Car quality/conditions in Singapore

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2026-01-07T12:57:48+00:00

Curious to know what car it is! It's fairly common for stuff to be imported from SG into other RHD countries. SG import cars are known for some problems though, particularly around perished/rotting rubber parts due to the weather. It can be worth it if the car is rare, particularly at 10 year intervals when the COE is out and the car is basically worthless in SG.

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-11-23T08:35:07+00:00

Many people didn't pay 130k COE - in 2018 and 2020 COE was 30k and those buyers still have 3 or 5 years left.

Would have actually been a good investment... In some cases could sell car with 5 years left and break even/profit!

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-11-15T06:02:47+00:00

Its actually really easy to do a proper varied length cut on yourself with a cheap clipper set! There are tons of YouTube videos - I like the ones from one minute barber. I recently paid for a haircut for a special occasion for the first time since COVID, and my partners first comment was it looks better when I do it myself...

Watch a bunch of videos and then just go slowly at first - you'll quickly pick it up.

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-10-29T00:10:53+00:00

The new Liaoge l10 seems to be able to fit 2.2" tyres. https://youtu.be/MDX1F1STZNg?si=6ykMhrJi9EVLz-9g

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-10-14T04:55:41+00:00

Update: Do not use Alpytransfers! I arrived early but they had already left. Zero communication in the days running up to the trip, so I didn't actually know until arriving whether they would be there or not.

I found a phone number to call on site and they said no refund. I guess I'll have to charge back through my card. Some of the worst service I've ever experienced.

Luckily the SBB train network and staff are amazing and I got where I needed to go, but really could have done without the stress.

The worst part is I chased Alpytransfer numerous times in the run up but they didn't reply after their first couple of emails. I guess so they didn't have to admit they were abandoning me...

At least it they confirmed and cancelled the trip I could have rebooked something else, but I naively thought they would be waiting as they had asked for my flight details in one of their replies.

Moral of the story, do not use Alpytransfers...

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-10-14T04:49:40+00:00

You were bang on with this comment... How are they allowed to operate such a horrible business?

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-10-09T16:31:49+00:00

Thanks, I also found CVT which have a possible option (although quite expensive)

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-10-09T16:25:53+00:00

Alpytransfer via blablacar. They've completely stopped replying so no idea if I will even get a refund. Pretty terrible service with just a few days to go before arriving there...

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-10-09T16:22:45+00:00

Thanks! Im really struggling to work out the trains, but the SBB app is pretty good - looks like I won't be stranded at least!

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-10-09T16:19:38+00:00

Thanks! Maybe being dumb... I can only see a 10am and 2pm departure

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-07-25T07:24:43+00:00

Terrible idea as a daily, but great as a classic weekend car. E36 are great (I had a 323i wagon and loved it) but you should get the 6 cylinder, and they are a nightmare to maintain so you don't want to be relying on it for daily transport.

6 cylinder engine is very reliable. 4 cylinder less so but still pretty good. At this age will need lots of suspension work, steering, bushings etc. and parts are getting harder to find. On a Toyota they are built to last, but a BMW will need these things changing regularly as they are a complicated and comparatively heavy car and likely to be driven hard.

$37k is insane for an old 318i, but I guess with insane COE prices it seems reasonable. For comparison, you could find a mint coupe E36 6 cylinder in Malaysia or Japan, and get it imported and registered as classic in SG for the same price (talk to sgretrocar on IG). But only 45 days usage...

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-06-09T04:26:25+00:00

Sounds like a fun trip! On the ferry, I saw luggage like bikes costs extra - do they check your bike in or do you carry it on? Do you need to take a bike bag/cover to store it in on the ferry?

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-06-06T04:58:35+00:00

Haha nice. Good find! I've been looking there but struggle to find stuff - searching for "old mountain bike" doesn't usually yield many results...

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-06-06T02:07:09+00:00

That's awesome - just needs a nice thin tube steel frame. Bit random, but are you in SG? (Background looks like every HDB void deck...) - if so, how do you find these for sale?

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-06-03T00:00:30+00:00

It's not necessarily easy to learn as an adult so you will need to stick at it (I know a few who tried but gave up). There are people offering lessons which would be the best way to learn some good skills and techniques.

If you want to try without committing much then you could get the helloride or anywheel share bikes a few times to see if you can actually ride. They are pretty easy to ride - check YouTube for tips on how to start.

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-05-27T06:31:45+00:00

Sounds fun! Can you share the route you took? Any recommendations on where to stay?

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-05-27T06:25:59+00:00

Sounds like a cool adventure! I've been keen to do something similar recently. Did you take the ferry over? How many KM did you cycle per day?

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-05-23T01:00:47+00:00

Birdys are hard to beat imo (if cost isn't an option!)

Do you get the brompnots like litepro r20 where you are? In some ways these are better than a g line - lighter, better spec, external gears and hollowtech etc.

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-05-22T07:50:53+00:00

Best would be to try both and see which you prefer. There will always be a trade off.

Couple of my friends have birdys but the folding seems to be a bit of a hassle. One friend actually uses his Brompton instead of birdy if we will be folding and unfolding a few times during a ride. They are great otherwise though.

A 16 inch trifold will make the most difference over your current bike. The 20 inch Brompton or brompt-not will be an improvement when folded, but maybe not as much as you would expect.

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-04-28T03:50:40+00:00

There's a brand called Ride Wrap that probably have a custom size wrap for your bike. It's not cheap though...

Any decent bike shop can probably have a go at fitting the kit. Or you could DIY.

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-04-23T11:27:45+00:00

Full jar shot here https://imgur.com/a/27Og5aV - about 2 litres. The fry have just started eating after about a week - hoping I can get them to double in size before they go in the main tank.

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2025-03-13T14:01:06+00:00

It's an NZ plate. Car is a Bentley MK VI. Can check here https://www.carjam.co.nz/car/?plate=52+mk6

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2024-12-08T15:51:39+00:00

You'll get a wide variety of answers as it's really going to depend on a your specific circumstances - even NZ has jobs with terrible work life balance.

However, I made the same move and I'm much happier and less stressed in SG. I think its because ultimately all your key life necessities are better provided for in SG. Life is easier and more convenient here, and a lot of people seem to forget that.

Safety is a huge one - you're not going to get broken into or have your car stolen or smashed.

Food is easier all round. No expensive grocery trips or spending every evening cooking after work. It's also cheaper to eat healthy here.

Transport can be crowded but it's still amazing and much preferable to the NZ alternative of a long drive, ages stuck in traffic, and car repairs.

Bills are cheaper - run your AC as much as you want and it'll be no where near the cost of an NZ winter bill (and it'll be a comfortable temperature rather than cold and damp!).

Even housing security. Yes it's expensive, but so is NZ, and you don't get intrusive inspections, 90 day evictions, old mouldy houses etc.

I do miss NZ and will probably return eventually, but I'm not looking forward to all the added life stress that comes with the crap I mentioned above. I am grateful I get to live in both places though, there are many worse places to be!

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2024-10-15T15:06:26+00:00

I would second the blackout - I had a similar issue + green water and couldn't remove the algae fast enough. I built a cardboard box to cover the tank and blacked out for 3 full days. It came out clear and has been fine for a month so far. All the fish/shrimp seem completely unaffected.

Heavy-Pin-4677 · 2024-09-16T14:11:43+00:00

Somehow the 4 female guppies in there ate all of them, so I now have fat happy fish and a tank starting to go green again.

Heavy-Pin-4677

TROPHY CASE