My first test drive session

On Wed evening, I went to C&C to test drive the 1.1 litre manual and auto Picanto at Alexandra road. The first test drive road has many U-turns and I don't feel very confident driving the manual Picanto. The gear was quite "sticky" and the steering wheel was so much harder to control than the Honda City at BBDC. The car rolled back for some distance when I tried to drive up the steep slope of C&C's carpark, even though I was at first gear. My second test drive was so much smoother with the auto transmission Picanto. It went a bit too fast when I drove down the carpark's slope, so braking has to be harder. The path out of C&C was pretty narrow, as there were many vehicles parked beside the kerb. All my turns seem to miss an object by just few cm, which may be a bit scary for my passengers (my sis and the salesperson)...I requested for a test drive route that has fewer U-turns, as the traffic seems a bit heavy. It was so much easier to drive an auto Picanto, even though the steering wasn't as easy as a Honda's. However, it will definitely have a higher fuel consumption than a manual Picanto...no choice, since I would rather enjoy the drive and pay a bit more on fuel than put up with stiff gears and paying a little lesser. Since it is an off peak car, I guess the difference will be minimal with the low usage. I will get a normal plate Japan car when I can afford it, which I guess will be around 3 to 5 years later...hopefully.

After the test drive session, I booked an off-peak auto Silver Picanto with the salesperson. I were given a free reverse sensor and alarm (after browsing several online forum threads, I realized that these were common freebies for a Picanto), and some cash off (CNY promo). I hope I will get a good COE rebate that will lower my monthly installment. The bank loan interest rate has gone up to 3.18%, which is so much higher than last year's rate. As I'm getting the car under my name, I'll have to pay a hefty sum of insurance premium for being a new driver. It was not possible to have it under my Dad's name (to get savings on insurance), as I doubt the loan will be approved with his low salary. Haiz, I'm broke. I must really watch what I spend this year.