Can a car be the glue that holds people together? That’s certainly the case with the Toyota Corolla Altis

Singapore – As we’ve covered in this series, buying a car from a authorised dealer is an important first step on the road to driving happy. An AD provides a superior buying experience and delivers the best support throughout the entire period of ownership.

While a car is a significant purchase, one doesn’t usually expect to find new avenues in life through it. But here’s a rather different and heart-warming story of how the Toyota Corolla Altis brings like-minded people together.

Jeffrey Goh, 28 (above, left) and Luther Soo, 24 (above, right), are members of the SG Altis Club (read our story on the club’s origins here) a group of like-minded Toyota Corolla Altis enthusiasts.

The two share a great friendship, even amongst the family-like atmosphere of the SG Altis Club ranks. The term ‘brothers from different mothers’ might apply to the duo, but it also has something to do with the fact that their cars have similar ‘birthdays’.

Both bought and collected their respective Corollas around the same time last year – Jeffrey collected his car in May, and Luther picked up the keys to his in June.

When you’re young, restless, you’ve the keys to a brand new Altis and roads to burn, why not take a short road trip?

Luther recounts: “Well it started when I wanted to go to Johor Bahru, and I had never driven there before. So I asked for help in the club’s group chat, and Jeffrey started explaining. It was quite complex, so in the end I just said, “Aiya, just come with me and show me the way!””

Which is exactly how the two friends ended up driving to JB on, of all times  a weekday night. “It was quite late, and we both had to work the next day, but I picked him up and we went ahead!” Luther says.

While Luther and Jeffrey meet up often for meals and to talk about their cars, amongst other things, there’s also been the occasional road trip further than JB too, as the trio (with Luther’s girlfriend too) headed to Malacca late last year.

Tastefully done: The SG Altis Club members’ rides all in a row 

Jeffrey, who’s older and has owned three cars before his current Altis, is a bit like the older sibling dispensing advice and guidance: “It was pretty fun, we all drove up, and I brought Luther and his girlfriend around Malacca town, what to do, where to shop and what to eat. And of course we made extra time to go shopping for Altis-related stuff!” he says laughing.

While Luther and Jeffrey are now very good friends, they’re actually just two out of quite a number of the more active members of the SG Altis Club who meet up more than two or three times a month.

An active online group chat is where the members discuss pros and cons of certain modifications, and provide a huge amount of support and experience to other Altis owners.

For instance, one member had trouble starting his car, both Luther and Jeffrey headed down to help out and provide a jump start, if needed. It turns out the ignition coil had failed, but their friend was back on the road in no time with the help of Borneo Motors

“We were all quite pleased with the service – our friend had his car recovered and towed, and picked it up the very same day, and all done under warranty. Of course, if anything major happens, we’ll always leave the big work to Borneo Motors as both our cars are still warrantied and serviced by Borneo,” adds Jeffrey.

When it comes to Toyota and Borneo, it’s really the human element that takes things a degree higher as we’ve seen before in more than one instance.

If you think about it, a good car has the same hallmarks  as a good friend : supportive, helpful, reliable and bringing you more smiles than anything else. In Luther and Jeffrey’s case, not only can they count on their  Corolla Altises to drive happy, but each other as well.