C.O.E. pains
By March 2019 the Nissan Latio car I was driving was 14 years old, and it was a nuisance to maintain. It still had a value of approximately $9,000 before the C.O.E. (certificate of entitlement) expired on November 2020. That would also be the time of my retirement. I had been thinking about getting rid of the car and using public transport instead. A retired speaker, Mr Benny Ong, called this travelling by B.M.W. (Bus. MRT. Walking). After all, I did not see myself needing a car once I retired from pastoral ministry.
For readers outside of Singapore, the holder of a “certificate of entitlement” (C.O.E.) is granted the right to own and use a vehicle on the road for ten years. The amount you have to pay is a figure that depends on market demand and supply. The numbers have been trending mostly upwards since 2019. The current COE for Category A (below 1,600cc) for October 2025 is an outrageous S$128,105.
Prayer Opens the Heart
During my spiritual direction session with Lance Ng, I was processing my retirement with him, and the car was one of the topics I raised. I mentioned that logically I would not need a car, and I planned to give it up. Lance gently suggested that I be open and direct this matter to the Lord and prayerfully reconsider the matter.
It took many conversations with the Lord, my wife, and some other church members who were considering buying used cars. Over time, I noticed a gradual shift in my heart and mind. I felt peace and assurance about buying another old car with a renewed COE, despite my imminent retirement and the end of my monthly salary.
One of the factors I considered was that I could renew the COE of a nearly ten-year-old car for an additional ten years for $26,175, nearly the lowest point at that time. It was about the same amount that I had spent about four years earlier to renew the COE for the Nissan Latio, but for only five years.
With the help of my church members, Sunny and Zach, we looked at a used car, a Toyota. My wife and I decided to trade in the nineteen-year-old Nissan Latio for $9,153 and buy the old Toyota Allion for $15,000 with a renewed COE for ten years at $26,175.
How was I to know that after retirement, I would be using the car a great deal for caregiving support of my brother-in-law and others? Only the Lord knew ahead of time that the car I bought would be well-used. Only the Lord knew that the COE would rise up to crazy levels of over $100,000.
When I drove the car to and from hospitals, clinics, and other places, I often gave thanks to the Lord for his wisdom. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and his ways higher than our ways.
I have learned a valuable lesson about the life of faith. I have discovered what it means to practically trust in the Lord with all my heart and to not lean on my understanding. It is to pray about matters and let the peace of God guard and guide our hearts and minds.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5,6 NKJV)
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