Final Posting

After almost three and a half years and 343 posts, I have decided to call it quits. I have no reason to do so but I feel it is time to move on.

I don’t think I have many regular readers; my guess is two maybe three loyal readers, so this is not a loss that will shake the world of blogging.

Seeing that this is my final posting, I might as well write a very long post. That is if I can find anything to write about.

On Movies and Songs

I enjoy watching movies but I hardly go to the cinema. I prefer to lie in bed and watch pirated DVDs. I’m not supporting the pirated DVD industry but they do serve a purpose and at a lower cost. The taxman may differ but I think economically, the industry does have its benefits. Another reason for choosing DVDs over cinema is the censorship; we sometimes are overzealous in cutting up dialogues and scenes. Most moviegoers are matured adults, let’s treat them as such.

Another reason why I don’t quite like going to the movies is because it takes a lot of effort and I am the lazy type. At home I can watch movies lying down topless in my boxers. I can pause if I need to take a pee. I can adjust the temperature. I don’t have to spend hours looking for parking and queuing for tickets and popcorn. At home I can doze off immediately after the movie ends.

I love gangster movies. The Godfather trilogy is at the top of my list followed by Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas. I’m also into comedy, especially spoofs like Naked Gun. Johnny English is my favourite partly because of Rowan Atkinson and Austin Powers is, well simply powerfully funny. Hot Fuzz and Paul are two Simon Pegg/Nick Frost movies I love; you have to understand British humour to enjoy his movies though.

I don’t really have a favourite actress although I like Anne Hathaway because she is hot. My favourite actors are in no particular order; Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Andy Garcia (only in Godfather 3), Jason Statham, Samuel L Jackson and Simon Pegg. Notice most of them are specialised gangster actors.

I’m a self proclaimed mat rock. I grew up listening to Iron Maiden, Twisted Sisters, Search, Lefthanded, Wings, Metallica, Guns N Roses, Van Halen and the like. My favourite songs are by the rock bands form the 70s and early 80s; Africa and Rosanna by Toto, Open Arms by Journey, I Want To Know What Love Is and Waiting for A girl Like You by Foreigner and Big Love by Fleetwood Mac. My all time favourite song is Rock Me Amadeus by Falco. Falco who? Google him up, he is probably the most popular German musician in America since Bach.

I stopped following Malay music since Search and Lefthanded retired. I do enjoy some Indonesian songs but have never actually bought any. Nowadays I listen to almost everything played on the radio.

On Love

Love is a beautiful thing. Everyone wants to love and be loved but some are confused between loving and being in love. I believe they are two different things. One can love many people but will usually be in love with only one person.

Marriage is a beautiful thing. Love for another person, of the opposite sex will naturally lead to marriage. But do we know why we are getting married? Is it because of love or because we are getting older?

Is it because of love or because the other party proposed and we don not know how to say no or not yet?

Is it because of love or because our younger siblings and cousins are all married with children?

Is it because of love or because our parents wants us to?

Is it because of love or because we pity the other party and his/her family?

These are all very damaging questions so I shall stop asking.   

Weddings are a beautiful occasion. Everyone wants the perfect wedding. People will go on a strict diet so they won’t look fat in their wedding photos. People spend truckloads of money on fresh flowers for the pelamin, designer wedding gowns, made in Indonesia wedding cards, table gifts and not to mention trays upon trays of hantaran. Why? Because they want their wedding to be the most beautiful ever. Some people however forget; a beautiful wedding is not an indication of a beautiful marriage. Ask Yusry and Erra. I want a beautiful marriage more than a beautiful wedding. I don’t care if my wedding photos suck as long as I can have beautiful family photos for the rest of my life. A beautiful marriage doesn’t mean there are no hiccups; there will be fights and disagreements but they can be sorted out and laid to rest.

I’m the type who falls in love with the brains before I fall in love with the looks. I’m not saying looks don’t matter but it is after all in the eye of the beholder. Or the beer-holder, depending on the situation. I believe we all have differing taste; a hot mama in my eyes would probably be a plain Jane in some other guys’ eyes. What attracts me to a girl is how she can engage in a conversation with me, how she can make me say “wow, I didn’t know that”! I want someone who is aware of what is going on in the world and not just in the mall or movie theatres or gossip pages. I want someone who can teach me stuff. I want someone like that because if I decide to bring her home, I want her to impress my parents. The last thing I want is for my parents to look down or have a low opinion of my chosen partner. I want my parents to be proud of her as much as I am. And also, my grandmother must like her.  That is a lot of boxes to tick.

