I Can Haz VAZ 2108

[Semi-C]

Following the recent seperation from my long term road car there was both a space on my drive and an 'ole in my heart.

Thoughts immediately turned to what could possibly replace a 1975 Ford Cortina 2000E.

With hopes dashed regarding the acquisition of the locally "abandoned" Proton I was starting to worry that nothing adequate would show itself...

I needn't have worried.

With 31.5 K beneath it's wheels and all the allure of a Facel Vega HK 500 I took delivery (muchos thankos Adam) of J274 BVG.

 

 

 

Next stop, gentle recommissioning pending full service resumption.

 

Bloosshk..!

[Cavcraft]

Winner! My dad bought one new many moons back and really liked it.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Beautiful ! I'm very jealous, especially if it is the 1500cc version.

 

Edit : They're somewhat rust-prone, so make sure you pump it full of Dinitrol while you still can.

[RedSparrow]

Great!

A friend in Finland had one of these. Well it was her grandmothers. I remember the dash being made out of possibly the cheapest plastic I've ever seen.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Great!

A friend in Finland had one of these. Well it was her grandmothers. I remember the dash being made out of possibly the cheapest plastic I've ever seen.

 

You've clearly never been in a Wartburg

[Semi-C]

Beautiful ! I'm very jealous, especially if it is the 1500cc version.

 

Edit : They're somewhat rust-prone, so make sure you pump it full of Dinitrol while you still can.

 

Ta very much.

Tis indeed a 1500, a rather solid example at that. I think all that's saved it is an extended period of inactivity following the previous owner clarting the drivers side mirror off it, many aeons back.

I'm already in talks with Bilt-Hamber regarding possible future sponsorship.

[Semi-C]

Winner! My dad bought one new many moons back and really liked it.

 

Cheers.

Owing to it's meagre mileage, I'm feeling like I've almost bought this one new. It still has it's supplying dealer plates and brace of windough stickers.

Came with a dead smart "Lada Care Extras" pamphlet too, after I've had it laminated I'll stick a pic or two up.

[Semi-C]

Great!

A friend in Finland had one of these. Well it was her grandmothers. I remember the dash being made out of possibly the cheapest plastic I've ever seen.

Aye, that's it.

[petr]

Haven't seen one one the road for years! its very nice I like the colour sort of beige gold  

[Ratdat]

That's proper shite right there. 

[eddyramrod]

That's proper Autoshite, that is.  Of the several Ladas I've owned, none has been young enough to be a Samara*, so I'll be interested to see how this one fares.  Talk to KruJoe, he's restored one.  IIRC, legend had it (20 years ago-ish) that the fuel pumps were a bit fragile, so that might be something to check out.

 

*Actually that isn't strictly true, as the last one was a 1989 G, and Samaras were already available by then.... but this one was a Riva.

[HillmanImp]

That is top draw like.

 

Thanks to state of the art BBC Micro technology and almost 200 megagigs of downloadable internets, I can actually provide a photo-fit of the first owner and his wife:

 

 

 

[stuboy]

looking like a nice motor

[Semi-C]

Finally found a free morning to get busy with the Lada fiddling..

 

 

According to the service schedule, the last change of timing belt was 1999. Thought it were best to change it,

 

 

Following it's fresh belt, I jumped into the drivers pew and took to the highway..

 

 

Lush!

[dollywobbler]

Brilliant. The KruJoe/Will Samara provided plenty of thrills at Shitefest. Stonking machines.

[trigger]

Isn't this the one from Bury St. Edmunds way? I'm sure it's the one I inquired about a little while back?

[Semi-C]

Isn't this the one from Bury St. Edmunds way? I'm sure it's the one I inquired about a little while back?

 

I did source this very conveyance from the other side of Berry Street Edmounds to my residence, Sapiston to be precise.

Did you view it in the flesh?

[trigger]

I thought it must be the one. It was on Facebook so I contacted the owner and had a chat as I fancied it to bring to shitefest. In the end I decided against it as although it did sound ideal I'd decided just to stick with the Acclaim instead for the time being.

[Cavcraft]

I like how you turned down a low rent, Commie made unpopular car and instead purchased a low rent, Commie made unpopular car, Trig!

[Semi-C]

I thought it must be the one. It was on Facebook so I contacted the owner and had a chat as I fancied it to bring to shitefest. In the end I decided against it as although it did sound ideal I'd decided just to stick with the Acclaim instead for the time being.

