Buying an Aisian built auto is to suggest a lack of awareness of higher quality standards now common in North American built cars.
Buying an Iranian built car would smack of treason in the eyes of many. 73s TG
Betcha the car comes with a self-destruct button which causes it to go kaboom! Hell, as it’s built in Iran, the button’s probably redundant; the thing must be a ticking time bomb anyway.
Wonder if that’ll be Malcolm Bricklin’s next big idea after the importation of Chinese-built cars?
BTW, here in Saint John, believe it or not, the Bricklin SV1, once built here by Bricklin himself, can still be seen cruising these bumpy old streets. The owners are lucky he didn’t build the engine!
Strictly speaking, the production and distribution of the “Samand” in Iran is entirely in our the best interests of the West.
It’s a clear indication that Iranian car owners want a certain type of vehicle. Yeah, it’s no BMW but it’s definitely a car with “middle class” appeal; it’s no Trabant.
We should be encouraging any consumer industry in Iran like this.
Of course, we should not expect miracles or an overnight revolution, but the more demanding the Iranian consumer, the less appealing the stern, closed society the mullahs are pushing will seem.
Particularly if it cannot deliver the [consumer] goods.
As to the situation in Kosovo, this is essentially an ethnic struggle rather than a religious one.
It is not between “Muslims” and “Serbs” but rather between the majority Kosovo Albanians (who happen to be mostly, but not entirely, Muslim) and minority Kosovo Serbs.
None of the Muslim communities in the Balkans are particularly radical. Most Bosniacs (Bosnian Muslims) and Albanians – those that could actually be considered as “practising” – prefer their religion according to the Ottoman Turk model rather than the Arab one. The Bosniacs (Bosnian Muslims) are about the most secular, laid-back “Muslims” I’ve ever met (or had a shot of slivo with). The Albanians are not much different in this regard.
The Serbs have to take a good bit of the blame for what Muslim “radicalization” has occurred. By their own heavy-handed treatment in the bad old days of Milosevic, they essentially pushed the Bosniacs and Albanians to the wall.
There is certainly a clear sentiment among many Bosniacs that being Muslim was no big deal until Serb actions made it so. And during the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina, a desperate Bosnian government was only too happy to take money, arms and foreign volunteers from wherever it could find them – Wahhabists included.
Even now though, the Wahhabists (Vehabje) types are NOT popular in the Balkans – they just happen to have all the Saudi petrol-dollars.
Does it glow in the dark?
and no, I wouldn’t purchase the damn thing to support a country with dictatorial rule, we get enough of that here. It would probably be as popular as purchasing the Yugo.
Specs are here: http://www.ikco.com/oldikco/products/x7.htm
Only 97hp @ 6000 RPM (& torque 113ft.lbs) I’ll stick with my 1.8l vehicle at double the horsepower thank you!
When it comes to that, I hope their bombs are as anaemic as their car.
It takes me back to Ia told you so Khomeini’s funeral when they spilled his dead corpse onto the pavement.
Now that was feat of Islamic engineering.
Ninetyseven horsepower engine will probably drop out like a dead Ayatollah when it hits a hardened camel road apple.
What a wimpy engine! It’s no better than my ’92 Shadow’s normally aspirated 2.2 w/ 93hp & 122lb-ft. Floor it at 120km/h on a slight incline and it’s like it won’t accelerate at all. Strictly a street duster; it’s no bahn stormer. Iran could do better.
Alas, the Shadow is in the shop undergoing a bunch of little repairs for inspection purposes. The powerplant and tranny, though, are bulletproof as ever!
“Buying an Aisian built auto is to suggest a lack of awareness of higher quality standards now common in North American built cars.”
My 2002 Hyundai Elantra is at 66,000 km and hasn’t needed warranty work yet (knock wood). My friend’s new Ford Escape already has new engine seals, new pieces to keep the rear hatch from falling off, and the air conditioning keeps breaking down.
I’m sorry, you were saying something about higher quality?
JJM, I find your thoughtful insights about the *Bosniacs* and Serbs very interesting.
I know one Serb personally and while he has a cheery sense of humour, he can also be very dark and forceful. In fact fixing things with a slegehammer seems to be a trait with him. I hope not all Serbs are as forceful by nature.
Your point about encouraging industrial endevour in Iran makes good sense also.
Two good points in one comment. Above average. 73s TG
Sean, I should have been more specific. Ford has always been a quality weak-spot.
They offer a lower price, but everyone knows Ford means Fix Or Repair Daily. It’s the handyman’s car.
Gm and Chrysler are more of what I had in mind. My jeep may be old (87), but it still looks new and seems almost immune to rust.
Most people have no idea of the vintage of Jeep Wagoneers or Cherokees.
Buy a fresh looking ’89 to ’92 for five to eight thousand and invest the 25 grand you were going to spend for a new model in a long shot like Iraqi Dinars, Hibrid Hondas or maybe gold wafers.
The Cherokee rides a little stiffer, but everyone seems to like them around here, and there are lots of jeeps on Vancouver Island. 73s TG
Its predecessor, the Peugeot 405: http://www.ikco.com/products/405.asp; thus this is probably a Peugeot 406 Sedan. Peugeot introduced the 407 last year, and has probably sold the 406’s manufacturing rights to Iran.
Generally speaking, when something new shows up in Iran, the first question is “Who from?” The significant indigenous Iranian input to this car’s design could be the provision of cavities suitable for carrying various products in a clandestine manner.
Cheers
JMH
If you buy an Iranian car, do you have to gas up at a Persian Gulf?