On Politics

I am into politics, I like to talk about politics and have radical views on Malaysian politics and I somehow think I have the stomach for active, fulltime life as a politician. However, skeletons in my closet may prevent me from entering the public domain so I’ll just remain as I am now, an armchair critic. Maybe a more appropriate term would be a “keyboard critic”.

It is obvious from my writings that I am aligned to the other side. Yes, I am a PR supporter, more specifically a PAS supporter. PAS is no longer the party for ustazs, no longer seen as backward and overly focussed on the afterlife. PAS is now filled with professionals, even Dr Mahathir acknowledged that many medical doctors opt to join or support PAS.

The thing I do not like about Malaysian politics is its obsession with sexual scandals. This is a legacy of our fourth PM Mahathir. Sexual politics is also a strategy employed by UMNO when they find themselves in trouble.

I’m tired of Malaysian politics because of people like the racist Ibrahim Ali, Hassan Ali who talks about the religion but does nothing, and the sex crazed Ummi Halfida. I’m tired of Malaysian politics because UMNO thinks they own everything from the media to the EPF to the police and the judiciary. 

On Cars

Like most men, I love cars. I cannot afford most of them but I love them nonetheless. One of the things that make me angry with the government is the tax policy on cars. I hate the fact that we are still protecting Proton and Perodua after all these years. I hate the fact that I had to buy a Proton not because I wanted to but because that is all I could afford. I couldn’t afford other makes not because of my financial limitations but because the taxes imposed on the other cars makes it impossible for me (then) to afford anything other than a Proton. I’m sure all the other car lovers share the exact same sentiment.

BMWs are my favourite. The first BMW I fell in love with was the 2002, I still love it but now the 02 has to share my love with the E60 5 series, the E24 6 series, E9 coupes and the E21 3 series. I have been driving the E90 for the past four years or so but I would trade it for any of the above BMs. When I was younger, I used to like the boxy Volvos, my parents used to have the P1800 and even now, I’d pick that car over the E-Type. Their S60 was sexy back in 2001 but the second generation S60 is even sexier.

No one can say they don’t like a Ferrari. I can’t and I won’t because I really really like them. When I was studying in the UK, we used to go to the local Ferrari dealership and ogle at the cars. The mat salleh salesmen were even nice enough to let us sit in some of the cars, albeit only the cars in the used car section but hey, a Ferrari is a Ferrari.

I wish the taxes on cars will be lowered in my lifetime. I’m tired of being envious of the people in Europe who can afford to change cars of their choice as often as they choose, even if they are not earning obscene salaries. Maybe a change in government could lead to a positive change in the policy.

On Racism

I don’t know if I’m a racist but as I stand, I’m a Muslim first, a Malaysian second and a Malay third.  If Ibrahim Ali hears this, he will call for my citizenship to be revoked.

To be a Malay in Malaysia is very easy, Article 160 of the Federal Constitution says;

“Malay" means a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom and -

(a) was before Merdeka Day born in the Federation or in Singapore or born of parents one of whom was born in the Federation or in Singapore, or was on that day domiciled in the Federation or in Singapore; or

(b) is the issue of such a person;

Because of Article 160, the Syeds whose roots are in Arabian peninsular are considered Malays. The Mamaks who speak Tamil at home and came by boat from India are also Malays. Another new addition to the Malay fraternity is the Muslim converts; notice how Malay Ridhuan Tee is? I don’t mean to sound racist but aren’t those facts?

Let’s face it; most of us have Jawa, Bugis, Minang, Chinese, Indian, Siamese or Patani roots. Mixed marriages are very common nowadays, it is about time we cut down on the racial championing and start recognising each other as Malaysians.

