Greating Comrades! I am in Lada Trouble.

[sAsLEX]

The dashboard light would have been for warning purposes - "The towing light is switched on". The actual exterior light would have been removed/never fitted in this country because for the last half century or so it has been illegal to display a blue light on a vehicle unless you are the plod. Back when we had blue towing lights, the plod had red lights (well, actually traffic cops had red lights, Im not sure if the police had anything ). They just didnt bother removing the switch and warning light

Well every day I see the boy homos with blue lights in their grill/dash/wiper squirter things

must be something the cops dont enforce

[BarBender]

Good luck with that purchase.

[Motu]

8 in the radio.

It hasn't even got a radio

I've had a lot of experiance on Lada's,time to refresh lost skills - I've also owned a Samara,a much superior car to the Niva and 2104.....the Samara engine was designed by Porsche y'know,just like the Vrod.

Wierd stuff aright,a very comprehensive manual and tool kit - the manual says in cold weather to turn on the lights to warm up the battery electrolite,now that's something I've never heard off....but never needed to know anyway,I think the Lada would see colder weather than I'll ever know.

Ergonomics off the wall - the steering wheel is too high with no adjustment,the armrest too low,and I can't rest my arm on the sill,so you have to just sit there.The controls make no sence,I have no idea how the heater controls work,the clutch and throttle control is crap....I jerk down the road like a learner.The carb is too lean,the spark too weak - the trick was to fit a Cortina carb,I have some bits left form my Escort,but fitted my last good one to a Commodore....another car with a crap carb.I have an ignition system to fit so I can get a fatter spark (they only run 0.5mm,20thou plug gap) with longer duration.

I got it off a very good customer who recently died,she took very good care of it.....when I picked it up off her sister there was a $20 note for fuel tucked into a 6 pack of Monteifs Golden Larger....good people.This is destined for my younger daughter,she learned to drive in the Samara.....dunno what she'll think of this though....

[Ixion]

Ladas are renowned for trouble free starting in sub zero temperatures. And keeping going in sub sub zero conditions. Does it have the oil heater?

[Motu]

No - but the Samara had the best heater of any car I've even been in,there was no way you could ever put the fan on...even on the coldest night just the flow through the car was more than enough.Guess I'll see how the heater works in the morning.

The manual says the heater control has 3 speeds....that's off,slow and fast.I'm surprised,even though it handles like crap,it rides over bumps like railway lines etc better than the Pajero,which takes those things better than cars....I might just have to detour home on a gravel road soon....

[WRT]

My Mum has the sedan version of that car over on Great Barrier Island. In Red. Ish.

It's a poxy pile of junk, but it goes up her "driveway" (I use that word VERY loosely for want of a better term, but you can substitute "goat track" if you prefer) better than most 4WD's. Motu's right - Ewan and Charlie would struggle with Mum's drive, but the lada doesnt. And its about the only vehicle that hasnt rusted out over there, the salt air on the island makes a mockery of modern Japanese rust proofing.

It has without doubt the worst clutch I have ever used, the worst accelerator I've ever used (I'm not sure its even connected to the carb, it seems that pulling on the choke cable has more effect on forward momentum), and the worst brakes I've ever used. The switches are either upside down or back to front - the ignition is actually both. When you put it in reverse, the gear lever hits the switch for the park lights, but there is no warning telling you that they are running so you have to check they are off before leaving the car if you want to have some battery left when you get back.

The window winders sometimes work, and one of the windows is held in place by a wedge of wood. The switchgear is unintelligible, with hieroglyphics so obscure that they would have the ancient Egyptians scratching their head in bewilderment. Just try to find the horn for instance, by the time you do any incident requiring its use would have long faded into distant memory.

The ride quality enduces motion sickness, even at rest. The steering wheel has around 30 degrees of free play in it in either direction. I think the whole thing was originally designed as a tool for bringing religion to the masses, as it goes around corners from power of prayer alone. It's the one and only thing that has me beliving in a higher power - you need to believe in something if you are to survive a trip in it.

But, it starts every time for Mum, and the "roads" it will travel down would have you shaking your head in disbelief. How it can get so much traction from two wheels is incredible, and the ground clearance on it puts monster trucks to shame. Plus it has wipers on the headlights, enough of a toolkit to do an engine rebuild on the side of the road, and a boot big enough to have Tony Soprano rubbing his hands in glee.

Not to mention that its got a heated rear window, to keep your hands warm if you ever have to push it.

[Paul in NZ]

Good for you Motu..

There are very few iconic vehicles any more and that is one of them. If I had a big shed there would be one of them and a Trekka in it, just for the humour value. You may not like them, but you smile when you see one.

Paul N

[jonbuoy]

Most cars and even dare I say it bikes these days are pretty lacking in character. At least thats got heaps.

[McJim]

change the badges and say it's a Fiat mirafiori if your daughter worries about image.

The fiats of the time were heaps of shit too but then kiwis pay loads of money for euro dungers and turn their nose up at fine jap autos. Never understood this but hey, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Knew a lot of people in Glasgow who drove Skodas, Ladas, Yugos and Wartburgs - not a great deal of wealth was to be had in Scotland cos of the conservative govt (concentrated wealth in the south east and stole our oil) so people had to buy what they could afford.

People generally had good things to say about the cars though - reliable.

[R6_kid:Me]

if ya daughter dont want it i'd take it. I've been looking for a good one of these. Just have to find some money to give you first!

[Edbear]

That would be an explanation if the blue light was on the exterior of the vehicle. It wasn't. It was on the dashboard next to the switch.

To remind you the reason you're travelling faster than usual is because you're being towed...

[Mr. Peanut]

Lada's are rugged, simple, well designed cars. Built by a labour government....

[Edbear]

It hasn't even got a radio

This is destined for my younger daughter,she learned to drive in the Samara.....dunno what she'll think of this though....

What have you got against your daughter...!?

[Lou Girardin]

I had one of the 4WD's 20 something years ago. Compared to other 4WD's it was quite car-like. Nothing ever broke, I had to adjust the cam chain twice and the driveline needed to be aligned just so, to prevent shudder.
It would go damn near anywhere, even climbing the last part of one hill where I told my then wife and her boy to get out in case it flipped. It didn't.
It was the only car I've had where taking the Russian off-road tyres off and fitting Michelins gained me 5 MPG.
Brilliant little thing, but it didn't like it when the speed limit was lifted to 100 km/h and I wanted to sit at 110.

[Ixion]

Lada's are rugged, simple, well designed cars. Built by a labour government....

Yep. Built for rugged simple well designed people.