Test driving Aveo and Vios
1: Aveo 1.4 Sedan Manual.
I went to the new authorized dealer of Chevrolet, Alpine Motors. As this is a new dealer, just enter the market for 3 months, I hope their price can be lower than Starsauto.
Searching AM website, good design, but it looks like a fashion boutique, not a car dealer: http://www.alpinemotors.sg/ and it�fs a single page website, under construction.
Anyway, it has the important information for me, the showroom address, to me, it�fs more useful than Toyota Singapore and Borneo Motor�fs 2 websites, a few hundreds pages to search, but no any address of showroom and service centre.
�@The outlook of Aveo sedan is normal, but the key is quite nice, 2 build-in buttons, one for door remote control, the other for trunk remote control.
The interior design is great, It�fs the first time I�fm handling a continental car, everything looks new and elegance. I start the car, and try to reverse the car, a little problem come out, the reverse position is different from Japanese cars, need to pull up a ring so that can pushing the stick into reverse gear.
Then leaving the car park, try left turn signal, the wiper start working, Oh, the turn signal switch is in the left.
Except these small fuss in Signal light and gear level, other things are quite OK, the 1.4 liter engine is powerful, no any problem when accelerating. This may due to manual transition, I can always get strong power at level 1 or 2.
The suspension system is superb, feel like a luxury car, better than Toyata vios and Mis. Lancer. The steering system is responsive, stable, easy handling. At speed 40km, I do an e-brake, the car stop in 2-3 meters.
I only drive 10 mins, then back to showroom. Now talking about price.
Althrough the new COE result come out. But Chevrolet new list prices have not come out, the old list price for 1.4M is $44988, and the SE told me I can simply deduct S$2000 from it for new price, which is S$42988. I told him $42988 is too high, the Vios price is only S$43988 now, only 1,000 different? Vios has much better fuel consumpion, dual airbag, 4 wheels disk-brake.
I took out the printed basic cost from internet:
http://www.efair.sg/viewad.asp?id=50140956925122305
Total cost including all tax is 24694, plus COE, only 34000, if they sell it at 42988, the markup is 8900+! The SE has not comment over the calculation, then he told me he can offer free leather seat, if take 50% loan, can give S$3000 rebate, and the total price falls to S$39000+.
I told him I will consider his offer, as his company�f new official pricelist is not available, maybe we can wait until next week to discuss the final price base on their official new price.
2: Vios
The 1.5E has a very handsome compact outlook, interior is not as good as Aveo, but still neat and nice. Everybody is talking the cramped rear seat, but I feel it�fs acceptable. Very good handling, and also has strong power in accelation.
Nothing surprise me in the test driving, the surprise thing happened after test driving.
Back to showroom, the sales engineer lady told me the price is very good now. I agree, then she said that BM only get less than $3000 from this price. She take a calculator calculate it for me, OMV, she put S$11,000 and told me all the tax is 220%, so it�fs 11000+24200+9301=S$44501!, it�fs ridiculous, even higher than their list price S$43900, and still exclude the registration fee, IU, road tax, radio tax, etc. I told her that the new tax is only 135%, including 5% Gst, 20% duty tax, 110% ARF. I had to show her the cost calculation I printed from online, but She denied it.
http://www.efair.sg/viewad.asp?id=50140187251122305
The lady SE looks street smart, but it�fs really not nessesary for her to lie in such issue, the LTA tax is public in the website, http://www.lta.gov.sg/motoring_matters/motoring_vo_tax_rental.htm and as a sales engineer of BM, she definetely knows the new tax rate.
Actually compare with other dealers price struction, BM vios list price is not high, only about 5000-6000, the only different is BM do not give too many additional freebies and rebate like others. I do not prepare to argue with the issue, because first I am ready to accept the price, secondary, BM is such a big dealer in the market, it�fs no point to argue their company price structure with a SE, but she raised this OMV and Cost issue, try to convince me that BM is losing money in Vios sales.
The SE told me that if I take the S$43988 pacage, I must take BM in-house finance for 25K, and in-house issurance package. I compare their AIG package with NTUC income later, NTUC income quotation to me is S$400 lesser.
The only additional freebie she can give me is a free solar film, roughly S$200. She told me this is come from her personal commission, for vios, she only get S$400 comm, so she can share 50% with me. Do not know it�fs true or not?
V