On Sports

Despite being able to play many sports, I’m not good in any of them. The only person I can beat at table tennis is Lyn. My average bowling score is 238, on the Galaxy Tab. Heck; Lyn once even beat me at bowling! I’m terrible at sports but that doesn’t stop me from being a sports fan.

For someone growing up in the 1980s, Liverpool FC is the club we all want to be associated with. I’m still a fan although it hurts to be one for the past 20 years. I have been to Anfield and would love to go again. My three boys are also ardent supporters to which my dad (an MU fan) accuses me of forcing it on them.

I have a slipped disc between C5 and C6 and as a result my golf suffered. Not that I was any good at it before but after changing to left handed clubs, a drive of 200 yards is a norm. I used to play a lot of snooker, I wasn’t a hustler but most people would have to get to the brown ball to defeat me.  I still until recently played some football with the old boys. We had a couple of friendly matches last year, beating Cochrane 5-2 and losing 2-7 to a very young La Salle PJ team. I have however until now refused invitations to join my neighbours in their Friday nite futsal sessions.

Wish List

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Maybe I should change the subtitle to ‘to do list’. I am the king of procrastination so my ‘to do’ list doesn’t really mean anything. On the top of my list would be to stop smoking. I tried a few times, on one occasion it lasted for almost a year. I also want to start getting my self active in sports; an advancing age requires exercise to keep it in one piece.

And yes, I want to take Sharlyza to the Klang wet market in Jalan Meru. That would be something to blog about!

The End

So this is the end of my blogging journey. I hope I have not offended anyone with my postings. If I did, please accept my utmost sincere apologies. I also hope some of my posting gave a positive impact. Whatever it is; thank you for reading. Thank you for your comments.

Thank you

BMW recalls 1.3million cars worldwide over battery fault

By Gaby Leslie | Yahoo! Cars News

http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/news/bmw-recalls-1-3million-cars-worldwide-over-battery-fault.html

German car maker BMW is recalling 1.3 million cars over problems with a battery cable cover which could in extreme cases cause a fire. The cable is found in the boot of the car.

The worldwide recall affects 5 and 6-Series models made between 2003 and 2010 and includes 109,000 cars in the UK.

The world’s largest luxury car manufacturer said: "In some remote cases, the battery cable cover inside the boot of these vehicles may be incorrectly mounted.

"This can result in the electrical system malfunctioning, the vehicle failing to start and, in some cases, to charring or fire."

The issue came to light through the continuous testing and development of BMW vehicles and some customer feedback. No incidents of this kind have so far been reported, the car maker added.

BMW said that it would be writing to car owners to warn them about the defect.

I have an on going love affair with BMWs so obviously this news breaks my heart especially because it involves the E60, a car very high on my wish list.

Last Friday I was at Auto Bavaria Glenmarie to see the new F30. Some of you must think I’m bullshitting because the car was only officially launched on Saturday but just take my word for it – I saw the new F30 a day before it was launched. There is nothing much to brag about really, I’m sure many others had the same opportunity, I think.

Anyway, I saw the 335i sports, 328i luxury and the spartan 320d. I love them all! Rumour has it that the CKD version will be on sale come June. Maybe it’s time to retire the E90?

To Buy or Not to Buy? – That is the Question

What Car?  advised car buyers to be wary of some cars which have a low price tag, but a hefty three-year cost. They singled out the Perouda Myvi 1.3 SXI as a model with a low target price of £6,999 but a high level of depreciation – the car loses 75% of its value over three years.

The magazine also said the Proton Satria Neo 1.6 GSX may cost less than a Fiesta initially - it has a target price of £7,867 – but over a three-year term, will cost the same as the Ford.

*What Car? is a car magazine

When to Fall in Love

Apparently, falling in love is best done when one is ready and not when one is lonely; according to my sister la but then again what does she know?

I fell in love the first time I saw her on the billboard, it was on the NKVE, KL bound. I’m still in love with her today, eight years after I first saw her. I cannot afford her yet but one day, one fine day I’ll get my E60 525i.

I knew I was in love when I cried. It was a terrible loss, we were going great and the double was within grasp. It was a simple miss and we lost. Wimbledon FC never got any significant success after beating Liverpool in the 1988 cup final and Liverpool went downhill from the 90s on but I never lost my love for the Reds.

