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Saturday, June 10, 2023 - 00:16 SGT
Posted By: Gilbert

Introducing The Ride


Cosmetic modifications mostly
[Click to enlarge]


Just to ease back into blogging, I figured I might as well follow-up on a previous tease by featuring the new car, all the more given the pending virtual home visit showcase.

For my non-local readers, Singapore is justly infamous for jaw-dropping car prices, which begins with the Certificate of Entitlement, a piece of paper that allows one to own a vehicle. This COE has currently reached S$120,000 for larger cars - or ninety grand in U.S. dollars - which also explains why more-economical marques and "beaters" have not been very popular here; once you're forking out that much just to get in the game, it doesn't make much sense to start skimping on the car itself. The costs don't stop there either, with an Additional Registration Fee then imposed based on the market value of the car, the basic GST, and then we come to the road tax, insurance and servicing costs. No wonder then, that the decision on whether to purchase a car is not one that is taken lightly by I daresay most households - and why I haven't gotten one previously.

In any case, I figured that I had done my part for the environment and traffic congestion already, and underwent a crash course in cars - not being a petrolhead really - to pick out some candidates. After lurking on various general automobile forums for research and balancing various factors such as cost, practicality, driving experience and interior quality etc., I initially had my heart set on an M5, but sadly, better sense eventually prevailed. Thus, the G30 540i here by one of Singapore's favourite manufacturers (i.e. Bus MRT Walk). Not one to waste time on trivialities, I arranged for a test drive, and after confirming its authenticity by verifying that it did not, indeed, have a turn signal, the B58 straight-six engine soon won me over. Yes, I'm aware that recent EVs tend to thrash normal ICE vehicles on acceleration anyhow, but I reckoned that I might as well get the experience now, before they get phased out.


From the side
[Click to enlarge]


I can't say that I have been overly impressed by the lack of telepathic abilities of my fellow road users, but have more or less managed to get by, after a few refresher lessons. The appearance is, of course, not the original, and is my small tribute to the actual BMW M version - via Inozetek Metallic Midnight Green wrap (in my favourite colour, if not very popular currently), and some racing stripes and accents in KLT Ghost Metallic Shadow Gold. And really, it appears that the stripes together with the Probation Plate have been quite helpful in persuading other drivers to kindly make a little extra space. The bronze rims and front/side/rear skirting were then chosen to complete the look (alongside the existing dechroming and debadging). Well, hey, it would be boring if every car out there were some shade of white, grey or black, no?

With actual engine modifications being illegal, that left boosting the audio system with an amplifier, although it was soon found that blasting heavy metal did not exactly encourage defensive driving - safety should be the top priority, as we all know. The iDrive interface was intuitive enough, and it was mostly a breeze to get the Android smartphone connected. The ergonomics, which had the controls all subtly tilted towards the driver, instead of centrally-aligned as in most other makes, were another plus for me. Sure, maybe it might not be the absolute best for comfort, but the passengers weren't the ones forking out for the whole shebang, so I'll leave that for next time.


蓝天白云化黑夜青山
[Click to enlarge]


Frankly, the convenience has had me understand the desire for a personal vehicle by many, and there's always making up for lost time. Certainly, there have to be worse jobs than being a cabbie or other driver-for-hire (one of my granddads was one) on one's own time, and who knows? Perhaps one day - and it's not like there isn't precedent on this...



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Next: Actually The First Car


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