IT has been three months since we took delivery of the Dodge Caliber, but it feels like a lot longer.

No, it's not that the car has been a pain to be with. Sure, it is nowhere nearly as brilliant as the BMW 330i - our previous long-term tester - but it has its own peculiar attractions.

The episode feels particularly long because we had this hare-brain idea of 'doing up' the car. For a lark. Well, it looks like the joke's on us.

The long hours, sometimes on weekends, spent on taking the car to get all manners of modifications (all legal) done have taken a toll on us. And to think DaimlerChrysler will have a dandier car back at no cost.

Well, we did it for all for you, our readers. Nothing like a long-term test to find out what a car is really like. On that count, the Caliber passes muster. Besides some minor manufacturing flaws (like its design), it has not given us any problems.

The quest to dress up the car is also for you. We thought perhaps you might want to do likewise with your own car. The Bury Comfort Compact BT mobile phone hands-free device from Tomo-CSE Autotrim is worth considering.

As is the Pioneer Dolby 5.1-Channel set with 11 speakers and one giant subwoofer, available from Chuan Sing.

For its final 'pimp my ride' treatment, the Caliber has undergone a paint job. Despite its bling-bling grown-up shoes, the Caliber, through the eyes of two artistic brothers we engaged, is really a tyke in the big city.

At 22, Aaron Wong Lip Yeow is currently a full-time national serviceman, but also an active practitioner in the local underground art scene.

His brother, Lip Chin, 20, is finishing a Fine Art diploma with Lasalle College of the Arts. Although still in school, the younger Wong has already been engaged for commercial projects, mainly revolving around murals and other forms of pop art for fashion labels.

The final work on the Caliber is a whimsical interpretation of a new car finding its way around, illustrated by the flowing lines on its sides and the metropolis on its roof.

The emotions expressed on the bonnet are a mix of cautiousness and curiosity. You would feel so too, if you are a newbie.