Anyone had a lada riva?
Discussion
Can't help myself, am current high bidder for http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
Anyone got any lada experiences they want to tell?
Anyone got any lada experiences they want to tell?
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I know someone who wrote off his fathers brand new Lada while doing handbrake turns in the ice/snow.
I know someone who wrote off his fathers brand new Lada while doing handbrake turns in the ice/snow.
Yes, when I was in Moscow visiting my brother, he used to randomly flag down strangers in Ladas which looked totally unroadworthy, to get us taken to various parts of the city. It was like a strange unwritten rule in those parts that if you drove a wreck of a Lada, you also got to be a black market taxi driver! I also remember a friend of mine at school in the early 80s, whose parents had a brand new Lada Riva. He seemed particularly proud that it was the 1600 model. Personally, I think your specimin is crying out for a Fiat 2000 TC conversion, a great street sleeper! Also, have you seen the Top Gear article on the Lada the Lotus factory fully sorted for one lucky chap? You'll find it on Youtube.
I learned to drive in a Lada Niva, my mum had, erm, three of them (this was in the 90s when they were pretty much new...).
One of the three broke down with alarming regularity and we quite often had a Riva as a hire car for weeks at a time. They are truly awful but amazing at being awful if you know what I mean. I would be very tempted to get one now for a few pennies for larking around in. Maybe just an hour though until the novelty wears off... They literally had no thought at all put in to making it look attractive or fun in any way. So bid on it, it's a bargain!
The Niva on the other hand was an amazing beast. I remember occasions in the snow where Defenders were abanboned and the trusty Lada was still pottering about looking all hard and Russian chic. Someone once drove a Fiesta (Mk2) into the back of it and wrote off the little Ford properly... the Niva however just had a dent behind the bumper, filled and painted in the garage, the bumper didn't even need replacing...
<goes to look at ebay for Nivas...>
Oh, and the heater from your new purchase will be good enough to replace your home boiler when you scrap the shell...
One of the three broke down with alarming regularity and we quite often had a Riva as a hire car for weeks at a time. They are truly awful but amazing at being awful if you know what I mean. I would be very tempted to get one now for a few pennies for larking around in. Maybe just an hour though until the novelty wears off... They literally had no thought at all put in to making it look attractive or fun in any way. So bid on it, it's a bargain!
The Niva on the other hand was an amazing beast. I remember occasions in the snow where Defenders were abanboned and the trusty Lada was still pottering about looking all hard and Russian chic. Someone once drove a Fiesta (Mk2) into the back of it and wrote off the little Ford properly... the Niva however just had a dent behind the bumper, filled and painted in the garage, the bumper didn't even need replacing...
<goes to look at ebay for Nivas...>
Oh, and the heater from your new purchase will be good enough to replace your home boiler when you scrap the shell...
Somewhatfoolish said:
g4ry13 said:
I want to see it when you get it. Don't let the owner know how much you're willing to pay! Are they RWD?
A fair and balanced review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHQnwZD9LUA
EDIT - Replaced with better quality vid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHQnwZD9LUA
EDIT - Replaced with better quality vid.
Edited by EDLT on Wednesday 21st October 22:50
my mum replaced her TR7 with one of these in the 80's, one of the many reasons I will never take her advice on anything to do with cars!
Im in Poland alot and have seen some really crazy ladas (a subaru WRX engine fits in no prob for a real sleeper).
Go for it, it costs less than 6months tax in most cars so even if it cathes fire on your drive before the insurance is through you lost sweet FA. I find driving s
t cars quite enjoyable too, park as close as you like to the kerb cause it doesnt matter if you scrape it, youll never lose sleep because its parked outside a pub over the weekend, even moderate stopping locks up the front wheels so theres no desire to drive fast, if you reverse it into a wall or whatever it doesnt matter cause who cares, no maintainence is required at all because even new brake pads would warrant it a write off lol.
As sheds go its quite a shed
Im in Poland alot and have seen some really crazy ladas (a subaru WRX engine fits in no prob for a real sleeper).
Go for it, it costs less than 6months tax in most cars so even if it cathes fire on your drive before the insurance is through you lost sweet FA. I find driving s
t cars quite enjoyable too, park as close as you like to the kerb cause it doesnt matter if you scrape it, youll never lose sleep because its parked outside a pub over the weekend, even moderate stopping locks up the front wheels so theres no desire to drive fast, if you reverse it into a wall or whatever it doesnt matter cause who cares, no maintainence is required at all because even new brake pads would warrant it a write off lol. As sheds go its quite a shed
Friends dad used to run a dealership and hence had loads of them (and still does!). Only briefly driven a Riva and Niva, the Riva was a pig to start requiring serious dedication and a special knack, and the play in the steering box was monumental, though apparently they are all like that...
Be prepared for an interior with a collection of bits of trim that don't even remotely fit together, all in a variety of different shades and grains of nasty degraded "'80's briefcase" plastic.
He did have one that had twin 40's on it, which sounded brilliant and really shifted, or at least it did compared to what I was used to back then...
Be prepared for an interior with a collection of bits of trim that don't even remotely fit together, all in a variety of different shades and grains of nasty degraded "'80's briefcase" plastic.
He did have one that had twin 40's on it, which sounded brilliant and really shifted, or at least it did compared to what I was used to back then...
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