LADA--YES OR NO?

[RENOMAD]

Guys,,,,,,I have a hankering to buy a LADA. I remember my old man looking at a new one back in 1987..He hated it,but I took a strange shine to it,especially the RIVA ESTATE.Now it would be to bring to a show(or maybe not).What do you guys think----I like having something different,that why I have the Renaults!

[RENOMAD]

I guys NO--with the lack of replies

[Torsten2001]

YES YES YES, They're superb!

[r.welfare]

I guys NO--with the lack of replies

What, you think we say "No" collectively because there were no responses within 27 minutes of your original post? Of course you should buy one. They're so bad, they're good (my mum had them when I was growing up. Made her get a Metro when I was old enough to learn to drive, mind).

[nigel bickle]

Ive an early Fiat 124 Estate coming off the ship from Melbourne next week.So -its a definite 'Yes'

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Bet you cant wait to see these antipodean beauties NB! I can't! Have you got that Florian sorted yet?

[garycox]

Yes get one! My friend had an E reg Riva saloon (2 tone blue over silver, looked very smart actually), and it was brilliant! Came complete with a gearbox full of sawdust, but lasted for ages...

[Ratdat]

I drove one once and thought it was quite poor in terms of performance and general road manners but then I thought, why would you expect those things in a Lada anyway? It's not a sporting saloon, it's basic transport. If you don't expect it to be something it's not then it's great. Tough as old boots and in my eyes, quite nice looking but then I'm partial to old style three box saloons.

[Fat_Pirate]

NO NO NO.I had to deliver a new Riva estate (in orange) to a customer once, it was the worse 40-odd miles I've ever experienced. I like shonky old cars, but these have no good points at all. 25mpg and dog slow. NO!

[Timewaster]

Made her get a Metro when I was old enough to learn to drive, mind.

You did WHAT?

[Torsten2001]

Made her get a Metro when I was old enough to learn to drive, mind.

You did WHAT?

Good Man! Metros are ace!

[RENOMAD]

Just came across a piece online today which states that Renault have acquired a 25% share of AUTOVAZ which is the manufacturer of LADA cars. I showed this to all the guys here at the dealership-----The reaction was not good---Just when we thought Renaults couldn't get any worse

[r.welfare]

Made her get a Metro when I was old enough to learn to drive, mind.

You did WHAT?

Rover Metro, not an Austin job - I'm not a contortionist. Marvellous wee car, at the time (1994) the press were still raving about them, the NCAP scores were a long way off, and the rear room didn't bother me - those Rover 800 front chairs were dead comfy. Anyways, anything is better than a Lada Samara when you're 17. Plus, the Metro (ex-Swan National hire job, 9 months old) came from the local Lada dealer - we were going to get an AX, but the Citroen dealer just wouldn't budge from his derisory trade-in offer.Happy days - I had hair and decent wheels, and didn't have to drive a Lada...

[Timewaster]

Ah, I suppose when you put it that way.......Anyway - I had a picture of a Riva in my head. Had you said it was a Samara, I never would have questioned the decision.Can anybody say anything positive about a Samara?Go on theres a new challenge for you...Comunitst Pile 'o Tat CPT challenge.

[r.welfare]

Rivas are the way forward - tough, simple and RWD. The interiors are awful, but at least nothing falls off - unlike the Samara. The Samara was the third (and last) Lada we owned, following a Riva 1200L saloon and a 1200 Estate (pre-Riva, S reg I believe) before that. Nowadays my mum refuses to drive anything that's not automatic, PAS and a/c-equipped, and bigger than a Metro. Probably as a result of owning the Ladas...A Riva wagon with the 1500 engine would, I reckon, be a surprisingly useful piece of shite.

[AXrescuer]

Ah, I suppose when you put it that way.......Anyway - I had a picture of a Riva in my head. Had you said it was a Samara, I never would have questioned the decision.Can anybody say anything positive about a Samara?

I'm positive they were shite! Weren't they based on the original Fiat Tipo design?

[r.welfare]

No - that's the Yugo Sana you're thinking of. My dad almost bought one at the 1991 Motor Show, but that's another story...Porsche apparently had input into the Samara design

[Torsten2001]

Well I have a 1300 Samara, 1991, gorgeous in every way, nice to drive, totally reliable, thrifty, surprisingly well put together and will cruise at 85, love it!

[r.welfare]

Must have been a Friday afternoon Lada

[RENOMAD]

Jesus,I didn't think this thread would get to page 2 when I posted it.Still not so sure though. We'll see how it goes

[nigel bickle]

Hi Mr B -nope not collected the Florian yet -pleading sickness & time constraints.Got the Taunus Transit though -hoh yes!!!!

[pandamonium]

Riva s are cool. Samaras are shite.

 

 

[stoterstangen90]

yes to the Riva.like it.

[pandamonium]

This is for sale

http://www.easternbloccars.proboards101 ... thread=120

 

[Torsten2001]

Riva s are cool. Samaras are shite.

 

 

I thought the same until I got a Sammy, after carefull consideration I have come to the conclusion that Samaras are much better than Rivas but not as good as Nivas, all Ladas are your rock solid basic shite however that are designed to just crack on with it!

 

If you want a Lada that strikes fear into the hearts of over 500 million people have a look at my lovely Riva, fresh from the body shop today, it's showing off in front of my Volga

 

 

And here's my gorgeous Samara

[pandamonium]

Wow, Riva looking good, I didn't know you had a Samara too!

[Torsten2001]

I've been out of the loop for a while!

 

Seeing as I'm so delighted with my Riva today have a few more photos

 

All it needs now is an alternator, brakes and a bonnet catch!

[Split_Pin]

Love this Lada!! Looks strangely menacing.I love them - I have a little 1/43 scale one, complete with box printed entirely in Cyrillic and with 'Made in USSR' on the baseplate

[Torsten2001]

when it was parked outside the bodyshop it was a total Russian tourist attraction!

[ChinaTom]

headlamp wipers. Just fantastic. I imagine a complex system of string and cast but unmachined 20p shaped pulleys operated from a 2.2kW motor and a giant Tupolev toggle switch...