Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22447 Location: UK

Hi all,

Russia's in the news quite a lot at the moment, has anyone here experience of Russian-built cars, or perhaps motoring in Russia or the former USSR?

RJ
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consul 57 · Joined: 09 Nov 2017 Posts: 487 Location: somerset

i have had 2 lada niva's the 4x4 ones, it just kept on going when most of my neigbours cars would not start in bad winters, had to tow them & jump start them before going to work!
as for off roading it would go almost anywhere with the right tyres, brilliant cars, hard to drive on the road though and rust became an issue after a while.
would have another for off roading if i could get one, hardly any about now!

D4B · Joined: 28 Dec 2010 Posts: 2083 Location: Hampshire UK

Ray the rocker · Joined: 01 Aug 2008 Posts: 187 Location: south wales

Found out the garage I was working at took over a franchise selling lada, moskvitch and skoda cars.This was like going back 30 years in time ! Could not believe the total lack of assembly sense when they arrived at the showroom. Every panel had to be re-aligned to fit.Modifications were required on brake pipe routes on moskvitch to pass ministry of transport regs.
After saying this, cheap as chips to buy all three but I can`t say they were that popular .Find a decent mosky nowadays and it`s probably worth ten times the price.......cheers--ray the rocker.

Ellis · Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2018 8:31 pm Post subject:

I drove a Lada Niva many years ago and I have to admit that I was impressed with it. I cannot understand why no-one has tried to reintroduce it following the Land Rover Defender's demise.
I did see one article last year about a dealer who was able to obtain them.

The lack of right hand drive and no diesel engine must be a contributing factor.

A lad at school with me was given a brand new Moskvitch for passing his A levels in 1973. I thought it was awful.

In 1977 a slightly, shall I say eccentric family bought a brand new Lada Riva, the type based on the old Fiat 124. Curiosity took the better of me one Saturday and I took the dog for a walk in the general direction of the car's location.
Fiats have a slightly ethereal quality about them buy the Lada felt hewn from rock with heavy gauge metal but it smelt strongly of rubber and adhesives.
It was new after all.

I wonder if the normal transport of the KGB in the 1970s and 1980s - the Chaika (Seagull) are sought after in Russia these days but I believe the old Zil limousines used by high Soviet officials have an enthusiastic following.
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badhuis · Joined: 20 Aug 2008 Posts: 1390 Location: Netherlands

It seems there is a dealer in Belgium who still sells new Lada Niva. In various guises even - I did not know a four door version is/was available!

http://www.garagegardi.be/wp/lada-4x4-blanc-utilitaire/
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V8 Nutter · Joined: 27 Aug 2012 Posts: 587

Many years ago the local Lada dealer sent about 50 Brake drums, that had been rejected under warranty, for re machining to the machine shop where I worked. Some of the castings were so bad you could see daylight through the blow holes.

47Jag · Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2018 9:32 pm Post subject:

Back in the 90s I used to go to Aberdeen to service the Harbour Board’s computer and the dock would be ‘littered’ with Ladas awaiting loading onto Russion fishing boats. Apparently there was a profit to be made taking the Ladas back to the Motherland.

Art

GARAGE HERMIT · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2018 1:24 pm Post subject:

victor 101 · Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Posts: 446 Location: East Yorkshire

My friends workshop is part of the old Lada import complex, It used to be where they swapped the tyres and carburettors before sending them out to the dealers. Security wasn't that tight according to stories and cars would disappear in the middle of the night.

alastairq · Joined: 14 Oct 2016 Posts: 1954 Location: East Yorkshire

Aaaah, CArnaby, & Satra Motors? I used to live in Bridlington, many decades ago....next-door neighbour worked at Satra... a trained mechanic, he got paid more money working there, just fitting the plastic centre consoles to Ladas.
Of course, he had a LAda [they could be had cheaper for employees]...and a set of steel wheels & russian tyres for the winter.

LAda sponsored a 'works' rally car/team....one driver was a Geoff Warcup...[lived out at Skipsea]...met him a few times, peripherally-speaking.

Also at that time, got roped in to re-forming the old Bridlington Motor Club.....thankless task, really.....used to have 12-car rallies, autotests.....PCT's etc.......mass marshalling for the Mintex, RAC, etc, especially in DAlby ..or up at Sutton bank.

A lad in Brid had a Moskvich......engine looked remarkably like that found in the BMWs of the day? Brakes would have disgraced a Honda 50! Apparently the Mosky would go like stink, but wouldn't stop..hence probably why there aren't many about these days?

A few years ago, whilst doing my marshalling bit for the Motorcycling Club's Edinburgh Trial...one of the Raynet guys at our Section, turned up in a very nice looking Moskvich estate....notable to me, for having a huge electric winch bolted to the front bumper. Everybody else turned up in sundry 4x4s..not this chap.....loads of ground clearance, and a winch for getting out of trouble...lovely!!

victor 101 · Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Posts: 446 Location: East Yorkshire

That's right, an industrial estate built on the old Carnaby airfield. All that's left now is a stone at the entrance to the old offices to show that it was ever there.

Keith D · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2018 3:31 am Post subject:

My brother runs a Lada Niva. It was bought new by our father. It was not a very good vehicle. After Dad died my brother kept it awhile before selling it to an enthusiast. This guy returned to the UK after rebuilding it. He sold it back to my brother who uses it as a tug for his Trojan bubble car on it's trailer when he goes to shows.

His comment only last week. "The Niva gets more attention than the Trojan!"

Keith
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Rusty · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2018 1:30 pm Post subject:

Both my uncle and one of my good friends used to run niva's back in the day and they both liked their value even if they both thought them a bit behind the pack in build quality. My good mate Clive liked his all the way until the gearbox needed overhauling and he had to wait six months for some bearing that had collapsed to be found. You couldn't get one through the Russian parts channel or anywhere else in the world for a while until one of the blokes we go fishing with who worked for a local bearing supplier found one in Spain of all places.

Both these utes (pickups or light commercial vehicles) were bought instead of 4 wheel motorbikes (ATVs) for use on farms and for that use they were fine, I drove them both quite a bit and they had reasonable road manners even if a bit gutless. Both said after they had traded them on that given the same circumstances they would get another.

At the same time another acquaintance bought a Lada Samara two door sedan as a first car for his daughter just after she got her licence and it turned out to be a complete pile of Russian rubbish. They only kept it for about six months and it was broken down more than it was on the road.

Mikey77 · Joined: 10 Jun 2014 Posts: 45 Location: Limoges

You could still buy a new Niva in this part of France, not long ago. There are loads still around and in various states of repair.
I did a newspaper road test of one nearly 30 years ago and all I can say is, it was better than an Umm or a Mahindra.
This is absolutely true - a few years ago I went to look at a used car at the Lada dealer in Limoges and got talking to the daughter of the owner. I said 'Nivas are a bit out of date nowadays, aren't they?' She said 'well, yes, but they do do a sport version now'. When I raised my eyebrows she said 'it's the one with the tennis ball on the tow hitch'. We both fell about with laughing.
Incidentally, my friend - a university professor in England, ran Moskvichs for years and was very happy with them. When he couldn't get one any more he upgraded to Skodas. Mind you, his subject was agricultural machinery history...
Even more incidentally, 50 years ago I had a Wartburg Knight. I remember it fondly and still have a photo!