A NEED OR A LUXURY?
Father-of-two Michael Teo decided to upgrade from a sedan to a small MPV – a Chevrolet Orlando – after his second child was born. He paid S$110,000 for the car in 2017, including S$65,000 for the COE.
The car model has been discontinued, but a comparable car like the Honda Freed would cost him about S$169,000 now.
Mr Teo spends between S$1,000 and S$2,000 a month on his car, including expenses like insurance, road tax and petrol.
“The car is definitely a lot more useful for families with young kids,” the 39-year-old public servant said. “When it was just me and my wife, you could say it’s a luxury … But when we had kids, it became more of a need.”
Mr Teo, who considers himself middle-income, said he tries to find “ways and means” not to spend too much on his car.
“The car is a need for me for now, but if I can help it, I will try not to drive so much.”
Mr Teo works near Dhoby Ghaut and takes the train to work three times a week, as he works from home on the other days. He leaves the car at home with his wife, which she uses to send the kids – aged seven and 10 – to school every morning.
They did not sign up for the school bus service because it means one hour less of sleep every morning for their children, he added.
The couple also drive their children to enrichment classes once or twice a week, and they use their car when visiting elderly relatives.
“The car adds options to places that we can bring the kids to over the weekend, especially when you want to go to the zoo or a nature park … the car really helps to save a lot of time,” said Mr Teo.
For example, it takes one to two hours to get from his home to Sungei Buloh Nature Park by public transport, but just 30 minutes by car, he added.
“Singapore’s weather is quite unpredictable, so suddenly if we need to change plans because of the weather or the kids get tired, the car just gets us home quickly.”
Now that his children are older, the family sometimes makes it a point to leave the car at home, he said, adding that his children enjoy the journey on a bus or train.
His car’s COE is due to expire in three years. When the time comes for him to replace his car and COE prices are still high, Mr Teo said he would rethink whether he really needs a car.
His children will also be entering secondary school then, and the car will be less important. If he decides to buy a car, he may buy a secondhand one instead, he told CNA.
Mr Teo stopped short of agreeing that every family with children needs a car. “I imagine you can do it without a car as well, it’s just that you need to shape your lifestyle a bit differently.
“I’m paying for the time saved for a certain lifestyle, to do certain things. It’s not so easy to weigh those two things – time versus cost.”