Classic Top Gear - Lada Exports

[@StopDropandLOL]

It's ironic that he speaks ill of the Lada given the garbage that Britain graced us with in the 70s and 80s.

[@user-rb9on3qv9l]

Zoltan Csikos What's so special about the Mini? Small, not so reliable, underpowered, FWD econoshitbox that rusts worse than 80s Opels. It just had the luck of going into the hands of John Cooper.

[@MrTangolizard]

987654321 all cars in the 80s rusted

[@user-rb9on3qv9l]

MrTangolizard yeah, but some more than others

[@MrManBuzz]

987654321 The Mini for it's time was a revolution. It essentially pioneered the transversely mounted engine paired with front wheel drive. The industry standard for most cars today. The British car industry spawned some truly awful cars but to question the legacy of the Mini is pretty foolish to say the least.

[@user-rb9on3qv9l]

MrManBuzz So it turned most of the cars in FWD econoshitboxes and should be appreciated? Yeah, no. I prefer RWD cars. Thanks to the stupid Mini now the only ones left are really expensive and/or not suitable for family cars. Thanks mini(not)

[@timpies6592]

Old Top Gear: “I am going to drive this...TO HULL New Top Gear be like: “I am going to drive this...TO YAKUTSK ON ONE TANK OF FUEL

[@flexworshipper7541]

*laughs in toyota in the Bristol channel*

[@mikedawolf95]

It’s gets 800 hectares on a single tank of kerosine

[@mhirst16]

@@mikedawolf95 What country is this from? "It no longer exists" LOL

[@JamesTobiasStewart]

@@mhirst16 Put it in H!

[@Chinunit22]

Meanwhile late models Range Rovers and Jaguars are getting recycled for metal, Ladas from the 80s are still going strong

[@acebull7408]

No range Rovers are heeps more reliable ladas last 2 minutes

[@No.Handle31]

Old Ladas are like tanks

[@acebull7408]

@@No.Handle31 ladas thir so shit

[@clarkscat9386]

Ladas have been abandoned everywhere you go

[@Chinunit22]

@@clarkscat9386 like where? So far they are going unless they were wrecked and destroyed

[@nejinaji]

After watching garage 54 I'm starting to think they're the best cars on the road

[@servenator-3335]

I have one and i can say those are some good ass peoples cars👍🏻

[@raulbitca5342]

With or without a welded diff

[@raulbitca5342]

@@servenator-3335 me too,btw im 14

[@arthuritchybollix5064]

With wooden pistons and square wheels

[@bernard8961]

YUGO is the best

[@Hofsterman]

This Lada lasted much longer than the most of the British made crap on the road

[@GenosGlory]

no they didn’t. they were garbage but they took care of them more as thats all they had, but you have to take into consideration they were made super cheap and dont expect even Fiat quality. My dad owned a couple over the years and they overheated a lot.

[@Hofsterman]

@Vassilios Pupkios That's only half of the true. You know that.

[@Hofsterman]

@@petedavid5127 Loads of them were exported back to Russia as they were not good enough for British market.

[@stanislavpetkov7408]

Pete David There are some, and some of them are well maintained and looks like new....more than 30 years after they were built.

[@flexworshipper7541]

@Claudio Canavaro the mini was a god. Convince me otherwise.

[@richardgoffin-lecar1951]

I used two Ladas as taxis during the 1980s. They were really good. Never went wrong, plastic vomit.-proof seats, dead easy to get parts for. Excellent work horses! Loads of room in the estate!

[@dieselfan7406]

Not forgetting the 50 piece tool kit!

[@littlebigman6957]

My ex boss used 2 in his taxi fleet in beverley. I loved them. He even gave his wife a top spec one as her daily driver..

[@fdhdd102]

@@littlebigman6957 top spec as in simpler than a basic sandero?

[@littlebigman6957]

@ThatHumanGirrr . Very comfy cloth seats , a heated rear window, and 2 speed wipers. Living the dream ✨️

[@fdhdd102]

@@littlebigman6957 oh okay. not so communistically then!

[@mikeylikesit6588]

Rumor has it he drove home in a reliant robin.

