Smart Singaporean’s Guide to SF Bay Area (Silicon Valley USA) Contents Page
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Preface
Your New “Wife”- The Car 1
How to Find a Car (craigslist) 3
What to look out for when inspecting a car (KBB) 3
The Paperwork of the car (DMV, Dealers) 3
Negotiating a Deal (private vs dealers vs showroom) 3
Taking care of your car (maaco, repair shops, carwash, gas stations) 3
What to do in case of an accident, traffic police 3
Learning Driving in California (driving schools, friends) 3
Car culture in the USA (stevens creek) 3
Housing in Silicon Valley 4
Where to find housing (rent.com, craigs) 3
How to negotiate a deal 3
Living in the USA (neighbourhoods) 3
Housing culture in the USA 3
What You Need in Your House (safeway, walmart) 3
Paying the Bills (PG&E) 3
Taking Care of Yourself 1
Haircuts (supercuts) 3
Shopping Malls (valley fair, Gilroy, great mall) 3
Finding Friends (singaporean overseas networks to join) 3
Music and Books and Culture 3
What to do if you fall sick (webmd.com) 3
Food, Glorious Food! 1
Singaporean eateries 3
Entertainment 1
Nightlife in USA 3
Travel Equipment (ebay, craigslist) 3
Roadtrip Advice (googlemaps, kayak.com, priceline) 3
Personalities to meet / Networking Events 3
Smart Singaporean’s Guide to SF Bay Area (Silicon Valley USA)- Buying The Car
BUYING A CAR
To buy a car, go to craigslist.com, click on SF Bay Area, and then click on the tab which represents your area (e.g. Peninsula)
When looking at car ads, follow the guidelines below:
1) Mileage: < 100K miles is great
2) Year Made: Not > 10 years old
3) Japanese cars (Toyota, Mitsubishi) are better for fuel economy
4) European cars (Volvo, BMW) are better for safety
5) VIN Number > log on to www.carfax.com, use a paid account, and then check if the car has been salvaged. Do not buy a car that has a salvage title.
6) Photograph of the car
7) Location of the car-seller. Oakland and East Palo Alto are generally dangerous areas for meeting sellers.
8) Dealers sell cars for higher prices.
9) Private vendors sell cars at lower prices.
NEGOTIATING THE CAR DEAL
Follow the steps below in order to get a good deal:
1) Arrange an appointment with the owner by phone
a. Try to get the seller to drive down to show you the car
b. If you can’t, politely request your friend to drive you down to show the car.
2) Check the value of the car in the Kelley Blue Book database (www.kbb.com)
a. Enter model, brand and year as stated in the ad
b. For the specific details, like power-steering and safety locks and ABS in the car, enter as much as you know. They are not really important at this point.
c. Note down the price of the cars at all 3 values: Fair, Good, and Excellent
3) Negotiate down the price of the car based on the KBB value and the overall damage
4) Take the car for a test drive- on normal 35mph roads (El Camino Real) and the freeway (> 40mph) (highway 101, Lawrence Expressway) if possible (freeway to test if the engine starts to make stuttering noises and the car becomes dangerously unstable when at high speeds)
5) If you are a new driver, politely ask an experienced driver along to test-drive the car
6) Do not buy a salvaged car
BUYING THE CAR
1) There are 4 important documents that the seller must give you:
a. Car title – Pink – check VIN number and all details are correct
b. Transfer of ownership form – check names and ensure that when you write your name, you write it as exactly the way you wrote in your DMV car license application
c. Car registration
d. Smog Check Report
2) Place a deposit for the car if you are planning to come back another day to collect it and obtain a signed agreement.
3) Else, pay in cash. This means that you have to go to the ATM to withdraw a few thousand dollars of cash- safety.
4) Congratulations, you are the proud owner of a new car!
INSPECTING THE CAR
1) Ask if a smog-check has been done. Car sellers should have had done that. Else, you will have to send it before buying the car.
2) Send the car to a reputable mechanic Firestone for around 19.99 before you buy the car.
3) Ask the mechanic if the car has a glaring problem. Do not buy the car if it has one. However, take note that the mechanic’s report should have a whole list of problems- most of them should be minor. It is not necessary to fix all the problems- fix the problems that have to do with safety.
4) Look at the car- with your own judgment, gauge if the car is in Fair, Good or Excellent condition.
5) Remember that the car is likely to have problems that the owner might not reveal.
6) Ask the owner why he is selling the car- if he is selling based on a shady reason- do not buy the car.
Smart Singaporean’s Guide to SF Bay Area (Silicon Valley USA)- Sending and Receiving Mail / Packages
http://usps.whitepages.com/post_office
Smart Singaporeans Guide to SF Bay Area Buying Clothes Electronics Necessities
Visit Gilroy, or other discount outlets located here on the google maps. Discount outlets, or factory outlets, or premium outlets, are commonplace in California. Name brand clothes like Levi’s, Calvin Klein, Oakley are sold at much cheaper prices, than when compared to places like, say, Hollywood. LOL.