I think I still like my gas guzzler better
Buying an Aisian built auto is to suggest a lack of awareness of higher quality standards now common in North American built cars.
Buying an Iranian built car would smack of treason in the eyes of many. 73s TG
Betcha the car comes with a self-destruct button which causes it to go kaboom! Hell, as it’s built in Iran, the button’s probably redundant; the thing must be a ticking time bomb anyway.
Wonder if that’ll be Malcolm Bricklin’s next big idea after the importation of Chinese-built cars?
BTW, here in Saint John, believe it or not, the Bricklin SV1, once built here by Bricklin himself, can still be seen cruising these bumpy old streets. The owners are lucky he didn’t build the engine!
Strictly speaking, the production and distribution of the “Samand” in Iran is entirely in our the best interests of the West.
It’s a clear indication that Iranian car owners want a certain type of vehicle. Yeah, it’s no BMW but it’s definitely a car with “middle class” appeal; it’s no Trabant.
We should be encouraging any consumer industry in Iran like this.
Of course, we should not expect miracles or an overnight revolution, but the more demanding the Iranian consumer, the less appealing the stern, closed society the mullahs are pushing will seem.
Particularly if it cannot deliver the [consumer] goods.
As to the situation in Kosovo, this is essentially an ethnic struggle rather than a religious one.
It is not between “Muslims” and “Serbs” but rather between the majority Kosovo Albanians (who happen to be mostly, but not entirely, Muslim) and minority Kosovo Serbs.
None of the Muslim communities in the Balkans are particularly radical. Most Bosniacs (Bosnian Muslims) and Albanians – those that could actually be considered as “practising” – prefer their religion according to the Ottoman Turk model rather than the Arab one. The Bosniacs (Bosnian Muslims) are about the most secular, laid-back “Muslims” I’ve ever met (or had a shot of slivo with). The Albanians are not much different in this regard.
The Serbs have to take a good bit of the blame for what Muslim “radicalization” has occurred. By their own heavy-handed treatment in the bad old days of Milosevic, they essentially pushed the Bosniacs and Albanians to the wall.
There is certainly a clear sentiment among many Bosniacs that being Muslim was no big deal until Serb actions made it so. And during the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina, a desperate Bosnian government was only too happy to take money, arms and foreign volunteers from wherever it could find them – Wahhabists included.
Even now though, the Wahhabists (Vehabje) types are NOT popular in the Balkans – they just happen to have all the Saudi petrol-dollars.
Does it glow in the dark?
and no, I wouldn’t purchase the damn thing to support a country with dictatorial rule, we get enough of that here. It would probably be as popular as purchasing the Yugo.
Specs are here:
http://www.ikco.com/oldikco/products/x7.htm
Only 97hp @ 6000 RPM (& torque 113ft.lbs) I’ll stick with my 1.8l vehicle at double the horsepower thank you!
When it comes to that, I hope their bombs are as anaemic as their car.
It takes me back to Ia told you so Khomeini’s funeral when they spilled his dead corpse onto the pavement.
Now that was feat of Islamic engineering.
Ninetyseven horsepower engine will probably drop out like a dead Ayatollah when it hits a hardened camel road apple.
What a wimpy engine! It’s no better than my ’92 Shadow’s normally aspirated 2.2 w/ 93hp & 122lb-ft. Floor it at 120km/h on a slight incline and it’s like it won’t accelerate at all. Strictly a street duster; it’s no bahn stormer. Iran could do better.
Alas, the Shadow is in the shop undergoing a bunch of little repairs for inspection purposes. The powerplant and tranny, though, are bulletproof as ever!
“Buying an Aisian built auto is to suggest a lack of awareness of higher quality standards now common in North American built cars.”
My 2002 Hyundai Elantra is at 66,000 km and hasn’t needed warranty work yet (knock wood). My friend’s new Ford Escape already has new engine seals, new pieces to keep the rear hatch from falling off, and the air conditioning keeps breaking down.
I’m sorry, you were saying something about higher quality?
JJM, I find your thoughtful insights about the *Bosniacs* and Serbs very interesting.
I know one Serb personally and while he has a cheery sense of humour, he can also be very dark and forceful. In fact fixing things with a slegehammer seems to be a trait with him. I hope not all Serbs are as forceful by nature.
Your point about encouraging industrial endevour in Iran makes good sense also.
Two good points in one comment. Above average. 73s TG
Sean, I should have been more specific. Ford has always been a quality weak-spot.
They offer a lower price, but everyone knows Ford means Fix Or Repair Daily. It’s the handyman’s car.
Gm and Chrysler are more of what I had in mind. My jeep may be old (87), but it still looks new and seems almost immune to rust.
Most people have no idea of the vintage of Jeep Wagoneers or Cherokees.
Buy a fresh looking ’89 to ’92 for five to eight thousand and invest the 25 grand you were going to spend for a new model in a long shot like Iraqi Dinars, Hibrid Hondas or maybe gold wafers.
The Cherokee rides a little stiffer, but everyone seems to like them around here, and there are lots of jeeps on Vancouver Island. 73s TG
Its predecessor, the Peugeot 405: http://www.ikco.com/products/405.asp; thus this is probably a Peugeot 406 Sedan. Peugeot introduced the 407 last year, and has probably sold the 406’s manufacturing rights to Iran.
Generally speaking, when something new shows up in Iran, the first question is “Who from?” The significant indigenous Iranian input to this car’s design could be the provision of cavities suitable for carrying various products in a clandestine manner.
Cheers
JMH
If you buy an Iranian car, do you have to gas up at a Persian Gulf?