What are the things you wish you knew before buying your first COE car in Singapore?

Biggest thing I wish I knew, the monthly installment the salesman quotes is a fraction of your true monthly cost. They lure you with a nice loan figure but conveniently gloss over insurance, road tax, parking, ERP, petrol, and maintenance. Add it all up before you sign, I was shocked my real monthly was almost double the installment. Second, negotiate hard and get quotes from multiple dealers, the first price is never the best. Third, be wary of the loan tenure and interest, longer tenure means you pay more overall. Fourth, if buying used, always get an independent inspection, don't trust the dealer's word on condition. Do your homework, salesmen bank on you being lazy.

First-time owner here, learned a few things the hard way. One, the dealer's advertised price often bundles a COE they bid at a certain level, so understand what happens if actual COE differs, some deals top-up or refund. Two, the depreciation is the real cost, not the sticker price, calculate cost per year over how long you'll keep it, a cheaper car that depreciates fast can cost more than a pricier one that holds value. Three, don't forget the running costs, insurance for a new driver is steep, plus parking season passes, ERP, petrol. Four, PARF rebate matters if you'll deregister before 10 years, factor that resale value in. I wish I'd focused on total cost of ownership, not monthly installment.