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Smart Singaporeans Guide to SF Bay Area (Silicon Valley USA)- Taking care of the car
TAKING CARE OF YOUR CAR
1) Repair the important safety problems that were given in the mechanic check.
a. Private Mechanic for lower prices but less reliable service
b. Firestone for higher prices but more reliable service
c. Use www.firestone.com to check for the closest outlet.
d. You will need at least 2 cars and 2 drivers (count yourself as 1 if you can drive) when you send your car to the mechanic- this is so that you can get back
e. Call the mechanic to arrange for an appointment
f. Takes about half a day for fixes. They open 9am to 6.30pm, 7 days a week typically. S
2) Maintain the car
a. Body wash your car when it gets dirty
i. Yourself– buy the washing equipment (tyre shine, interior leather cleaner, towel, pail, windscreen wipe, soap for car, water hose) at a Walmart (Google maps: Walmart (sells everything) or Kragen (www.kragen) for car accessories)
ii. Drive-through car wash at a gas station that has one (Valero) $6 to $15
iii. Drive-through car wash at a private car wash station (Google maps: car wash) $6 to $15
iv. Hand-wash at a private car wash station $6
3) Repair the car for minor bodywork, scratches or damage to headlights
a. Maaco Body Repair (www.maaco.com for closest location)
b. Collision damage coverage on your insurance may help to settle the first $250 to first $1000 of the repair cost, depending on your insurance plan for collision payment.
CAR INSURANCE
1) Decide on an insurance company (Farmer’s Insurance for new drivers) by comparing the prices at equivalent terms of the plan
2) Call your agent – Rick Nguyen of Farmer’s Insurance
3) Get a family plan with your roommates- every extra roommate makes your plan cheaper by around 10%
4) Tell your insurance agent that you will typically drive between 7K to 10K miles per month.
5) Get as many discounts as possible- e.g. experienced drivers will get a much cheaper plan, ABS brakes on your car will get a cheaper plan, good students (GPA > 3) will get a cheaper plan.
6) Submit your academic record (good students) and car documents by fax, scan and send through email, or by passing it personally to the agent.
7) Pay by credit card using phone, or by passing cash to the agent.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU MEET WITH AN ACCIDENT
1) Assess the damages by your own judgment quickly
2) Keep calm and maintain composure and courtesy with the other party
3) Note down the car license plate of the other party
4) Exchange insurance details and driving license details with the other party
5) Do not say more than absolutely necessary to the other party- Silence can be golden
6) Take a photograph of the damages if you have a camera with you and if you feel that the evidence can be useful to show the insurance agent
7) Drive back safely if your car is in drivable condition
8) Else, if your car is not drivable, call your insurance company to tow the car. Then, politely ask your friend to fetch you home.
9) Make a police report if necessary.
10) Remember that if you decide to make a report, the police report will be filed, DMV will record it, and that will affect your car insurance down-payment in the future.
11) If you have injuries, call 911 for an ambulance or make your way to the closest medical center.
12) The medical center will take your medical insurance document/policy number in order to bill you- so make sure you bring it with you at all times.
13) Remember the adage- stuff happens! Life is not perfect all the time- get over it quickly. Immediately call your friends, seniors or supervisors for help.
LEARNING DRIVING IN CALIFORNIA
1) The process to get a license is:
a. Visit the nearest DMV by using Google maps or http://dmv.gov.ca
b. Apply for and take the written basic driving theory test – you have to score at least 7/12 on the test. You have 3 attempts which can be taken all on the same day.
c. After 3 attempts at the written test, you will have to pay a USD$28 fee for another 3 attempts to be scheduled on another day.
d. Once you pass the basic driving theory test, ask the counter personnel to schedule your driving test appointment on the spot. Else, you will have to book the test online at http://dmv.gov.ca or call the DMV center number (all free)
e. You will be issued a temporary instructional student license that allows you to drive but only with a licensed driver beside you.
f. Be at DMV 30 minutes before your scheduled driving test appointment.
g. Take the 15 minute driving test.
h. You have 3 attempts at the driving test, before you have to pay USD28 and retake the written basic theory test.
i. Once you pass the test you will receive your license in about 2 weeks through the mail. Your SSN must be given to the DMV either by phone or in person.
2) To learn driving:
a. Go to the Yahoo Directory for driving schools in USA and call a number. The average price is USD60 / 2 hr lesson.
b. If you already have a license from, for example, Singapore, India, Malaysia or China, you will be issued a temporary license that is valid for 3 months. You can continually renew it every 3 months.
c. Ask a friend or relative who is a licensed driver to sit beside you and teach you.
