Car.. to buy or not to buy?

... although it's kindda late for me LOL! Currently I have 2 car - a salon car and a SUV. Don't be suprised. It's normal for Bruneians to have more than 1 car per person/ per family. Shocking? Nah! As I said, it's normal here in Brunei. 1 household, here in Brunei, has ATLEAST 3-4 cars per family.. that's the minimum, mind you! My family? Hmm... in this house, there are 7 of us; my parents, myself and 4 brothers. Well, let's just say that each of us has a car... haha!

Truthfully, I had no intention to buy a car. But when my baby Ford kept on giving me problems; I had no choice but to think of buying another. Why no fix it, you would say? The Ford agent here, I can say from experience weren't that helpful. Their spareparts are always not available and to make it available, they have to order it for you. The procedure, you have to deposit 50% of the total amount of the sparepart and wait for 3 weeks - 2 months. What? Isn't agent suppose to have spareparts in hand? And when they queried about my car, you know what they said? "Oh! that car considered ICU already" ICU? SERIOUSLY? Urrggghhh... remind me not to buy an European car. Or was it just not my luck to have a good car.

Anyways, there are pros and cons having a car. In Brunei, you MUST have a car coz honestly, our public transportation ain't that great. Yes, we do have buses. Yes, we do have taxis. No, we don't have trains. No, we don't have MRTs. All I can say that, our public transportations are limited.

You rarely (or almost to never) see any Bruneians chasing after a bus. Unlike moi... khehe.. Yes! I did chase after a bus back when I was living in Singapore. Here? No way! LOL!! See how different environments make different perspectives.

We all know why having a car is an essential but are you ready to buy a car? and maintain them?

If I have a choice, I wouldn't buy a car. Why? Here are my experiences...

1. Installments
Unless you have enough cash with you, then it's ok. But like most of us, we are seeking loans from the banks to buy a car. Installment can be very messy. A car worth B$30K and if you are doing loan from the bank for 7 years, it would cost you B$45K-$50K.. yikes!

2. Insurances and road tax
Ford is now 8 years old and the insurance is getting lower by the year. But now with the SUV, fewwhhh.. and when both cars are 2000cc, you can just imagine the insurances and the road taxes...

3. Maintenance
The servicing, the tyres, the fuel, the oil... all those stuffs. The bigger the car, the bigger the maintenance. Bigger tyre size, the more expensive it be. 2000cc SUV full tank can cost you $30+ of the unleaded fuel. Service is at every 5000KM or 10000KM. Eventhough my car service is every 5000KM or 10000KM, at least it ain't that freaking expensive. My bf's car service is every 15000KM and trust me man, it ain't that cheap. Yikes!

4. Engine knowledge
Living with my baby Ford for the last 8 years, you can say that I'm a bit expert on engines (ford engines) for a woman. LOL! When a warning lights on, I have the feeling what's the problem and I hate to say this but I'm always right.. LOL!

5. Tyre punctures
Oh! Been there... to date, I experienced 4 tyre mishaps. And up till now, I couldn't change the tyre by myself (yes! i'm not ashamed to admit it..)

6. Car wash
I wash and clean the car myself... most of the times. When laziness kicks in, I just 'hire' one of my brothers. For a petite person like me, giving a SUV a bath is a challenge. To reach the roof, I have to use a small ladder or a chair.. imagine that. Manicures are useless at this stage. I can give Ford a bath for 30 minutes to 40 minutes top but it took me an hour to properly clean an SUV.

Hmm... still thinking to buy a car? LOL!! I didn't mean to stop anyonw from buying a car. I'm just merely sharing my experiences...