'Every day the car dies': Man's daily battle with newly-bought $1,000 Honda provides comic relief for netizens

Property agent Jacob Ong bought a second-hand car for $1,000, and got exactly what he paid for.

The battery of the 26-year-old's Honda Jazz that he bought on Feb 22 died after just five days.

Ong told AsiaOne that the constant need to 'revive' the vehicle every day means driving it is "fun and unpredictable".

"Every time the car coughs and shows signs of failure, my girlfriend and I will look at each other with the [confused] face and laugh," he said.

Ong said that due to the nature of his job, the used Honda was meant to be a temporary fix while waiting for his new Tesla.

He said: "I tried taking public transport, private-hire vehicles… There were even cockroaches in my rental car and it easily adds up to $3,000.

"And I realised that with an average of 30 appointments a week, it's not practical and expensive. I value my time more."

COE left with just one month

Ong said that he "randomly" visited online car marketplace Sgcarmart last month, while searching for cars with the lowest prices.

The second-hand Honda Jazz caught his attention - even though its Certificate of Entitlement will expire in about a month.

"I thought that it would be a very fun and 'throwback' kind of car," Ong said, adding he honed his skills on the road with a Honda Jazz some seven years ago.

With the car going for cheap, Ong knew what he was paying for - even though the previous owner did not warn him about any potential faults with the vehicle.

"My expectations were so low that I told myself, 'I can't expect much'," he said, adding that he contacted the 'super nice' owner and brought the car home on the same day.

"I bought it without my girlfriend's knowledge. Her face was a priceless expression and confusion."

He added that at $1,000 with 38 days of COE left, it'll cost him just $26 to use the car a day. The amount does not include road tax, insurance and petrol. 

'It's fun to own something that wants to give up'

In a video shared on TikTok on Wednesday (March 13), Ong said that "every day the car dies".

Laughing while bringing out a hammer from the car boot, he shared his morning routine of reviving the vehicle by knocking its battery.

"Adventures of owning a $1,000 car. I just find it hilarious," he said.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@jacob.ongqg/video/7345730543302036743?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7252157227077830162[/embed]

The video, which has garnered over 120,000 views, has provided comic relief on social media. Many netizens were tickled with how "chill" Ong was.

One wrote that the battery is still "sleeping", and a second said that he would have a "mental breakdown" if his car dies on him every day.

A netizen simply said: "The car is running on hope and prayers."

Speaking to AsiaOne, Ong said that he first learnt how to bring his car 'back to life' through trial-and-error.

"I just thought to myself, 'Maybe it's like a remote control'. It just needs a few knocks to turn it on," he said, adding that he is not taking safety for granted and had since made several repairs to the vehicle.

But being realistic is what kept Ong from losing his mind over his not-so-reliable car.

"I got what I paid for. I drove a Maserati and Porsche before this car. And both of them had their fair share of problems and were extremely costly," he said.

"So, knocking the battery to keep it going is perfectly reasonable."

With the car due for the scrapheap by the end of the month, Ong will miss the "raggy and edgy feeling" of being behind the wheel.

"And owning something that wants to give up. It's fun and unpredictable," he quipped.

ALSO READ: 'Like burning money': Man buys second-hand BMW but he's forced to take public transport every day

chingshijie@asiaone.com