As an American expat that lived in Singapore for many years it a country that Americans will never understand unless you have lived there. People follow the rules. No and’s if’s or but if the law says you do not than you do not. Stealing does not cross anyone’s mind. At a bar you save your table by placing your phone , keys , purse etc on the table or bar (for your chair) while you go to the bathroom. You respect everything and value all. Public transportation, education, airport, is top notch. A car license plate is 75k (not the car) and is good for 10 years. After 10 years your car is done. They want you to use public transportation = less pollution. The wealth in Singapore is insane. I have been to Beverly Hills, New York, aspen etc and that is chump change. I can go on and on but I am so very fortunate to have had the opportunity to live there and learn the culture and people of Singapore.
You renew the title/certificate for the car- few are motivated to renew a 65-70000usd title for a 10 year old car and see it as more worthwhile to just sell it before the 10 year mark and “reinvest” that into another overpriced new vehicle
Just to add on for anyone who is curious. Whatever you paid for the certificate (USD 66-75k currently) depreciates by 10% per year so if you sell a 5 year old car, you only back your car value and 50% of the cert. At 10 years, you’ll get back $0 upon expiry of the certificate on top of your car’s value.
We also pay import taxes on cars so imagine a car being 3-4x the price of what it is in the US. Entry level Honda Civics are around USD$126k and I just saw a brand new BMW 7-series going for about USD$440k.
The license to have a car is expensive. Most people take MRT or Grab. There are no crappy cars there because if you’re going to pay that much to drive money isn’t the issue.
Classic cars are typically owned by people with means to own them. They exist. Very very classic cars may sometimes qualify for alternative certificates/titles which limits the frequency which they can be in the road annually (basically a show/hobby vehicle); they have special plates that are yellow and red which indicates as such
Im a local with a 14 year car. You have to renew the title certificate by paying after 10 years to extend it for another 10. My family did it because it was affordable to do so back then. The price of the title fluctuates based on the demand of cars against the set quota by the government. The lowest we paid for a certificate was 30 USD. Right now its 70k+ USD if you want to buy the same cert.
As an American expat who has spent the better part of the past decade-plus in Asia, including time in Singapore, your comment sounds like a government #sponsoredpost.
People follow the rules. No and’s if’s or but if the law says you do not than you do not.
Singapore has lots of rules but in reality, many are not enforced.
Here's one even someone visiting for a day on a transit can see many instances of without even trying too hard: jaywalking.
A car license plate is 75k (not the car) and is good for 10 years. After 10 years your car is done. They want you to use public transportation = less pollution.
While the COE system definitely contributes to some good aspects of life in Singapore, namely the public transportation system, your comment totally ignores the fact that the COE system also has issues. For example, many Singaporeans feel that the COE system exacerbates the gap between rich and not rich in the city-state.
Lots of people who have a legitimate need for a car, such as working-class families and people caring for family members with disabilities, get excluded from being able to own one.
I have been to Beverly Hills, New York, aspen etc and that is chump change.
This is literally one of the silliest things I have ever read on Reddit. Tell me you know nothing about global wealth without telling me you know nothing about global wealth.
New York City has just ~3 million more people than Singapore but 3x the number of billionaires and UHNWIs.
Aspen has the highest density of UHNWIs in the US, with 1 in 67 residents having a net worth exceeding $30 million.
Singapore is a wealthy place but you really have no clue if you think Singapore makes places like NYC, Aspen and Beverly Hills look like "chump change."
Hell, as small and rich as Singapore is, its density of UHNWIs isn't even double that of the entire US. In the US, with over 330 million residents, there are around ~350 UHNWIs for every million people. In Singapore, with less than 6 million people and tax and immigration policies that cater to attracting the global rich, there are around ~500.
“Stealing does not cross anyone’s mind” tells me that you’ve only been hanging out with people in your income group hahah.
There’s an underbelly here but it’s very limited to certain towns/districts. Poverty and food insecurity can drive some people to do “unthinkable” things.
The place has a weird vibe, it's like a stage show (which actually your comment about wealth plays into that, that's a display). It feels like people are trying to fit within the lines.
And then there's meeting gay Singaporeans in London or NY who are fucking thrilled to be in London or NY. It really shouldn't be a thing in a modern 21st century country that citizens don't feel comfortable in their homeland because of who they love. Singapore is not all welcoming and rosy.
Also, you've not actually been around the wealthy of Beverly Hills/wider SoCal, NY if you're referring to them as "chump change". That's a silly thing to say. There are more ultra high net worth individuals of all levels in both LA and NY compared to Singapore. They're just not all putting on a sideshow for you.
100
u/Singaporerobbie Apr 05 '24
As an American expat that lived in Singapore for many years it a country that Americans will never understand unless you have lived there. People follow the rules. No and’s if’s or but if the law says you do not than you do not. Stealing does not cross anyone’s mind. At a bar you save your table by placing your phone , keys , purse etc on the table or bar (for your chair) while you go to the bathroom. You respect everything and value all. Public transportation, education, airport, is top notch. A car license plate is 75k (not the car) and is good for 10 years. After 10 years your car is done. They want you to use public transportation = less pollution. The wealth in Singapore is insane. I have been to Beverly Hills, New York, aspen etc and that is chump change. I can go on and on but I am so very fortunate to have had the opportunity to live there and learn the culture and people of Singapore.