Why driving an Off-Peak Car (OPC) did not work out

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August 11th, 2009 admin

A car is a must when you have a baby. After all, you will need to ferry tons of baby related stuffs around, like baby prams, small mattress and warmer bags when you go visiting. In addition, you will not want your baby to be exposed to cramped MRTs or jerky buses, if possible. So when my baby boy was born, I knew that I had to get a car. It seems simple enough – get an off-peak/ weekend car with the $17,000 government rebate.

I end up spending $34,000 (including COE at $4,445) for a Toyota Altis in Jan 2009. And because I need to go into Johor Bahru every weekend (my wife’s parents stay in Johor Bahru), I get the extra benefit of pumping the petrol in Johor Bahru at a very reasonable rate of RM$1.80/litre. Including season parking and car insurance, I ended up paying $420 more/month on transport, which I also find very reasonable.

Limsimi.com - Off Peak Car (OPC) seal

Things started to get tricky 2 months after I bought the car. Baby was sick and I needed to bring him to the doctor on a Saturday afternoon. Time is 2pm and still not within the eligible period OPC cars can go on the road (starts from 3pm on Saturday). Do not want to wait an additional hour so no choice but to tear the $20.00 coupon so that I can start driving. The first bad experience of having an OPC. There are similar incidents when I need to use a car but is hindered by the OPC timings (need to attend friend’s wedding on a Saturday morning, took weekday off to bring my wife for checkup etc..). Each time, I tore the $20.00 coupon.

4 months later when my wife started working again, she realise that she is unable to spend as much time as she likes with our baby boy. She knocks off at 7pm, reach home at 8.15pm and after dinner and bath, it is already 9.15pm. Same too for myself – I usually reach home at 9.00pm, with a tired body. We wake up early too – our nanny comes over to our place at 7.30am in the morning and after a “handover”, we carry our laptop bags and walk to the MRT station. We will usually reach our respective office at about 8.30am.

It is increasingly obvious that we should convert our car to a normal car, as we realise that the whole purpose of buying a car in the first place is to save time and provide convenience to us. I can drive my wife to work and with a car, we can both reach home earlier (and with more energy to play with our baby) if we can coordinate our timings. We need not go into JB after 3pm every Saturday with bad jams but can opt to go in at 8am instead, when the traffic is better.

Bite the bullet and converted the OPC car to a normal car. As I used the car for only 6 months, paid the following components:
1. Return OPC Rebate: (12 months * 10years -6months)/(12 months * 10years) * $17,000
2. Return Road Tax Rebate: (6 months/ 12 months) * 650
3. $100 conversion fee.

The consolation is the increase in the scrap value of my car by $8,000.

You just need to return your red road tax disc to the LTA office, bring a payment cheque and that’s it. The whole process took only 15 minutes.

To sum it up, OPC car did not work out well for me. Once you have a car, you will realise the benefits of using it and you might get used to driving over public transport very quickly. Yes, a normal car will cost more but you have already paid so much, might as well pay slightly more to get the convenience and flexibility to travel.

Now, there is still one thing outstanding. You need to go to your own workshop to change the red colour number plate to a black one.

All Off-Peak car number plate comes with a seal to prevent tampering, In addition, the seal that holds the front number plate is actually welded to the car body (our government is really kiasu here). See image below.

Limsimi.com - Bracket welded to car body (Holds the OPC Seal)

Went to Sin Ming Ave to check with a workshop and it cost $125.00 to replace my car plates – including brackets and services charges. Feel like the uncle is quoting me prices from the sky.

Drove my car into JB for the change instead. Good service and it only cost RM$150 Ringgit (about S$60.00). I totally enjoyed the whole process of seeing them use the electric cutter to saw through the OPC seal. Feels like a chain around my neck has been loosen too.

Editor’s Note: This article is contributed by one of our readers who wish to remain anomynous. Article had been edited.

