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</TD></TR><TR><TD class=content_subtitle align=left>Wed, Feb 09, 2011
my paper </TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>
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</TD></TR><!-- Story With Image End --><TR><TD class=bodytext_10pt colSpan=3><!-- CONTENT : start -->By Cheryl Tay
DRIVING your convertible with the top down is cool and stylish, as the "topless" car attracts much attention from all around.
<TABLE class=bodytext border=0 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width=506 align=center><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=4>Click on thumbnail to view </TD></TR><TR><TD width=120>
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</TD></TR><TR><TD width=120>
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</TD><TD width=120>
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>But getting caught in sudden downpours and having to pull over to get the roof up (modern convertibles have roofs that are operational at speeds of up to 50kmh, but Japanese models require the car to be stationary) is simply not cool.
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width=300 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="/static/ads/scripts/adsimu.js"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://adtag.asiaone.com/tag/a1/js/asiaone_news_imu.js"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/AsiaOneNews/;pos=1;adtype=1;adtype=2;adtype=3;adtype=4;adtype=5;tile=5;sz=300x250;ord=9034631697392404?"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/AsiaOneNews/;pos=50;adtype=1;adtype=2;adtype=3;adtype=4;adtype=5;sz=10x10;ord=9034631697392404?"></SCRIPT><!-- Copyright 2008 DoubleClick, a division of Google Inc. All rights reserved. --><!-- Code auto-generated on Wed May 25 02:59:11 EDT 2011 --><SCRIPT src="http://s0.2mdn.net/879366/flashwrite_1_2.js"></SCRIPT><OBJECT id=DCF241627781 classid=clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000 width=300 height=250>
<embed src="http://s0.2mdn.net/2533238/econ051_300x250_sg2.swf" flashvars="moviePath=http://s0.2mdn.net/2533238/&moviepath=http://s0.2mdn.net/2533238/&clickTag=http%3A//ad.doubleclick.net/click%253Bh%253Dv8/3b16/3/0/%252a/z%253B241627781%253B0-0%253B0%253B64555127%253B4307-300/250%253B42318130/42335917/1%253B%253B%257Efdr%253D241536031%253B0-0%253B1%253B39581935%253B4307-300/250%253B42335004/42352791/1%253B%253B%257Esscs%253D%253fhttps%3A//www.economistasia.com/EY46F" width="300" height="250" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" swliveconnect="true" wmode="opaque" name="DCF241627781" base="http://s0.2mdn.net/2533238" AllowScriptAccess="never"></embed></OBJECT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><!-- Zone Tag : SPH In-Text --><SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://cdn.innity.com/network.js"></SCRIPT>http://www.asia1.com.sg/<SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://as.innity.com/synd/69cb3ea317a32c4e6143e665fdb20b14/4564/js/**/**/NEWS/1306644503527"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT>var _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1: "8", c2: "6299460" ,c3: "1000000000000000004" });(function() {var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true;s.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();</SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Still, many are going for a "topless" ride, come hell or high water. Hear why three drivers chose to buy convertibles over more practical options.</P>CHOO XIUHUI, 27
Ms Choo, a credit analyst, was deciding between a Mini Cooper and a Volkswagen Beetle when her husband - who races for local racing team HKS Garage R Racing - brought the sporty Honda S2000 to her attention.
"I was attracted to the car's overall sharp looks and I immensely enjoy the 'wind in your hair' feeling," she said.
"The car's price is higher than that of the similarly Japan-made MX-5, but it stands out favourably against the prices of European convertibles," said Ms Choo, who bought the S2000 from parallel importer Garage R 11/2 years ago for around $130,000.
The fabric roof of the S2000 requires only six seconds to operate, but the car has to be at a standstill, with the handbrake activated.
Ms Choo drives her S2000 daily, but switches to her Toyota Vios when she needs to drive friends and family around.
"The S2000 is strictly a twoseater, and may not be a popular or practical option as the sole family car," she warned.
LOW CHIN LOO, EARLY 40S
Ms Low, a bank executive, drives her Audi S5 convertible with the roof down every day, weather permitting.
"My lifestyle fits the bill for a convertible, hence it's top down to work before 8am and homewards after 6pm," she said.
The Audi is her first convertible, which she bought for $162,000 in October 2009.
And when it comes to rain, she said she has no issues as the roof can be operated within 20 seconds at speeds below 50kmh.
"Driving a convertible in Singapore can be practical, depending on your purpose and the time (in which you drive). If you have grown-up children, no elderly or handicapped dependants, and need the car mostly for before and after work, when the sun is not at its strongest, then it's fine," said Ms Low, who is a member of the Audi car club.
DR S. M. YUEN, 34
Once, he nearly had a cigarette butt tossed into his convertible when the roof was down. On another occasion, a boy remarked aloud that "it was pointless buying such a car in Singapore".
These are just some of the experiences that Dr S. M. Yuen, an aesthetic doctor, encountered in his five years of driving convertibles.
He has driven a BMW 321i cabriolet, a BMW Z4 and a Porsche Boxster S Tiptronic. Today, he drives a Porsche Boxster S PDK and a Ferrari California.