Btw, an hour ago Liverpool dumped Man U out of the 2011/12 FA Cup!

Hyundai Sonata 2.0

After returning the disappointing Ford Focus, I was given the 2009 previous gen Sonata. Frankly, I wasn’t too happy. My former boss had one and my initial thought was why? Why would anyone who could afford the (superior) Civic or Altis opt for the Sonata? I know I am being unfair to the Sonata but until then I was not convinced of its quality. Until two weeks ago.

My sister had a second generation Sonata back in the late 90s, it was crap. My regard for Sonatas remained low since then.

Ford Focus 2.0 Ghia Sedan

I had the privilege of driving a 2.0 Focus for about a week and impressed I was not. At almost RM120,000 the car is not really worth the money. Here’s why I think so (not in order of significance or importance);

The driving position is a little awkward, not as uncomfortable as the Proton Waja but it takes some getting used to. The leather seat is somewhat hard especially the head restraints. The car I drove was a 2009 model and yet Ford didn’t find it necessary to add a fifth gear, not even for the model’s line topper. The car does 2750 rpm at 110km/h and can be quite noisy. Having driven the 2006 Civic on a daily basis for close to 4 years, the Focus’ handling is a let-down.

Rear legroom is a little small which is strange for a European car given that Europeans are much taller than the average Asian. In-car storage space is also scarce; there is no suitable place to put your smart tag or sunglasses (two most common items found in most KL cars). The centre console doesn’t really serve any purpose; it is very shallow and cannot really fit anything bigger than a cigarette box. One of the cup holders in between the front seats is obstructed by the armrest, getting a cup into and out of the holder is quite a difficult task.  The clock sits in the middle of the speedometer and hence can only be seen by the driver.

The car however has some plus points; the driver’s seat (only the driver’s seat) gets 3-way electric treatment, the aircon is powerful enough for KL’s midday temperature of 36 degrees and the car has a good sized boot. The display on the speedometer gives a lot of useful information especially the distance on remaining fuel.  

If I had 120k to spend on a brand new car, I’m sorry but the Focus would not be in my list.

Image ‘borrowed’ from cbt.com.my with apologies

The 207 from Peugeot

For a company that gave us the beautiful 308 and the sexy RCZ, Peugeot really got it wrong with the 207 sedan. From the front one can see the family resemblance but looking at it from the rear makes you feel not want to look. It reminds me of the previous Honda City pre facelift.  

I have nothing against Peugeots; in fact I used to own a 405 back in the early 90s. To me, Peugeots can be somewhat erratic in their designs, in the 70s they gave us the big eyed 504 and 604; not exactly the most beautiful of cars, well there is nothing beautiful about them. The 204 is also not a nice looking car. The 404 is typical of an early 60s design, nothing exceptional. They did no better with the boring and plain 305 and 505 but surprised the market with the 205 which showed the Golf GTi there is room for another hot hatch. The 205 succeeded where the XR3i and the Astra GTE failed; shake the Golf GTi off its perch. The streak continued with the handsome 405 (no, I’m not being biased) and there seem to be no stopping the French carmaker, the 306, 307, 207 (hatch), 208 and now the RCZ. 

But the 207 sedan looks like a hatchback with a badly attached boot. 

Peugeot however is not the only carmaker in my ugly car list. The BMW E36 compact is probably at the top not because it’s ugly (it is) but because it’s a BMW. I’m a BMW lover and it breaks my heart to see them selling cars looking like that. The guys from Munich are also bad at designing SUVs. I won’t waste money buying the X1 or X3 but I would sell everything to buy the X6. Thank god they got the X6 right. 

As ugly cars goes, the 207 sedan sits comfortably next to the Fiat Multipla, Ssangyong Stavich; which are not cars really, they are MPVs, but ugly nonetheless.

Selfish Drivers - Empire Subang

Has anyone been to Empire Subang during peak hours? Does anyone notice the many cars illegally and indiscriminately parked by the roadside in front of Empire, taking up a lane on each side of the road, suffocating the traffic? Read this ...

The mayor of Vilnius, in Lithuania, has an aggressive way of cracking down on illegal parking - rather than simply issuing a ticket, the smiling mayor runs it over with a soviet-era armoured personnel carrier.

