SINGAPORE, Oct 23 — A Singapore man was in tears as he had to say goodbye to an old friend — his first car, a trusty Honda Civic.
Mohammad Izzraimy Mohammad Isham bought the car second-hand in 2021 for S$28,800 (RM94,893) but under Singapore law, the car’s certificate of entitlement (COE) was expiring.
After years of working hard, saving up here and there and manifesting, I finally got myself my very own Honda Civic!16 June, a very memorable day. The Power Of Dreams indeed It has been a dream, and now a reality. On to my next goal! pic.twitter.com/wPtakTyQti
— Izzraimy (@izzraimy) June 16, 2021
His wife Natasha Tan knowing his love for his car had gotten him a cake as he prepared to part with the car, and she also took video of him saying goodbye to it, giving it a hug as he wept.
Tan uploaded the video to TikTok on October 11, where it has received over 2.9 million views.
@ntshatan breaks my heart to see him cry… but that’s the reality of owning a car in Singapore. see you some time @sunshine ????
stuff we did – LBFD
For Malaysians clueless about the COE, think of it as a lease that allows a Singaporean to hold onto a car.
It can be renewed for either 10 years or five years at a time but for the latter, once it has been renewed once, it can no longer be renewed.
In contrast, a car that has had its COE renewed for another 10 years, it can be renewed further.
However, the price for a COE renewal can be prohibitive and in the case of old cars, more expensive than its actual current value especially when considering car values reduce over time.