[Discussion] Issues regarding owning of Bike and Car

[Slow Poke]

As above, which more economical over long term? Say, a second hand OPC car together with a class 2 bike (both about 5 year old) compared against a second hand normal plate car (5 year old).

 

Long term costs, running costs etc. What are ur opinions? Curious...

[Pizzaboy]

I suggest u get a normal black carplate and concentrate sorely on 1 veh upkeep rather than wasting on another bike...Unless kena lottery diff strory

[wait4me]

i feel if more safe should be class 2a (S4) and a opc car

 

why i say s4 , dun flame my views

cuase i feel s4 as a transport bike is more cost efficent then fazer 6 or 1 ?

as in insurance and road tax..

 

but if money is really not an issue , of coz black plate car and class 2 liao

[DaN zI]

If $$ nt an issue , bike as a toy car as transport .. But I feel one vehicle cheaper as less maintainuecd

[Yongster]

Depends on usage..... I would go with 1 vehicle cos as long as it is left parked, it is under ultilised...... Anyway, in terms of fixed costs..... it doesn't vary much except for road tax which is only once every 6 months.....And the machine costs..... other than that... it is pretty much the same to mi.......

 

As for variable costs, depends on how much u wan to mod your car.....

 

U can save alot when u just stay stock.........

[Kman]

I had both the spectrum my zx12 and my astina( the 12 was more ex to maintain) but it was fun but since car was black plate cost altogather v high. Than bought a lancer sold the bike felt horrible had no alternative lancer was cheap to maintn though. So current choice rxz (close ot zero maintnece) and weekend wrx (fun but nothing like the 12r) cost wise preety close to black plate car.But the car is getting old and might soon turn ex .

 

 

Hey slowpoke hows it going man long time no see eh.

[Slow Poke]

ok lah kman.

 

In the end i went for a 600cc bike and weekend sedan car. Slap on $20 if feel like it on rainy days. Cost wise add up should be lower than just a black plate, unless the car requires serious repairs like an overhaul, or air con spoil. So far so good. Keep my fingers crossed neither vehicle chut stunt.

[biting_point]

I got my DRZ as transport and track, sometimes short trips..

My OPC Swift as standby and going long trips.. been to BKK once and KL, Malacca, Gentings numerous times..

 

Upkeep was fairly simple for both..

Did monthly EO change for DRZ since only 2 bottles with reuseable oil filter..

Car's EO change normally by mileage.. car was seldom used unless i'm going for multiple trips and long distance..

 

DRZ's been sapping most of the money on mods..

The car is just had minimal cosmetics..

 

I reckon a 2B or 2A bike with OPC car a good combo..

If i were to chose again, I'll still take DRZ but a cheaper car like Chevy or Proton instead of Suzuki..

[Slow Poke]

yeah.. same plan biting_point. That was what I had in mind. Bike for transport is really more economical. Other OPCs in the range of 10k plus for 5 year old cars are Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Picanto etc. Its pretty low depreciation, given many have parf value of around 5k or so. Just hope don't break down. If not can bang head.

 

But being a biker at heart, I need my 600ccs for bike lah.. The twistees on the open country roads in Malaysia and the air there smells better with a little more HP

[Throttle]

Bro, if you are thinking so hard, it means your pocket may not be very ready.

 

I would advise you to just focus on owning one and making the best of your money while you are young instead of going around accumulating debts.

 

and if they are fully paid, you could consider encashing one of them so that you have cash in case of emergencies.

 

good luck

[rezz_shaz]

it's all goes down to one self affordability, from maintaining, road tax, insurance, etc.... and never take into account of topping-up across the causeway as part of u're calculations. After all that u must still have enough to eat, savings and holiday...

[Throttle]

it's all goes down to one self affordability, from maintaining, road tax, insurance, etc.... and never take into account of topping-up across the causeway as part of u're calculations. After all that u must still have enough to eat, savings and holiday...

 

You wanna sell your bike?

I'm quite keen on FZ1N

[rhema83]

Not trying to make fun of anyone here. But I feel that if you need to think hard about it, you are not going to be financially comfortable. Since TS already made his decision, it's a little late, but perhaps you'd still like to hear my story.

 

I switched from a literbike to a car last year, but switched back to a middleweight (with a box ) a month back. The reason is, if I am spending close to $1000 per month (all-inclusive average) on my car and I drive it mainly to work, it effectively means a pay cut of $1200/mo before CPF! That adds up to $14400/yr! Huge "pay cut" that I am not willing to live with. Plus I didn't even drive much over weekends because parking in downtown areas is a pain. Usually I took the MRT instead. One less reason for me to keep the car.

 

After all the calculations, I came to the conclusion that it would cost a lot less to own a middleweight bike for daily use, and take cab whenever I wish I had a car. So far I have not exercised the option to take cab yet.