Entry Filed under: Others

23 Comments Add your own

1. Rock | August 11th, 2009 at 11:06 AM

You are truely a good example for others OPC car owner, but i still see lots of OPC car owner drive without coupon on weekday (day time), dive in JB early in the morning during weekday and use it there for the whole day, even those that they know that Insurance Company will not pay them if the is any mishap in malaysia, thumb up for you… cheers

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2. admin | August 11th, 2009 at 1:13 PM

No joke for OPC owners to be caught driving without the coupon. You get hauled to court and pay between $500.00 – $1000 for the fine.

On Saturday morning, some of the custom officers may also request to see your coupon even if they do not have the authority to issue you a summon. They can however, refer you to the traffic police for summon. Just some of the info shared with me by my OPC driver friend, who got caught once and paid $500.

Cheers,
Lawrence

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3. Sharifah | August 11th, 2009 at 1:19 PM

OPC works gd 4 me. Office near mrt and my hse. Only use it to go jb over wkends. Even then, go in fri nite so i stay in in-law place. Come out Sun morning.

+ can pump 100% of petrol at JB too.

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4. opcowner | August 11th, 2009 at 10:36 PM

This guy talk c*ck. How many coupons he actually used. Just because he get used to driving car and want to drive more often, then just pay the price and convert lah ! Don’t need to talk big and condemn OPC. It works for many happy OPC drivers. If you just want to feel that you are atas sikit or want people to look up upon you, just carry on. Don’t need to degrade OPC.

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5. opcowner2 | August 12th, 2009 at 1:07 AM

I am a happy opc owner too. From a neutral standpt, this guy is not condemning opc lar. Can’t read anywhere how the article offends opc owners.

That being said, i feel that a lot of drivers dun like opc. If you go online forum, people tend to assoicate ppl like us as trying to steal driving hours like that. Most of us do not flaunt the rules and will not hold back tearing copon of need to. To everyone his own needs and if we can make do with opc, u shld be happy too since there are less car on the roads during peak hours.

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6. sun | August 12th, 2009 at 9:22 AM

well,lets put it this way guys, its your life, its your choice…happy ending after all…

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7. opcowner3 | August 16th, 2009 at 2:48 PM

Heard from the news today that LTA may allow full day driving on Saturday. Both for that to happen, the $17,000 rebate will be lowered.

In addition, the government is also looking at half-day coupon at $10/each.

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8. opcowner3 | August 16th, 2009 at 2:48 PM

There are also 1000 OPC offenders who didn’t tear coupon! That is a lot man, considering that there are only 54000 opc cars on the road!

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9. opcowner3 | August 16th, 2009 at 2:49 PM

1000 OPC offenders/ YEAR

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10. min | August 17th, 2009 at 12:53 PM

The government shld already electronize the OPC coupon long ago. Lead to so many disputes and violations and finger pointings.

Some questions that I always have reg OPC. Hope someone can answer me..

1) Is it ok to move off-peak car from level 4 of Multi storey carpark to your void deck? Cus my neighbour always do that on sat morning.. about 1pm. BUt will actually drive off at 3pm sharp.

2) Another grey area will prob be if it is ok to drive OPC within NUS or NTU within non-opc hours? Is it considered public road?

3) Finally, can we convert OPC to normal car and back to opc car again?

Not a car owner now but i am actually considering opc. Small car like Kelisa or chery qq for basic transport. Really looking at the cheapest option EXCEPT motorcycle.

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11. Jayson | August 18th, 2009 at 12:35 PM

1) Should be ok. As long as you do not stray onto public road.

2) Rule still apply. Considered public road.

3) Can. You refund to convert back to OPC will not be given in cash immediately but when u scrap your car. So it is better to decide up front so that you can get the instant 17k rebate.

Small cars like kelisa? Why not get a hyundai?

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12. tiger4 | August 20th, 2009 at 11:13 AM

No problem for me owning an OPC. Bought mine around the same period as the writer. My wife and me take public transport to work, which is a 1 hour ride. I dun go JB to pump petrol so I can’t save on petrol like the writer do.

