Transportation Costs Conundrum

I'm averaging about SGD$45 a day on taxi fares. At this rate (multiply $45 x 30 = $1350) you'd think getting a car would be more economical, right? WRONG!!! Purchasing a used 4 door sedan Japanese model like a Toyota Corolla here is SGD$60,000 which is not quite triple but more than double what it's worth in the US. They give out 10 year loans where the depreciating value of the car is not only lost in nebula but you have to cap the cost of the value when you are ready to get rid of it. So basically, you can either pay a down payment at the beginning of your loan, or at the end. I never heard of such crockery!!!

According to Singaporeans, the government has a tight reign on the number of cars they allow on the roads. Meaning, registration for a car is a lottery each month, depending on the number of applications and the number of cars that were taken off the road. How do they know if it's been taken off the road? If the registration expires, it's not renewable. You must get rid of your car or buy annother COE for approximately $45,000. Oh, and the registration is called COE which stands for a Certificate of Entitlement which the natives here call Certificate of Extortion. What to do?

I'm not complaining about having to take cabs, but there are times when I am not done shopping yet but need to unload the half dozen bags already in my hand. Not to mention the kids. Oi!!!! They fight over the window seats in the cab all the time. If I had a car, they would be strapped in their carseats on each side of the window. Seriously, so far, I don't know what the hype about this place is. It has some serious issues that need to be dealt with. I don't know how long I will be able to last at this rate.