[WildCard]

Need some input from owners of an OPC car and small bike.

 

Situation is like this:

 

I'm thinking of getting a small family car for weekend use recently.

 

At present, I'm using my Africa Twin to send my wife to work in the East before I head off to work in Central. We stay in the West.

On weekends, we usually spend most of Saturday at my parent's place and might head out for some minor shopping after that. Sunday is rest day or some light outing with my family.

 

Now, my wife might be transferred to a new site office in the West as well with transportation provided to send her within 10 minutes of our house. So its now just me and my bike to work.

 

I'm thinking of downgrading to a smaller bike (say a used $2K-$3K Phantom 200) and get an used OPC car for weekend family outings and trips with my wife & son and sometimes my parents along. The bike will be used only by me on weekdays to work and weekends for quick trips to the grocers and such.

 

I saw some ads in SGCarMart for a 1.2-1.3 Suzuki Swift auto OPC for like 200++ a month.

Have driven one for the weekend after passing my Class 3 last week and it seemed perfect for my needs.

 

My questions would be:

 

1. Most importantly, for my situation and usage plan, would it be worth it to get a OPC for weekend family use and a cheap bike for weekday work commute?

2. Any significant difference in maintenance and petrol costs between a normal-plate car and an OPC? Expenses like road-tax and season HDB parking are fixed so I'm aware of that but would like to know more on the variables like above.

[mechwira]

hi bro, nice to see u again.

 

i dont understand ur qn:

 

Any significant difference in maintenance and petrol costs between a normal-plate car and an OPC?

 

why would petrol and maintenance cost be any diff wif regards to the color of the plate? petrol will depend on how much you use the car whether its off-peak anot. and maintenance schedule is also fixed based on mileage.

 

so personally i dun see any diff with these issues.

 

i bought an avante a year ago and its alongside my cbr6 now. in effect i use the avante like a weekend car, but its a black plate becoz although i rarely need to use it on weekdays, the few occasions i need to use it like fetching baby daughter from in-laws i really really need it during restricted hours. so i felt overall the savings not worth the hassle, so black plate it is.

 

so with a roughly 50-50 use between car and bike, i find that my expenses have not realli gone up significantly wrt petrol and maintenance. this would not be any diff if i had a red-plate instead of black.

 

but this is wif regards to ownership cost only ie petrol and regular maintenance. wat will make a significant financial diff is the instalments and insurance of the car, and/or extra repairs if *touch wood* bought lemon or accident. imho this shld be more your consideration than petrol and maintenance. if these have already been factored in, then go for it man.

[biting_point]

http://www.singaporebikes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290388

[y2kredbull]

Hi Bro,

 

i'm currently driving an OPC and a small kup.Here are my inputs to ur questions:

 

1. I got an OPC cos it was cheaper to get(and still is).Rd tax lesser.Parking still the same. Petrol wise,i only use it on weekends and since its OPC i only use it when really necessary during the restricted hours.So i only top up about 1 and half tank in a month which works out to less than $150 for petrol.Good thing bout OPC is that i can tahan the urge not to use it during restricted hours whereas if it was a normal plate,**** lah,just drive lar why want to ride...See what i mean...

 

So its ur choice bro...U'll just miss riding a big cow like me...

[WildCard]

hi bro, nice to see u again.

 

i dont understand ur qn:

 

 

 

why would petrol and maintenance cost be any diff wif regards to the color of the plate? petrol will depend on how much you use the car whether its off-peak anot. and maintenance schedule is also fixed based on mileage.

 

so personally i dun see any diff with these issues.

 

i bought an avante a year ago and its alongside my cbr6 now. in effect i use the avante like a weekend car, but its a black plate becoz although i rarely need to use it on weekdays, the few occasions i need to use it like fetching baby daughter from in-laws i really really need it during restricted hours. so i felt overall the savings not worth the hassle, so black plate it is.

 

so with a roughly 50-50 use between car and bike, i find that my expenses have not realli gone up significantly wrt petrol and maintenance. this would not be any diff if i had a red-plate instead of black.

 

but this is wif regards to ownership cost only ie petrol and regular maintenance. wat will make a significant financial diff is the instalments and insurance of the car, and/or extra repairs if *touch wood* bought lemon or accident. imho this shld be more your consideration than petrol and maintenance. if these have already been factored in, then go for it man.

 

Heyos, bro.

Thanks for the reply.

 

Maybe my intention didn't get through.

Getting a full-plate car might lead to temptation to drive everyday, especially on rainy days, to work.

An OPC car kinda 'forces' me to keep it to weekends only, especially when there is the hassle of getting and buying a day-use coupon. So its a major reduction in mileage in comparison.

 

Maybe I should phrase my query this way:

 

In comparison to using a full-plate car daily and using an OPC strictly on weekends (and certain off-peak days) with a small bike for daily use, would there be any significant differences in operating costs?