As someone told me, most important thing about owning an OPC is discipline. Dun own an OPC if you can’t control your driving urge. I have no problem when tearing the OPC coupon if there is a need to. Think about it this way, the savings we get from the road tax can let you buy sufficient supply of OPC coupons.

@min: Just went to do my car servicing. According to the service engineer, OPC should not be moving at all even within the car park e.g. driving to washing bay. So I usually drive 5 mins after the stipulated time for precaution sake

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13. Keng Hong | August 20th, 2009 at 1:00 PM

I am wondering when lta will release the details on new opc ownership. Want to get a opc soon but am sitting on the fence waiting door announcement to come, with the hope that there are better perks for opc owner.

Super regret, because Coe price has risen to $15k now. I should have just get my car in mar, when Hyundai avante is going for $44k.

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14. Chit Kang | September 6th, 2009 at 10:27 PM

I see a lot of these cars in Johor Bahru. I believe that out of the 54,000 such vehicles, more than half comes into JB frequently.

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15. Norman | October 9th, 2009 at 7:58 PM

Hi Keng Hong, COE is now nearing 17k. Still going up. Hope you bought a vehicle already.

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16. Curious Malaysian | November 9th, 2009 at 1:45 AM

Wah, I don’t know that OPC is troublesome unless OPC car is in Malaysian road. You converted to black plate is convenient to drive in Singapore also can be driven in case of emergency but will be waste if driving in Malaysian road. By the way, if Singaporean car is used on Malaysian road, there is a time limit for foreign plates in Malaysian road? Also, If Singaporean road tax expired in Malaysia, does Malaysian police or JPJ issued fine on foreign plates? If not mistaken, Malaysian road tax expired in Singapore will issued fine if caught by Singaporean police. Reply to me. OPC car will worthful if stayed in Malaysian road.

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17. Yi Lian | November 9th, 2009 at 9:00 AM

OPC is cost effective, based on the measure on how much you drive, be it SG roads and MY roads. This is a factor of needs and usage patterns. If you drive early morning, at night and weekends only, OPC is the vehicle for you.

Many Army Personnels get OPCs because they perfer to book in to camp early -eventually when they get promoted, they have more $$ and convert to black plate. Vicious cycle. Many new parents buy OPC to go out during weekend – then they start getting used to driving, and feels constrainted by the restricted driving hours and they too convert.

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18. Curious Malaysian | November 14th, 2009 at 10:15 PM

Yeah, If a Singaporean owns car just to drive into Malaysia, better own OPC rather than black plate.

OPC cars have no restriction on Malaysian road isn’t it?

Maybe on future, I want to own foreign plates to drive in Malaysian road such as Thai plates due absence of 300% import duty on Japanese car.

If I were a Singaporean Permanent Resident, I also use black plate for convenience and case of emergency rather buy S$20 license unless OPC cars is on Malaysian road forever.

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19. Curious Malaysian | November 14th, 2009 at 10:21 PM

OPC plates are similar to Malaysian plates in Singapore where Malaysian cars pays S$20 per day but Saturday is free unlike OPC where Saturday after 3pm, OPC cars is allowed.

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20. Curious Malaysian | December 1st, 2009 at 9:30 PM

Please ignore my comment.

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21. Darren | December 8th, 2009 at 7:52 PM

i am a 8months OPC user on Honda fit. to me opc is fine for me, my office is 5min away with company transport daily (5days 730~445) by the time i reached home is already 515hrs (jam) i am wait 2010 for the full usage on sat. i use the coupon when needed. i keep telling myself $17000 as compare to $20 more worth it, so i wouldn’t feel so pain.
cheers

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22. Shawn | June 1st, 2011 at 7:59 AM

Hey anybody know to convert opc to normal car, the rebate pay back to LTA is it a one lump sum payment? No installment or etc? Thanks

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admin Reply:
July 15th, 2011 at 11:20 PM
Hi Shawn, the rebate is one lump sum payment. No installment is accepted.

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