I do not have a tank but I might just get one if the selfish drivers continue to park their cars along that road.

Maybe I'll start with a sledgehammer ...

What an attitude, eh?

I took this picture some time back, maybe two years ago. I apologise for not blacking out the number plates but then again, why should I?

How do you justify this? Benefit of the doubt doesn't apply in these situations. It's a clear definition of selfishness, stupidity, arrogance and ... I shall not continue, there could be children reading this blog.

Desirable Rides

Since its invention proper in the 1890s, the car has been worshipped like no other machine ... Today we find almost impossible to live without it. We fuss over it. Talk about it proudly in pubs. We build it little houses to live in. ... In motorshows worldwide, worshippers come in tens of thousands to pay homage to new gods ... otherwise healthy young women are strewn all but naked, like sacrificial victims, across the lovingly polished machines ... (Jonathan Glancey, 2003)

Well said. Some women may find these words revolting because they don't understand and cannot appreciate the love between boys and cars. To make them understand and appreciate, one only has to replace 'cars' with handbags or shoes ...

Every decade has its own icon; it was the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing in the 1950s, the E-Type in the swinging 60s. My pick for the 70s is the Datsun 240Z and the BMW CS. The 80s saw the creation of a new class by BMW in the form of the E30 3 series. The 90s were the era of the computer aided designs where cars look almost alike but beauties like the Supra, Efini RX-7 and TVR Chimeara were still produced. Ferrari never failed to make beautiful sexy cars; the 250GTO and 275GTB of the 60s, to the Dino 246GT and 308 of the 70s to the 288GTO and 328GTB of the 80s and my personal favourite, the 355.

I may one day be able to afford a Ferrari but for now I have to settle for the realistic and attainable dream cars. The current top three in my list (in no particular order) are; the Mini Cooper, Volkswagen Scirocco (the 1.4 will do) and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10. 
A certain Ms Shaliza calls them babe magnets. She wasn't agreeable to the 'project Mini Cooper' some months ago and she was vehemently against the 'project Scirocco' a few weeks back. I wonder what she'll say to the soon to be announced 'project Evo 10'? Maybe she shouldn't know, she has been giving too much bad automobile advice lately. She was however quite supportive of the idea of me getting the Fiesta ... hmmm 

Affordable Rides

Are car prices getting cheaper in Malaysia? Maybe but one thing for sure is we have more choices now compared to 10 years ago when the only choice of affordable cars available to middle class Malaysians were Protons, Perodua and a few Korean makes trying to break into the Malaysian market.


Cars sold in Malaysia are considered cheap if they are priced below RM100k. The cheapest decent sized family car, the Proton Persona, cost only RM47k. That is if you don't mind a Proton. If you can afford a little bit more, say RM52k, you can choose the Gen2, another Proton. If Protons are not your cup of tea and you want to be seen in a Honda or Toyota, be prepared to fork out at least 72k for the entry level Vios or 83k for the City. At 70+k to 80k, these cars cost as much as a middle manager's annual salary. A middle manager salary for an entry level car doesn't sound right. The middle manager has no choice but to settle for the Protons. Or if they want to drive anything other than a Proton, they would have to live beyond their means. 


Enough of depressing stuff. Let's look at some of the 'cheap' cars flooding our market in the past year or so. 

The best cheap car introduced this year would be the beautiful Peugeot 308 1.6VTI. At RM94k, a mid sized European model is finally affordable to some (middle managers working in reasonably large companies) Malaysians.
The 2 litre Naza Forte, at RM95k, will get you more toys than a RM110k Toyota Altis or Honda Civic, plus 200 additional cc.
Then we have the Mazda 2, priced between RM77-83k, it joins the City-Vios- (maybe)Latio groupie. The hatch looks good but the sedan is a bit wierd looking.
A few days ago, Ford Malaysia introduced the Fiesta. Identical twin of the Mazda 2 but cheaper, top of the line hatch is 'only' RM86k on the road. Sadly, the sedan is ugly.
At slightly above RM100k, the turbocharged Polo represents good value for money, for Malaysian standards that is. A car the same class as the Fiesta however should not cost more than 90k let alone 100k. Compared to the other 'cheap' cars in the Malaysian market, other than the turbo and the Volkswagen perceived quality, the Polo doesn't warrant it's six figure price tag.


