Car dealers report surge in sales after COE prices drop

By Olivia Siong, Channel NewsAsia
07 Feb 2016

In particular, some have seen bookings for larger Category B cars triple as premiums in the category dipped to a six-year low.

SINGAPORE: Car dealers say they have seen a surge in sales since Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices fell in the last bidding exercise on Wednesday (Feb 3). In particular, some have seen bookings for larger Category B cars triple as premiums in the category dipped to a six-year low.

Toyota agent Borneo Motors had planned to close for Chinese New Year on Saturday, but decided against it amid strong demand from customers. Many were also seen shopping for a good deal when Channel NewsAsia visited the Hyundai and Nissan showrooms.

"I wanted to buy another five years of COE for my car which expires in March," said one Kim Yeo. "But when I heard about the drop, I decided to come down and see if I could get a new car."

Another, Mr Peter Scully said: "The car that we own is reaching its 10-year mark. When you have to buy a car and it's cheaper, it's a bigger motivation. It maybe forces us to want to make a decision faster because it's cheaper."

All three dealerships said they have seen an increase in sales. Hyundai agent Komoco Motors saw overall bookings go up by 50 per cent, while Nissan dealer Tan Chong Motors said overall sales have tripled. Both also recorded three times the number of bookings for larger Category B cars.

In the last exercise, premiums in Category B dipped by 22.9 per cent, falling by more than S$11,000 to S$38,600 - its lowest since July 2010.

That is even lower than Category A premiums for smaller cars, which fell by 9 per cent to S$46,700.

The last COE bidding exercise on Wednesday was the first for the February to April quarter which has more COEs on offer compared to the previous three months. But while COE premiums may be down across the board, industry experts have said that such prices are unsustainable and may see a rebound in subsequent exercises.

That is also why car prices have not fallen in tandem with COEs. Category B car prices have been adjusted downwards by between S$5,000 and $10,000 among dealers we checked with.

"I'm looking at an MPV because we have a growing family," said Ms Eileen Fu. "Now we can get a Cat B car, which has a bigger capacity and engine plus more power. It's a lot better than what we could afford half a year ago, which was a smaller car."

Another buyer, Sharong Ng said: "Cat B has dropped so much, so unless Cat A drops then I will consider Cat A. But for now it seems Cat B is a better deal."

However, there are some car-buyers who are not rushing in just yet.

"For me it's not necessary a Cat B, a small cc is good enough," said a Woo Keng Fie. "If you buy a two-litre car, the consumption is definitely higher and you have to pay more road tax."

Ms Elaine Samboo said she would "wait and see": "I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the COE prices will dip like before, when I only had to pay S$200 for COE. (If that happens,) I might just get my car."

The next COE bidding exercise will be in the third week of February.

Are you Chinese?

Aiyoh, talking about money issues openly on the first day of the Chinese New Year is not good. These 2 days (1st and 2nd day of the new year) should be spent on reaffirming ties with relatives. Visit those aunties and uncles that you don't see often. If you have children, this is also a good time for them to meet their cousins (both first and distant cousins) and get to know them better.

Don't say I say, if your networth of $1.38m includes your home value, then it is a concern. If I were in your shoes, with a combined income of $140k (or <$10k pm not counting bonuses) I would settle for a heavily subsidized HDB flat. You can then enjoy all the rebates as well.

I don't think we need to downgrade our current lifestyle. Why should we? Our condominium unit and car are both paid up. I know of many people who are earning more than us but still deep in debt. They should be buying just a cheap condo but they bought expensive landed properties. These people are in deep trouble if they lose their jobs.

We are saving $45k pa cash. So by the time we retire at 65, we would have $700k plus in cash savings which we will use to buy annuities. The income from the annuities and our CPF Life will be quite a lot for a retired old couple. So, we will enjoy our condo now and into retirement.

So your so called net worth of $1.38m include your condo unit which means your cash position is low, which i hope you have excluded your cpf in the $1.38m. It is dangerous to think you can save $45k pa as the future is very uncertain more so in the current eco climate. You n your wife could be retrenched tomorrow. I think youve spent too much on your condo which I hope is not to keep up with the Jones. You better start looking around for HDB flats and put more monies in your retirement funds.

Don't worry.

For those retrenched ex-PMETs out there, such as ex-engineers and ex-bankers, do not be sad. Instead of worrying so much, you can just retire assuming you no longer have any dependents at age 55.

Good retirement plan in KL or Penang for a 55 years old retired couple.

Passive income
Rent out fully paid HDB flat S$2.5k pm or RM7.5k pm

KL or Penang cost of living
Rent a 2 bedroom condominium RM1.5k pm
Car expenses RM500 pm (assume buy used car in cash RM30k)
Food, groceries and utilities RM1.5k pm
Misc RM1k pm
Total spending RM4.5k pm
Savings RM3k pm

This retirement plan allows you to live in a condo and drive a car.

Your key retirement asset: HDB flat (we are very fortunate since we all get to buy cheap BTO HDB flats when we got married)

The 5 Things People Regret Most On Their Deathbed

Susie Steiner, The Guardian
Dec. 5, 2013

There was no mention of more sex or bungee jumps.

A palliative nurse who has counselled the dying in their last days has revealed the most common regrets we have at the end of our lives. And among the top, from men in particular, is "I wish I hadn't worked so hard."

Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called "The Top Five Regrets of the Dying."

Ware writes of the phenomenal clarity of vision that people gain at the end of their lives, and how we might learn from their wisdom. "When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently," she says, "common themes surfaced again and again."

Here are the top five regrets of the dying, as witnessed by Ware:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

"This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it."

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

"This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence."

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

"Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result."

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

"Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying."

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

"This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again."

One of the more "true" posting.
Excluding growth via employment, very few can achieve networth returns beyond 5~7% on yoy.

Early 40s working couple.

Net Worth approximate SGD 4.5M
SGD 4M Property ( Loan 2M - Plan to reduce by half when the penalty period is up)
Combine Cash : 1.9M
CPF : 600K (Mostly in SA, Medisave)

Cashflow : Income 600K pa, might be reduce to half by next year.

One of us is thinking about quitting due to work pressure + taking care of family (Kids)
After 2 decades of work , it is time to really think about doing the right things before it is too late to regret. There are much more in life than just networth. You may be financially wealthy but life poor. It is time to rethink if this rat race is worth more than what you are giving up for ( family, kids, giving back to society, etc)

It is not about the quantity of net worth but the quality of life that matters.

Anyone feeling the same way?

The 5 Things People Regret Most On Their Deathbed

Susie Steiner, The Guardian
Dec. 5, 2013

There was no mention of more sex or bungee jumps.

A palliative nurse who has counselled the dying in their last days has revealed the most common regrets we have at the end of our lives. And among the top, from men in particular, is "I wish I hadn't worked so hard."

Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called "The Top Five Regrets of the Dying."

Ware writes of the phenomenal clarity of vision that people gain at the end of their lives, and how we might learn from their wisdom. "When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently," she says, "common themes surfaced again and again."

Here are the top five regrets of the dying, as witnessed by Ware:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

"This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it."

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

"This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence."

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

"Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result."

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

"Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying."

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

"This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again."

ignore above-out of his mind. Kept posting this