 

Tink it was on Farcebaulk, not where I see'd it though.

I had hoped to recommission it and rip on over Shitefest way myself but perpetual grafting put paid to that.

Now it's road-running, the aim is to polish some of the visible peanuts out of it and generally drink it in.....aaahhh

[cms206]

Samaras are bloody brilliant, never was I so impressed with a car I fully expected to be utterly shit.

Well done!

[AnthonyG]

Wow, what a survivor. I've never heard of a 'Sedona(?)' is it a local dealer special.

 

Love the body kit. Will be quite different to drive to a Mk3 Cortina I imagine.

[rml2345]

I didn't know Postman Pat had a Samara.

 

I too was one of the many impressed* by Will's Samara at Shitefest as they drive far better than expected.

[Semi-C]

Wow, what a survivor. I've never heard of a 'Sedona(?)' is it a local dealer special.

 

Love the body kit. Will be quite different to drive to a Mk3 Cortina I imagine.

 

I have tried to find out more info regarding the Sedona markings, nay joy. It has got a shirt button steering wheel fitted along with it's swish skirt kit, proper little boy duffer racer aren't we..

The original supplying dealer is still trading, I intend to pop in there next weekend, see if anybody remains from it's glorious Lada-days.

You imagine right on the Mk3 Cortina/Samara driving similarities, definitely different.

[inconsistant]

[Skizzer]

Talk to KruJoe, he's restored one.

Only on here would the KruJoe / Will Samara be described as 'restored' . (Rightly so, though, obviously.)

 

 

I missed this the first time round - looks like a wee sweetie, great purchase. I'm especially taken with those seats, too.

 

Nice one, looking forward to more reports...

[Semi-C]

....ahem...anyway, been a while so, I thought I'd get updated and that.

 

I have had the Samara parked up since July, partly due to my Transit being fantastic and partly (solely...???) due to the brakes being dog eggs!

All manner of fiddling has ensued, most of it pointlessly unsuccessful the rest of it being futile.

Seing as I had a fair old break from work over the festive period I thought I'd have another stab at 'em...

 

(due to the equinox/truffle oil shortages/mandrake attack, I took no pickchures of anything....sorry about that)

 

Where things sit today: Braking is as good as I reckon it's going to be, without changing every component (AGAIN). Pedal isn't as soggy as it once was & for that I am full of rejoice.

 

 

Fitted my christmas prezzie steering wheel, top stuff!

 

 

Anybody want the old "mountney" type wheel out of it?

 

 

MOT booked for this Saturday lunchtime, WCPGW....

[Wilko220]

Liking the authentic steering wheel. I've never understood replacement steering wheels - they always look toss.

[HillmanImp]

I remember seeing these when they were new, I loved them. The cheap car market were pretty much ahead of the game compared to the other manufacturers at the time. 

 

My theory is that back in 'nam people used to buy a 2nd hand Maestro drive it to Halfrauds and adorn it with every bit of shitty plastic, every additional light they could glue on and any sticker or go faster stripe they could find to make their 1.3 Mayfair look like a rally car designed by a 5yr old.

 

Lada, Yugo and Proton decided that they could take a chunk of this market as by selling a car already covered in what looked like an after market body kit and lots of stickers at the same price as the 2nd hand Maestro, whilst all the new car manufacturers sold boring looking boxes which would cost a frigging bomb to buy new and put the Halfrauds body kit on. And who would not want a brand new car instead of a 2nd hand one.......

 

Sadly most people did not want a Lada, Yugo or Proton and they were not much of a success but they did sell a few. It has to be said that the people who did buy them were generally a few cans short of a six pack due to inter-family breeding or were elderly people totally unaware of what 'cool' was, but the other manufacturers did notice that there was a market for this as they soon started making old lady shopping cars look more and more sporty with extra lights and mental body kits to appeal to the lower end of the market. 

 

That has gradually evolved into what we see today with every new car being emblazoned with lights and spoilers and bodykits totally out of keeping with the car and its driver.

 

I believe that this car was the blueprint for every modern car on the road today. 

[Volksy]

I'm pretty sure that 'mountney' steering wheel will have been standard fit by the importers when it was new. I seem to remember them in the dealers when my old man looked at buying one.