[@ShmuelWeintraub]

He says he made £250 on the sale; less fuel, the "full english breakfast" and rail fare home... I doubt he made £100 on the day's "work". Plonker.

[@davesalmond6726]

nearly right-he didn't make it -the Bratva mistook him for Alan B'stard and took them both back via Klaipeda for cultural reassignment.

[@bigteddy66]

It would have served the tosser right if he had to walk

[@whatthehell1012]

I remember getting so excited the first time I drove one, Hilarious it was. Got me across Russia without one single problem

[@ivan9066]

Every snob says the lada is shit,but they realy need to understand, that that car is a driving bunker. Its a work horse,not like one of the english cars from the 70s or 80s. At least the ladas are hard to kill.

[@AR15.666]

Roger Doger this machine is made of stalinium and works like a tank its a car for the workers not the rich frats.

[@cisium1184]

I love them. Everything the guy says about the car is true. And yet....

[@harrycoffeynield6941]

My mate had an orange yellow Lada in early 80s. Got all the lads around most pubs and nightclubs for three years with no issues. Strong as a tank. And never let him down.

[@olgadirk1]

Don't forget that they all start at -40

[@Walker.Does.Photography]

The Ford?

[@Andythenurse]

I owned two lada cars. Both were mechanicaly reliable, took a load of luggage and were more than able to manage British roads. The Peugeot I had afterwards was not as long lasting but cost twice as much.

[@ElBloeTigre]

Awesome 90's Smashing Pumpkins at the beginning.

[@geraldstarr9950]

Ahh yes the good old episodes with poundland Jack Nicholson.

[@ruutiperse9223]

Fun fact of the day Lada was most sold and used car brand in Finland in 1970s

[@samcross8487]

I guess the barter trade deals helped with that. Still they can't have been so bad,I've noticed Finns value reliability in their cars and maintain them well; I'm always surprised how many 20+ year old Japanese cars I see running around here...

[@k3kboi665]

@@samcross8487 and we are poor as hell. The wages arent all too low but the cost of living is wayy too high since the end of the mark.

[@AlfaGiuliaQV]

No, it wasn't, the soviets forced the crap on us through the forced trade treaty. We exported ships and paper mill tech, and got paid in Ladas. For private motoring i´d guess Saab, since they were locally made.

[@k3kboi665]

@@AlfaGiuliaQV kyllä moskovitzit oli ihan uljaita ajokkeja hintaisikseen. Saabit maksoi paljon ja oli tasan yhtä kyseenalaisia huollettavuuden suhteen kuin ladat, ladat vain sai korjattua rautalangalla ja uudenkaan osto ei ollut liian kallista.

[@A_Casual_Observer]

Up until the 1990's Finland's infamous new car tax was based on the CIF (cost, insurance, freight) price of the car (basically the money leaving the country). Whatever the importer and the dealer added on top of that, was not subject to car tax. The CIF price of a Lada (or anything Eastern bloc) was ridiculously low due to barter deals, which meant the price was a nominal figure mutually agreed upon rather than anything based on 'capitalist nonsense' such as supply and demand. All this made them the cheapest new cars available, often by a considerable margin.

[@1100HondaCB]

Are these LADAs as bad as he says? I am sure they are not that bad. Don't forget this guy has had the luxury of driving Mercedes and BMWs. At least you can fix a LADA with a simple tool kit.

[@Lionfish5656]

Indeed. There's a certain market for them. But, most Westerners love their computerized cars & that's perfectly fine.

[@jaggass]

Eastern Europeans loves cheap and simple cars that will get them where they want no matter what unlike us that love this computerized rubbish on 4 wheels that has to have all the mod cons. Lada's were never designed for the British market.

[@dimarews]

Adam Chlebovec nah, Ladas are not known for fuel consumption. 4-cylinder inline 4 with capacity of 1.5 L, what is this all about?

[@payamyazdi7672]

Still Ladas were better than British Leyland vehicles

[@davidmarchant9386]

Payam yazdi well what do you ecpect from britain esp a bankrupt one lol

[@bulletproofkam7931]

Atleast Britain builds some of the best cars these days, and we modernised unlike Russia!

[@MrLeeflemwell]

What British cars? Mass produced British cars are extinct.