Volkswagen introduced two entry level models; the 1.4TSI Golf and Scirocco. We'll talk about that next time. 

Cool Cop Cars

Sometime last year, the government surprised us by giving our boys in PDRM blue some Lancer Evo 10s to play with. I for once am in total agreement with the government’s call. We should provide our guardians with the best tools. Hopefully then they will take their jobs more seriously and actually do some policing.

Anyway, if our boys in PDRM blue think they have got the coolest rides, they are so very wrong.

Their counterparts in Italy chase bad guys in a Lamborghini Gallardo. I’m not sure how many they have but the fact that the have a Lambo in cop livery is impressive enough.

The English Bobbies strut across the motorways in their Jaguar XFs and Lancer Evo 10s and their Humberside brothers cruise in Lexus IS Fs.

I don’t know how cool a Dodge Charger is (apparently it is cool) but it is used as a police car in the US.

If I was the minister in charge of PDRM, one of the first few things I’ll do is replace the fleet of Wiras and Wajas with proper cars like Honda Civics …

Nationalities of Cars

We (well, the government actually) have always proclaimed Proton to be our “national” car, a Malaysian by birth (conceived in Japan), the bumiputera of cars. The Toyotas, Hondas, Mercedes, BMWs, Volvos etc are all merely pendatangs.

Which brings me to the question, do cars have a nationality? The founders and creators of car companies obviously are nationals of a certain country but corporations, especially in this borderless world, do not belong to any country.

Adam Opel is German but the car company he founded is now owned by the American General Motors. Nissan is Japanese but they are owned by a French by the name of Renault.

Swedes Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larsson founded Volvo but the car company was sold to Ford (American) who is currently negotiating with Geely form China on the sale of the Volvo brand.

SAAB started off with building bombers and fighters [SAAB stands for Svenska Aeroplan Aktie Bolag (Swedish Airplane Corporation)] and only produced its first car in 1947. Now SAAB’s intellectual properties and technology belong to Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation.

Jaguar was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, by two British motorcycle enthusiasts, Sir William Lyons and William Walmsley. The brand was later sold to Ford and in December 2007 the Indian industrial conglomerate TATA bought Jaguar together with another British icon, Land Rover.

British marques Rolls Royce, Mini and Bentley are owned by Germans BMW, BMW and Volkswagen respectively. British racing icon Lotus is owned by Proton.

So, is there such a thing as a national car?

Ron is not McDonald

The new RON 95 grade petrol was introduced to the Malaysian market 2 months ago, so this posting may seem a little out of date, a little too late (ouch!). However, some people are still confused about all this RON mumbo jumbo, so, this is my contribution towards Ron education. It’s always better late than never.

RON stands for Research Octane Number. The octane number or rating refers to the petrol’s ability to withstand auto ignition inside the engine. Auto ignition or premature ignition (no funny ideas please!) happens when petrol is ignited in the engine BEFORE the spark plug ignites the fuel. This phenomenon is commonly known as “knocking”. Knocking has a negative effect on the performance of a vehicle.

The higher the octane number, the higher the fuel’s ability to resist auto ignition. Therefore, RON 99 is harder to ignite compared to RON 95 and so on.

High performance vehicles are designed to be used with higher octane fuel. Higher octane rating reduces (or eliminates) knocking and hence keeping performance at its optimum.

Using fuel with the right octane rating will maximise the effectiveness of your vehicle but at the same time most modern vehicles (I’m not sure if Proton is included in this list), are fitted with knock sensors which enables the engine to adjust it’s combustion timing according to the fuel octane rating and hence avoids knocking. Not all vehicles require fuel with a high octane rating. Your car’s owner’s manual will tell the minimum octane requirement for your car. Most cars can still use RON 92 and using a higher than recommended RON rating does not make your car more powerful, it just makes the engine work harder to ignite the fuel.

I’m not a petroleum engineer, heck I’m not even an engineer of any sort but my recommendation is use RON 95, because it’s cheaper, unless you are driving a BMW M3, Porsche, Mercedes AMG or Suzuki Swift sport.

