this and that, then paisay ma sometimes still have to send pple home... all these contributes alot. See the fuel go to "E" already go pump also heartache... full tank + - $100...

 

So maybe u can consider public too!

[Refugee]

continue to drive your mama's toyota....

 

at the same time get your bike..

 

alternate your riding and driving... makes you a better road user eventually...

 

character building...

[Gomo]

if owning another car is like a piece of cake for your family then get the car lah. But dun be like some of my friends buy car rear seats put trash only.

[minorsage]

hi all ok i'm kinda caught between a rock and a hard place here.

 

got my class 3 last dec and have been driving my mom's toyota previa the last 4 mths. started bike lessons somewhere ard march (much to her disapproval) and i've made known to her my intention to purchase a bike after/if i pass my tp in june.

 

she's offering to buy me a car but only on the condition that i don't buy a bike. also, the car has to cost less than 50k. she'll pay for the road tax, insuarance and other 'fixed' costs. the variables, mainly fuel and servicing will be borne by me.

 

so i have a few questions here.

 

1) should i buckle and take the car? i'll be starting uni in july so basically on a student's budget. can i afford to pay for the fuel given that i'll drive to sch everyday. (allowance will be 400 plus my tuition income will be bout 700 in all a mth tho i can't say for sure how much my expenses in uni will be. i live in thomson and will be going to nus. live in private estate so no parking charges to consider)

 

2) i get q a kick out of riding on a bike but the general consensus from relatives/frens is that riding on sgp roads is bloody dangerous. is it that bad?

 

3) if i do take the car, i'm looking at the suzuki swift. been looking thru the classifieds and parallel imports for some of the models do seem to fulfil the price range category. is the swift a good choice (PI plus tink it's 1.3A)?

 

ok so i'm stuck here. mainly cos i'm 20 and this will be the first major purchase i'll be making (or rather my mom's making for me)

 

kindly give your opinions with regards to the a/m 3 main points of contention. any sensible input will be very much appreciated. thanks!

 

get the car first since your family can well-afford it.

anyway you are living in a private estate, don't need to worry about parking charges.

 

your mum is concerned about your safety.

 

after you are USED and familiar with road using your car, can consider upgrading your license and getting your bike again.

 

since every fixed costs is paid, and you are only paying for the petrol.

i am sure $700 is no problem at all if you travel mainly to school.

 

assuming your swift can travel 14km/l, at current prices, $700 can allow you to travel ~ 5000km a month. (from thomson to NUS around 16-18km only)

 

if you just travel to school and go other places during weekends, $150 for petrol should be enough.

[Guest]

hey thx a lot for the input everybody. i took the car in the end. got the lancer ex. it's really q a cool drive and aft balancing my specific needs/wants and of cos the veto factor that the car was comfortably within our finances a car has more going for it for now.

 

i'll take the occasional ride on my frens' bikes tho. and will continue with 2a/2 in the years to come. working towards the day when i can stake ownership in my own set of wheels, bike car or otherwise heh. thx eh everyone=)

[ben1112]

Remember to give way to bikers.