Market Watch: Cool, Practical Used Cars You Can Buy At S$1,000 Depreciation Per Month

It seems like the buffet spread of new cars in Singapore now has expanded to include more varied forms of propulsion. Audi, a brand spearheading the electric age, launched a pure petrol-powered A5 (without mild hybrid assistance!) much to our surprise but relief. VW’s Mk8.5 Golf in R-Line trim has mild hybrid tech aiding its 1.5-litre turbo motor. Self-charging hybrids from Toyota and Honda are perfect for those sitting on the fence. And don’t get us started on EVs - there are simply too many new rollouts. The sheer scale of Middle Kingdom’s operations has to be held accountable, for sure.

The rat race wasn’t so intense in the late noughties. Some might be reeling from the effects of the 2007 financial crisis, while in Singapore’s context, COE premiums paled in comparison to today’s numbers. A quick check revealed Cat E COE tagged at 13k in the first cycle of 2007. 17 grand secured you one at the tail end of 2009. To have figures exploding to six figures seemed unthinkable 15 years later!

Not only were cars priced less prohibitively in Singapore, the tricky state of the global economy back then, in hindsight, could have even spawned this “competition” to start from scratch, heading back to the drawing board to make cracking cars with only brief attention to heritage. This trio could have benefitted, and they still don’t cost an arm and leg to purchase in 2025!

2009 Lexus IS250

Lexus has taken advantage of time to make their products more desirable. The 2nd-gen IS250 was a solid product, but stiff competition from the dynamic E90 BMW 3 Series, luxurious W204 Mercedes-Benz C Class and tech-laden B4 Audi A4 placed it behind shadows.

Compare them side by side in 2025 - the IS250 will feel the freshest. Leather would have held up, silky smooth V6 requires the least maintenance, and while rear legroom is not ginormous, it still provides a neat blend of sporty and functional. Yours for less than 1 grand monthly depreciation.

2006 Audi A3 Sportback 2.0

Shared platforms might sound mainstream, but trust VW Group to assemble unique specs among them. Audi did exactly that with the A3 sitting on a PQ35 platform, offering a 2.0-litre turbo version without Quattro. We don’t recall spotting many registered A3 Sportback 2.0 TFSI DSG back in the day, as most would have opted for the more affordable Golf GTI or taken the gung ho route with the VR6 3.2-litre A3 Sportback Quattro.

197bhp and 280Nm are Mk5 GTI numbers (some call it the reskinned GTI), so you won’t be left shortchanged on the performance front. A Sportback form factor makes grocery runs more agreeable.

2009 Honda Accord JDM

When we think of Honda Accords in Singapore, the CL7 Euro R in the early noughties was arguably the most successful in terms of road presence and performance. But there’s another less manic, more luxurious parallel imported Accord we’d pick over the one available at the authorised dealer.

The 8th-gen JDM Accord’s 2.4-litre motor pushing 206bhp and 232Nm gave it the lungs for highway cruising. It looked like nothing else on the road too, with chiselled proportions and in this OEM purplish-blue hue it looks in fine fettle.

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