Can I have one AP please?

A (legal?) get rich quick scheme known as the Approved Permit (AP) will soon cease to be a golden goose for certain highly connected Bumiputera businessmen. It is a get rich quick scheme simply because the licences are free and virtually risk less as each can be on-sold to importers for instant cash. The only catch is you have to be somebody who knows somebody to get an AP. Initially it was supposed to be abolished by 2010, now its 2015. Tomorrow it could be 2020 …

Why do we need APs to import cars in the first place?
Import Licensing through the AP was introduced in 1970 with the objective of promoting and providing opportunities for Bumiputera entrepreneurs in the automotive sector. APs also serve as a mechanism used to control the number of vehicles allowed to be imported into Malaysia. Every imported vehicle requires an AP and it is only given out to car dealers and/or importers, individuals, diplomats and Members of Parliament. APs limit the number of imported vehicles in the country therefore (artificially, forcibly) protecting the market for Malaysia's national cars [Proton, Perodua, Naza (?), Inokom (?)].

Is this a fair trade practice? Granted it was an affirmative action with the objective of nurturing Bumiputera auto businessmen but how many (apart from the NAZA Group) have actually taken the initiative and capitalised on the programme to build a proper auto business?

Why can’t any individual apply to the relevant ministry/department (MITI/JPJ/Kastam etc) every time they want to import a car? Of course strict conditions and limitations will be imposed and adhered to every time an application is made but the freedom to apply must first be granted.

The AP programme has been around for 39 years; it should have nurtured more than 1 independent, successful Bumiputera auto entrepreneur within that time, anything less would be considered a failure. Something which fails needs to be abolished or replaced, simple.

Proton is 25 years old. It should be able to stand on its own four wheels. If it still needs government protection that means it has failed. Sell it to Volkswagen.

Road Royals

Malaysia has 9 kings. No, we have millions of kings actually. However, they are not addressed as DYMM nor do they have Tengku/Tunku as their common family name. The only common thing they (at least some of them) have is the “B” licence.

Like the 9 kings, these kings of the road also do not pay taxes, or at least road taxes (or tolls for that matter and yet they are allowed on tolled highways).

These kings of the road do not abide by traffic rules. When there is a no entry sign, they can still go in*. They can even travel in the opposite direction on a one way street. They can park anywhere, even on pavements, depriving pedestrians of a proper walkway. The law requires them to adorn a certain headgear but if they decide not to, nobody dares say anything (even some traffic policemen). The law says the “throne” is for two people but they sometimes pile 3-4 people on the machine.

When these kings are on the road, we, the other road users have to make way for them.

These kings have no regard for other road users; they weave in and out of traffic as they please.

When involved in an accident with these kings, we, the other road users are always at fault. Worse still, their comrades will bash you and your vehicle up regardless of whether you caused the accident or not.

And then there’s this rempit thing …

*The underpass at the intersection of Tun Razak/Ampang is out of bounds for motorcyclists but they still use it as if their fathers own the road.

If I had RM308 million

“If” is a powerful word. When “if” is in a sentence, everything is possible.

According to reports, the team will have a start up capital of RM168 million and an annual budget of RM308 million. If I have the kind of money they are planning to spend on the 1Malaysia F1 Team, this is what I would do;

RM308 million could:

• Fund 35,000 students at local universities every year (assuming RM5,000 and RM300 for fees and monthly allowance respectively) or
• Provide nutritious meal everyday for all school children or
• Convert a lot of, if not all diesel powered commercial vehicles to NGV or
• Build at least one hospital (maybe two or more if the cost does not include “commissions”) or
• Fund many kinds of medical research or
• Provide free transport to and from school for the whole year for 342,000 students (assuming bus fare of RM90 per month) or
• Fund 600 PhD students at overseas universities (assuming the total cost for a PhD is RM500,000) or
• Build and furnish 5,100 houses for the hardcore poor (assuming RM60,000 for each house and its contents) or
• Fund research on recycling and other environment saving projects
  
  or
• Provide 42,000 people 3 meals a day, everyday (assuming RM20 for 3 meals per day) or
• Fund my auto museum (http://sam-bicara.blogspot.com/2009/03/can-i-have-auto-museum.html)
  

I can go on and on, the possibilities are endless. But then again, ex-PM Tun M said the benefit of an F1 team to Malaysia is worth 100 times more than the cost incurred. We better listen to him before he throws a tantrum.

