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The factors that persuade us to buy a car aren't always the ones we value most after living with it.
Few Singaporeans walk into a showroom unprepared these days.
By the time many buyers arrive, they've already spent weeks comparing depreciation figures, calculating monthly instalments, researching fuel economy and narrowing their shortlist down to a handful of contenders. Some have even worked out what the car might be worth when it's eventually time to sell.
Given what cars cost in Singapore, that's hardly surprising.
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Buying a car here isn't simply about finding one you like. It's also about weighing maintenance costs, COE lifespan, financing packages, resale demand and whether the car will still make sense several years down the road.
Yet speak to dealers who regularly see customers return to sell or trade in their cars, and a curious pattern starts to emerge. The things that convince people to buy a car aren't always the things they remember years later.
Frederick Ng, Managing Director of Platinum Motoring, has seen firsthand how much the buying process has changed.
"Buyers today do much more research before coming down. Many already know the market price, specifications and depreciation before they even speak to a salesperson. The same trend is evident in the new-car market. According to Soh Ming, Founder and CEO of Volt Auto, today's buyers often arrive with ownership costs already mapped out.
"The first question is almost always about COE. After that, buyers quickly ask about depreciation. They want to know what the car will cost them each month after including everything like loan repayment, insurance, road tax, and fuel or charging costs."
Most motorists will recognise that behaviour. Information is everywhere. Reviews, forums, social media, comparison tools and listings mean buyers can research a car extensively before ever stepping into a showroom. That's generally a good thing.
But having access to more information can sometimes lead us to place extra weight on things that are easy to measure.
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Horsepower can be measured. Depreciation can be calculated. Fuel economy can be quantified. A panoramic roof, larger touchscreen or longer equipment list can be spotted immediately. Those things are tangible. They're easy to compare.
As John Eng, Head of Sales at CarTimes Automobile, points out, "When people are buying a car, especially their first or second one, it's quite easy to get caught up comparing horsepower, driving modes, screen sizes, panoramic roofs, number of seats and all the other features." In some cases, buyers are effectively comparing entire ownership journeys before they've even shortlisted a car. Amanda Tan, Head of Marketing at Volt Auto, says many Singaporeans approach the process with extensive research already completed. "We've noticed that Singaporean buyers often come in after comparing us with two or three other brands on a spreadsheet. They're not just shopping for a car; they're looking for the best value based on a specific set of financial factors."
Then there's resale value.
Few subjects appear more frequently in a Singaporean car-buying conversation. Joseph Liauw, Managing Director of Car Choice Singapore, says: "Resale value is a major consideration for Singaporean car buyers, especially because of the high cost of car ownership here."
And frankly, that's understandable. When ownership costs can run into six figures, nobody wants to make an expensive mistake. Still, something interesting happens once the keys have been handed over and the car becomes part of everyday life.
The conversation changes.
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When owners return to change cars, they rarely begin by discussing horsepower figures or infotainment displays. Instead, they talk about the ownership experience.
As John explains: "What owners tend to remember are much simpler things: 'Was the car reliable? Was it comfortable? Was it expensive to maintain? Did it give me problems?'" That shift says a lot. A car might win every comparison on paper, but repeated workshop visits have a way of changing what matters. Likewise, some of the features that seemed essential at the point of purchase end up becoming little more than nice-to-haves. Frederick points to optional equipment such as sunroofs as an example. Attractive during the showroom visit, perhaps. Less influential once the realities of daily ownership set in. John has seen something similar with seven-seater vehicles.
"Some buyers want seven seats because they like knowing the option is there, but later realise they've probably used all seven seats only a handful of times."
It's not that these features are bad choices. The interesting part is how rarely they come up when owners reflect on their years with the car. Nobody talks about touchscreen sizes anymore. They talk about reliability, comfort and what it actually cost to live with the car.
According to John, first-time buyers and repeat buyers often approach the process very differently.
"First-time buyers can be more aspirational. They may have always wanted a particular brand, an SUV, or a certain model they've been looking at for a long time." Understandably so.
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For many people, buying a car is a milestone. It's emotional. Aspirational. Sometimes it's the fulfilment of a goal that's been years in the making. But after owning a few cars, priorities tend to shift. "They want to know about depreciation, maintenance costs, reliability, warranty coverage and what the car might be worth when they eventually sell it."
Frederick has observed a similar trend. While depreciation remains important, experienced buyers often begin looking beyond headline figures. Some cars may appear attractive because of lower depreciation, but can end up costing more to maintain over time. Joseph says many owners eventually reach a similar conclusion. "A lot of owners tell us they would have prioritised practicality and their actual usage more carefully." That's probably a trap many of us fall into. It's easy to shop for the life we imagine we'll have. It's much harder to predict what daily ownership will actually look like three or five years later.
Dealers see that play out all the time. Soh notes that family planning is one of the most common future considerations raised by customers. "A buyer who is single today might already be thinking about a car that can fit a child seat in two years, ageing parents in five, and still have good resale value at the end of a ten-year COE cycle."
There's nothing irrational about planning ahead. The challenge is that the further we try to predict the future, the harder it becomes to know which assumptions will actually come true.
If there was one theme that surfaced repeatedly during our conversations, it was this: Buyers should be careful about reducing a car to a single metric. John notes: "A lower depreciation figure immediately makes a car look like a better deal." But that doesn't automatically make it the better car to own. Condition, maintenance history, warranty coverage, and reliability can all influence the ownership experience just as much.
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Joseph offers a similar perspective. "A car with a stronger resale value may not necessarily be the better financial decision if you are paying significantly more to buy it in the first place." Why do buyers place so much emphasis on these factors? Amanda believes much of it comes down to avoiding regret.
"Singaporean buyers really want to avoid regret. They tend to ask a lot of 'what if' questions, such as what if they need a bigger car in two years, what if the brand doesn't have strong resale value, or what if charging infrastructure doesn't improve as expected."
It's an observation that will sound familiar to many buyers. Rather than trying to make the perfect choice, many are simply trying to avoid making the wrong one. And perhaps that's about as Singaporean as it gets.
Perhaps that's the biggest takeaway from all these conversations. We often buy cars because of specifications, features, resale prospects and promises of future convenience. We keep them for much simpler reasons. Reliability. Comfort. Practicality. The confidence that the car will start every morning and get us where we need to go without fuss.
Singaporeans are unlikely to stop comparing depreciation figures any time soon, nor should they. The financial realities of car ownership demand careful planning. But there may be value in occasionally looking beyond the spreadsheet. Because years after the purchase has been made, few owners remember the brochure. They remember the experience.
Before signing on the dotted line, ask yourself:
✅ Will I actually use this feature regularly, or do I simply like knowing it's there?
✅ Am I buying for my current lifestyle or an ideal future version of it?
✅ Have I considered the total ownership experience, not just depreciation?
✅ Which will matter more to me in three years' time: the specification sheet or day-to-day comfort and reliability?
✅ If resale values were identical, would I still choose this car?
Buying a car in Singapore will probably never be straightforward. Nor should it be. But if there's one lesson from the dealers we spoke to, it's that the things owners value after several years of ownership are not always the same things that persuaded them to sign on the dotted line in the first place.
Features lose their novelty. Market conditions change. Resale values move. The funny thing is that the reasons we buy a car are not always the reasons we end up keeping it. We may buy it for the depreciation, the horsepower, the panoramic roof or the promise of future practicality. Years later, what owners tend to remember is far simpler.
(Image credit: sgcarmart)
Was it reliable? Was it comfortable? Did it make everyday life easier?
In the end, those are often the things that matter most.
Source: sgcarmart