"The hard-top California is a practical but exotic car, which is rare," he said. "The California is great for day-to-day driving, has blistering pace, (provides) comfort, a spacious boot, and rear seats that are usable by kids or smaller adults."
He added: "One problem is that Singapore roads are crowded.
So, I choose to have the top down on routes that have few traffic lights and fewer heavy vehicles, as (putting up with) smoke from heavy vehicles is not cool."
For more my paper stories click here.
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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>51801.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD id=msgtxt_1 class=msgtxt>http://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/Owners/Story/A1Story20110523-280223.html
Handbag or upgrade Honda?
By Joyce Lim
SHE had to choose between buying that branded handbag which she had always wanted or modifying her car.
Madam Choo Xiuhui, 28, was clear about what she wanted.
Click on thumbnails below to view more photos. Story continues after photos. (Photos: TNP and Choo Xiu Hui)
The credit analyst in a foreign bank had no qualms about throwing $20,000 of her joint savings with her husband into upgrading their Honda S2000 last month.
They had paid $130,000 for the car two years ago.
The thundering sound of the exhaust, the speed and the look of the car obviously turn her on more than the latest designer handbag in the stores.
Impulse purchase
She said: "Handbags are usually impulse purchases. Car upgrading takes more planning and time to save up for.
"We agreed to sacrifice our birthday, anniversary and Christmas presents this year and spend the money on upgrading our car."
Earlier this year, Madam Choo and her husband, Mr Mok Tze Yang, 32, a bank executive, were at the Tokyo Auto Salon show and spotted a Lamborghini in matte pearl white.
Related stories
She buys cars on a whim
When she saw Porsche, 'it was love at first sight'
She said: "We loved the rare colour. When we returned to Singapore, we asked the owner of Garage R to help us source for it."
Garage R imported the paint directly from Italy for the couple.
Madam Choo also changed the exhaust and full suspension systems and installed a Japanese bodykit and rims for her sportscar. HKS Garage R customised the car's body work.
The car's dashboard was customised and an in-car entertainment unit put in.
Said Mr Mok: "My wife is able to appreciate the beauty of cars as much as she appreciates designer handbags. Not many women would be willing to share the cost of the car or modifying it, but Xiuhui was willing to spend on cars.
"It was our common interest in cars that brought and kept us together."
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
my paper </TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>
</TD><TD height=15>
</FORM><SCRIPT> function openEmailA1AdminWindow(emailToFriendForm) { var emailToFriendPageURL = emailToFriendForm.emailToFriendPageURL.value; emailToFriendForm.action = emailToFriendPageURL; emailToFriendForm.target="_blank"; emailToFriendForm.submit(); } </SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3><!-- TITLE : start -->Drivers who go topless in S'pore <!-- TITLE : end--></TD><TR><TD height=15 colSpan=3>
DRIVING your convertible with the top down is cool and stylish, as the "topless" car attracts much attention from all around.
<TABLE class=bodytext border=0 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width=506 align=center><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=4>Click on thumbnail to view </TD></TR><TR><TD width=120>
</TD><TD width=120>
</TD><TD width=120>
</TD><TD width=120>
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=120>
</TD><TD width=120>
</TD><TD width=120>
</TD><TD width=120>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>But getting caught in sudden downpours and having to pull over to get the roof up (modern convertibles have roofs that are operational at speeds of up to 50kmh, but Japanese models require the car to be stationary) is simply not cool.<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width=300 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="/static/ads/scripts/adsimu.js"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://adtag.asiaone.com/tag/a1/js/asiaone_news_imu.js"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/AsiaOneNews/;pos=1;adtype=1;adtype=2;adtype=3;adtype=4;adtype=5;tile=5;sz=300x250;ord=9034631697392404?"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/AsiaOneNews/;pos=50;adtype=1;adtype=2;adtype=3;adtype=4;adtype=5;sz=10x10;ord=9034631697392404?"></SCRIPT><!-- Copyright 2008 DoubleClick, a division of Google Inc. All rights reserved. --><!-- Code auto-generated on Wed May 25 02:59:11 EDT 2011 --><SCRIPT src="http://s0.2mdn.net/879366/flashwrite_1_2.js"></SCRIPT><OBJECT id=DCF241627781 classid=clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000 width=300 height=250>
<embed src="http://s0.2mdn.net/2533238/econ051_300x250_sg2.swf" flashvars="moviePath=http://s0.2mdn.net/2533238/&moviepath=http://s0.2mdn.net/2533238/&clickTag=http%3A//ad.doubleclick.net/click%253Bh%253Dv8/3b16/3/0/%252a/z%253B241627781%253B0-0%253B0%253B64555127%253B4307-300/250%253B42318130/42335917/1%253B%253B%257Efdr%253D241536031%253B0-0%253B1%253B39581935%253B4307-300/250%253B42335004/42352791/1%253B%253B%257Esscs%253D%253fhttps%3A//www.economistasia.com/EY46F" width="300" height="250" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" swliveconnect="true" wmode="opaque" name="DCF241627781" base="http://s0.2mdn.net/2533238" AllowScriptAccess="never"></embed></OBJECT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><!-- Zone Tag : SPH In-Text --><SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://cdn.innity.com/network.js"></SCRIPT>http://www.asia1.com.sg/<SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://as.innity.com/synd/69cb3ea317a32c4e6143e665fdb20b14/4564/js/**/**/NEWS/1306644503527"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT>var _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1: "8", c2: "6299460" ,c3: "1000000000000000004" });(function() {var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true;s.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();</SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Still, many are going for a "topless" ride, come hell or high water. Hear why three drivers chose to buy convertibles over more practical options.</P>CHOO XIUHUI, 27
Ms Choo, a credit analyst, was deciding between a Mini Cooper and a Volkswagen Beetle when her husband - who races for local racing team HKS Garage R Racing - brought the sporty Honda S2000 to her attention.