Foolish 1

I love cars. I’m a car lover. I have to admit my interest in F1 sort of waned after Schumacher’s retirement but I still do keep up with the developments in the sport. I find it refreshing to see a new team, (albeit ran by old hands) heading the championship. It is also exciting to see teams like Red-Bull and Force India making the right headlines.

No matter how much I love motor sports, I have to disagree with the proposed 1 Malaysia F1 Team, even if it is financed by the private sector, even if it is managed by Tony Fernandez. It is reported that even small teams like Toro Rosso spends USD 75 million (RM 261 million) a year, the big teams like Ferrari and McLaren spends more than USD 400 million (RM 1.39 billion) a year. Toyota has spent billions of dollars but have yet to win a race. Honda and BMW are exiting the F1 scene. If Proton thinks it can make it in F1, they are probably thinking too highly of themselves.

So, to sum it up, F1 is a rich man’s toy and let’s face the facts, Malaysia is not a rich man, it’s not even a rich man’s son. I think we’ll be better off if the billions intended for the F1 team are spent on education, medical facilities and to help the poor bring up their standards of living. Let’s eradicate poverty, increase our literacy rates and reduce infant mortality before we think of F1.

A Beautiful Car

I was driving on the M6 (the motorway, not the BMW!) a few weeks ago, when I saw a very beautiful car.

It was not a Ferrari F430, Lamborghini Gallardo or a Bugatti Veyron.

It was the Audi A5 Coupe.

The A5 was launched in March 2007 and is slotted in the same segment as the W209 CLK and E92 3 Series Coupe. Audi categorises the A5 as a GT (grand tourer) and is based on the B8 A4 so basically it is a 2-door variant of the fourth generation A4. I personally feel the B7 is better looking than the B8, for now.

Audi used to make ugly cars. The C3 100 (pic, left) and B2 80 from the 80’s were really ugly. The technologically advanced Quattro was the only decent looking Audi from the 80s. The 90’s saw some improvements in the design department; the B4 80 Cabrio was nice enough for Princess Di to be seen in. The C5 A6 was a radical yet interesting design. The first generation TT (8N) was nice but the second generation 8J was even nicer. Then came the hot and sexy R8. Given a choice between the W221 S-Class, F01 7 Series and the D3 A8, I’d probably opt for the A8, for now.

To think that it was once called the poor man’s Mercedes.

The Legend

I love BMWs. I have wanted one ever since I was a small boy. Not just any BMW but the 2002tii. Of course I wouldn’t mind a 635csi or 3.0cs or E21 323i but if I can only have one, the 2002tii would be my choice.

So what is a BMW 2002tii?
The origins of the 2002tii can be traced to the early sixties when the New Class “1500” 4 door compact sedan was introduced in September 1961 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The New Class line offered four-door sedan and two-door coupe variants and was powered by BMW's four-cylinder M10 engine, featuring fully independent suspension, MacPherson struts and disc brakes in the front.

The line-up was expanded to include two-door sports sedans with the introduction of the 1602 and 2002 in 1966, “02” denoting the number of doors. The new two-door sports sedan was designed by the famed Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti. Between 1966 and 1976, an estimated total of 862,000 2002s were produced.

The 2002tii was produced from 1972 to 1975 and is fitted with a single overhead camshaft and mechanical fuel-injection instead of carburettors. There was no automatic version of the 2002tii, a four-speed; floor-shifted manual was the only option.

In 1975 the production of the 2002 ceased after the introduction of the E21 3-series.


Specs:
Engine: 4 Cylinders
Valve linkage: SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder
Displacement: 1990 cm³
Power: 130 hp (97 kW) at 5800 rpm
Torque: 130 ft·lbf (176 N·m) at 4500 rpm
Gearbox: 4 speed manual
Top speed: 118 mph (190 km/h)
0-60 mph: 8.1s