[@oldmutt1427]

BMC and British Leyland Austin Rover had some great designers. Front wheel drive transverse engine space saving interior in 1959 with the Mini. A roomy five door five speed hatchback in 1969 with the Austin Maxi. The Range Rover in 1970 was the first comfortable four wheel drive. The Rover SD1 V8 was the first luxury five door hatchback in 1976. Trouble is the designs then got handed over to the British factories which ruined them with poor quality control apathy industrial disputes bad management and cheap electronics. But you know nothing about cars if you think they were not innovative designs.

[@mattsmith5267]

Lada's have the build quality of a biscuit tin and rust as you watch.

[@Metallion69]

Lada is a car, that you either love or hate. I personally LOVE them!!! I remember back in the early 80's my dad used to have an original 1200. I loved everything about it. The sound, the feel, but what I probably most loved about it is the smell. That typical Lada smell in the inside. I can still smell it. They should make air fresheners with that typical Lada scent. I would love using it in my Nissan Maxima.

[@Lionfish5656]

I love them too & I'm from the United States. They're incredibly tough cars which are easy to maintain, cheap to run, cheap to maintain, beginner driver friendly atmosphere & incredibly cheap to buy!! The Lada Zhiguli & the Lada Niva are the 1st 2 cars I'd consider buying for my 1st car if I were to go shopping for my 1st car. No wonder why they dominate the Russian car market w/17.10 of the total market being dominated by Lada; the only car brand in Russia to dominate more than 10% of the total car market in Russia. In fact, Lada is the only car brand which can be found on ALL 7 continents, including Antarctica, particularly the Lada Niva which is 1 of the most popular & best off roader vehicles in the world!!

[@jwserge]

Cody, Ты же вроде писал, что ты из Латвии? Перебрался в Штаты?

[@Firebird31001]

It's the smell of an old soviet vinyl that was used instead of plastic and velour(optionally) from the seats. I have 80's 2106 with mint original black vinyl/velour interior. It has this "car" smell from the childhood. Love it.

[@chriswaters2327]

Sure Maxima is a nice car but can you squat on it? My Versa would crumple like a cheap track suit.

[@borivojetravica569]

King Of Knights.. You are sure that's not water left behind rain? :D I have lada to, my father use that lada like suv, never liv as off road

[@zaneclone]

I worked in a Lada dealership for many years... and owned several myself.... Yes,they had their flaws- but they also had many plus points. Robust mechanicals, belting heaters, comfy seats and plenty of room... and NONE of mine ever let me down... and for anyone who grew up in the 60s/70s- wouldn't be too troubled by the agricultural road manners.... and if I could get another one... I'd have it...!

[@MrPabsUk]

Can I ask which dealer Simon?

[@zaneclone]

Premier Motors, N-Wales.... long since gone....!

[@MrPabsUk]

Yeah, would be! I dont suppose you have any memorabilia from there, like dealer stickers/tax disc holders or photographs, have you?

[@zaneclone]

Sadly not,no... though prob' got one or two pics of my own Lada's somewhere..!

[@Lionfish5656]

Very cool story with Lada. It looks like they have their niche market.

[@kevinhughes2508]

A Lada is damn good car. Ive always loved a Lada, theyre dependable, rock solid, and theyre built like a tank. Keep it maintained properly, and itll run forever.

[@TheManinBlack9054]

Export ones? Yes, they are. Ones for homeland use? Not so much.

[@Vincent98987]

Ford-c max is a bigger tank

[@KingSlimjeezy]

Im here because of a russian dash cam video where a young man tried to overtake, lost control and got blindsifed by an on coming truck and basically obliterated. The driver miracuously pops out, through the mangled triangle of steel that was once the windsheild frame, relitively unharmed. Even the passenger survived!

[@Alex462047]

@@KingSlimjeezy I saw that one. He only got out because he was a little bugger and because the force of impact threw him horizontally across the transmission tunnel. Otherwise he'd have been killed for sure.

[@KingSlimjeezy]

@@Alex462047 No doubt he's one lucky bastard

[@rimskikorsakov8232]

LADA is still alive and producing cars . What about Rover, MG, Leyland, Austin, Hillman, Humber, Triumph, Talbot and many other products of British technology ?