That means, maintenance, petrol and similar variables. Insurance, road tax and parking are relatively fixed.

[WildCard]

http://www.singaporebikes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290388

 

Wow.

Thanks bro. Didn't realize that someone posted before.

Diff is, I'm not planning on an Class 2 bike but rather down to a small basic transport bike for work and commute. Might mod it some but not like I had done with my big cows previously.

 

Hi Bro,

 

i'm currently driving an OPC and a small kup.Here are my inputs to ur questions:

 

1. I got an OPC cos it was cheaper to get(and still is).Rd tax lesser.Parking still the same. Petrol wise,i only use it on weekends and since its OPC i only use it when really necessary during the restricted hours.So i only top up about 1 and half tank in a month which works out to less than $150 for petrol.Good thing bout OPC is that i can tahan the urge not to use it during restricted hours whereas if it was a normal plate,**** lah,just drive lar why want to ride...See what i mean...

 

So its ur choice bro...U'll just miss riding a big cow like me...

 

I thought as much and have the same thinking about fighting the temptation to "don't think, just drive everyday" with an OPC car.

But I wanted some opinions from those who have done it before.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Will love to listen to some more.

[mechwira]

In comparison to using a full-plate car daily and using an OPC strictly on weekends (and certain off-peak days) with a small bike for daily use, would there be any significant differences in operating costs?

That means, maintenance, petrol and similar variables. Insurance, road tax and parking are relatively fixed.

 

ah so, now i get it. ur option is small-bike + OPC vs black-plate car w/out bike.

 

cant help u then sorry.

 

my gut feel is that small-bike + OPC shd be cheaper since you save on instalments and petrol. assuming the bike is fully-paid for when you trade-in your current bike that is. coz if you still need to pay instalments for the bike the savings will just be offset.

[steel_headz]

Currently nw im riding S4 with an OPC car...

 

So far im thankful tat eveyting is within my means of limitation....

 

Nxt mth going to finish instalment for bike...

 

So left car only....

 

Hopefully i can still stay using my S4.... Cos for a big size person like me riding a small

 

bike cos me backache even at a short distance...

[biting_point]

CL2 bike and Car are for those financially stable, with lotsa spare cash on hand..

 

I reckon a CL2A bike and OPC car will do the job.

 

Since you already know and expressed that bike is for transport.

My suggestion was to know the purpose of you owning the OPC car.

 

Even I own a OPC car, sometimes i do take MRT to watch movies nearby as the wait for parking lots, parking fees are some factors to deter me from driving..

 

if you are planning your OPC car for your kids, tat would a more reasonable consideration.

taking public with kids running around aint fun at all.

 

if you are those frequent supermarket, and buy minimal stuffs for that week's usage can go to nearby neighbourhood to buy rather than buying a month's worth at Giant.

 

Maintenance aint a lot but is similar to CL2 bike.

the only down side of car is that their petrol consumption can never be as good as bike.

 

if buying a small sized Chevy Aveo or Proton Savvy can suit your needs, why go for Honda Jazz or Suzuki Swift?

they are just a roof for rainy days for hardcore bike lovers like us..

 

Most ppl buy what they want, not what they need..

Edited June 14, 2010 by biting_point

[WildCard]

CL2 bike and Car are for those financially stable, with lotsa spare cash on hand..

 

I reckon a CL2A bike and OPC car will do the job.

 

Since you already know and expressed that bike is for transport.

My suggestion was to know the purpose of you owning the OPC car.

 

Even I own a OPC car, sometimes i do take MRT to watch movies nearby as the wait for parking lots, parking fees are some factors to deter me from driving..

 

if you are planning your OPC car for your kids, tat would a more reasonable consideration.

taking public with kids running around aint fun at all.

 

if you are those frequent supermarket, and buy minimal stuffs for that week's usage can go to nearby neighbourhood to buy rather than buying a month's worth at Giant.

 

Maintenance aint a lot but is similar to CL2 bike.

the only down side of car is that their petrol consumption can never be as good as bike.

 

if buying a small sized Chevy Aveo or Proton Savvy can suit your needs, why go for Honda Jazz or Suzuki Swift?

they are just a roof for rainy days for hardcore bike lovers like us..

 

Most ppl buy what they want, not what they need..

 

Noted.

Its mostly due to my son and, at times, my elderly parents.

[steel_headz]

But it seems to me nw tat the COE is rocketing high....

 

If tats the case i don noe whether u prefer to go for 2nd hand cars?

[WildCard]

But it seems to me nw tat the COE is rocketing high....

 

If tats the case i don noe whether u prefer to go for 2nd hand cars?

 

I am considering a 2nd hand car.

 

Its sort of a 'trial' to see if I have means to look after a car (not financial-wise but savvy-wise).