"I was attracted to the car's overall sharp looks and I immensely enjoy the 'wind in your hair' feeling," she said.
"The car's price is higher than that of the similarly Japan-made MX-5, but it stands out favourably against the prices of European convertibles," said Ms Choo, who bought the S2000 from parallel importer Garage R 11/2 years ago for around $130,000.
The fabric roof of the S2000 requires only six seconds to operate, but the car has to be at a standstill, with the handbrake activated.
Ms Choo drives her S2000 daily, but switches to her Toyota Vios when she needs to drive friends and family around.
"The S2000 is strictly a twoseater, and may not be a popular or practical option as the sole family car," she warned.
LOW CHIN LOO, EARLY 40S
Ms Low, a bank executive, drives her Audi S5 convertible with the roof down every day, weather permitting.
"My lifestyle fits the bill for a convertible, hence it's top down to work before 8am and homewards after 6pm," she said.
The Audi is her first convertible, which she bought for $162,000 in October 2009.
And when it comes to rain, she said she has no issues as the roof can be operated within 20 seconds at speeds below 50kmh.
"Driving a convertible in Singapore can be practical, depending on your purpose and the time (in which you drive). If you have grown-up children, no elderly or handicapped dependants, and need the car mostly for before and after work, when the sun is not at its strongest, then it's fine," said Ms Low, who is a member of the Audi car club.
DR S. M. YUEN, 34
Once, he nearly had a cigarette butt tossed into his convertible when the roof was down. On another occasion, a boy remarked aloud that "it was pointless buying such a car in Singapore".
These are just some of the experiences that Dr S. M. Yuen, an aesthetic doctor, encountered in his five years of driving convertibles.
He has driven a BMW 321i cabriolet, a BMW Z4 and a Porsche Boxster S Tiptronic. Today, he drives a Porsche Boxster S PDK and a Ferrari California.
"The hard-top California is a practical but exotic car, which is rare," he said. "The California is great for day-to-day driving, has blistering pace, (provides) comfort, a spacious boot, and rear seats that are usable by kids or smaller adults."
He added: "One problem is that Singapore roads are crowded.
So, I choose to have the top down on routes that have few traffic lights and fewer heavy vehicles, as (putting up with) smoke from heavy vehicles is not cool."
For more my paper stories click here.
<!-- CONTENT : end -->
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></P>
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>51801.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD id=msgtxt_1 class=msgtxt>http://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/Owners/Story/A1Story20110523-280223.html
Handbag or upgrade Honda?
By Joyce Lim
SHE had to choose between buying that branded handbag which she had always wanted or modifying her car.
Madam Choo Xiuhui, 28, was clear about what she wanted.
Click on thumbnails below to view more photos. Story continues after photos. (Photos: TNP and Choo Xiu Hui)
The credit analyst in a foreign bank had no qualms about throwing $20,000 of her joint savings with her husband into upgrading their Honda S2000 last month.
They had paid $130,000 for the car two years ago.
The thundering sound of the exhaust, the speed and the look of the car obviously turn her on more than the latest designer handbag in the stores.
Impulse purchase
She said: "Handbags are usually impulse purchases. Car upgrading takes more planning and time to save up for.
"We agreed to sacrifice our birthday, anniversary and Christmas presents this year and spend the money on upgrading our car."
Earlier this year, Madam Choo and her husband, Mr Mok Tze Yang, 32, a bank executive, were at the Tokyo Auto Salon show and spotted a Lamborghini in matte pearl white.
Related stories
She buys cars on a whim
When she saw Porsche, 'it was love at first sight'
She said: "We loved the rare colour. When we returned to Singapore, we asked the owner of Garage R to help us source for it."
Garage R imported the paint directly from Italy for the couple.
Madam Choo also changed the exhaust and full suspension systems and installed a Japanese bodykit and rims for her sportscar. HKS Garage R customised the car's body work.
The car's dashboard was customised and an in-car entertainment unit put in.
Said Mr Mok: "My wife is able to appreciate the beauty of cars as much as she appreciates designer handbags. Not many women would be willing to share the cost of the car or modifying it, but Xiuhui was willing to spend on cars.
"It was our common interest in cars that brought and kept us together."
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