[@cikuuzis]

Yes, the import tax for foreign cars in Russia is set very high in order to make Russians buy Lada and the company receives state subsidies. Lada would be dead long ago if it had to compete on equal terms in the local market with foreign cars. Putin needs Lada as a show-off that Russia has it's own car manufacturer but the actual quality of the cars is quite terrible.

[@Eridelm]

@@cikuuzis New Ladas quite not bad, but still cannot compete with German or Japanese cars. Future of mark closely bounded with Russian economy. Right investment from governemt and business(Mostly Renault concern) can get them on a level of Volkswagen, which is unlikely. Russia must improve her factories, nowadays they looks awful, investment in robotic and education probably slove this problem.

[@sammccormick9109]

Talbot was French. MG are still going

[@Eef-wg3fg]

I once rode all the way up a steep hill in a lada niva crammed with 5 adults, not on a regular road but in a stony riverbed (with rocks and sudden deep holes). Brilliant car. You might not be too impressed driving it on the boring speedway or a normal street, but the minute you go offroad you find out what you're actually driving. It's insane what they can do. Really. Go for it.

[@ITmage]

Actually at that moment Lada was better in terms of reliability than any "common" car made in the UK to be honest.

[@Lionfish5656]

Interesting. Tell that to Ronald Reagan.

[@zoltancsikos5604]

ITmage You sure about that, bud? Ever heard of the Mini?

[@davidspencer7254]

Minis were fun to drive but awful for reliability and comfort.

[@miko8732]

@@zoltancsikos5604 lol, minis were shit

[@miko8732]

@Adam Chlebovec it's very true, british engineering has never been good, just look at jaguar. slavic engineering on the other hand.

[@dforscher]

and this review comes from a country who produced and loves .... well, morris morina and austin allegro as the start ...

[@juhojalonen3046]

True, but they atleast stopped making them after a while...

[@stanislavpetkov7408]

Sorry do British have their own brands of cars today? Yeah, because they can’t make one which work....mini is BMW, jaguar is Chinese brand....And the worst ever car reliant robin...they probably cried when they drove Lada after it

[@fireangel1067]

@@stanislavpetkov7408 Jaguar is owned by Tata, which is indian not chinese. McLaren is still British, since it's independant . Aston Martin is no longer owned by Ford and is now independant too, so it's also british

[@dcarbs2979]

@@stanislavpetkov7408 Here goes: Noble, McLaren, Lotus, Ariel, Caterham, Morgan, Bloodhound, Williams, (andalthough German-Owned) all the skilled worked that add the value to Rolls Royce is English. We produced the Marina and Allegro. Not so sure that we love them but a few dozen nutjobs are fans!

[@rolandievitis6290]

Bla bla bla...leyland was 4th biggest car maker in the world! Where is it now??? There is a lot of classic british arrogance in the comment section. You lost everything.

[@clubclasicosdeleste737]

In the north of Spain, during the late 90's and until 2004, several Ladas got their way into Russia again. I remember a mechanic from a Lada dealer who told us he recieved a wrecked Samara wich it was gonna go to the scrapyard, then a Russian said he would buy the car to get the dashboard into a British Samara he got on the ship. I also remember in 2002 a Lada 2105 wich it was delivered to the dealer because the new owner bought a Lada 112. The 2105 was supossed to get to the scrapyard, but instead of that, it was sent back to Russia in a ship.

[@RevolutionarySM]

These Top Gear people are so arrogant. Yes, the Lada Riva was not a luxurious car and YES it was build on outdated technology. But it was a cheap car and many British workers got one. 60.000 sold between 1983 and 1997. Sure Top Gear loves to destroy anything that is Soviet made!

[@Lionfish5656]

+Revolutionary Socialist Media, all fair enough & decent points. It should be noted as wheel that there are many cars produced by Western automakers are produced for many years & even many decades, but Top Gear will never due such a review which mocks & jokes about them. However, it's a matter of personal preference, so please keep that in mind.

[@vanyasphonecollection4074]

My favorite car brand is Lada. I will buy a Lada Niva when I learn to drive

[@Lakarak]

bro why a niva

[@maxkennedy8075]

I can remember James on Top Gear saying “Generally we got crap cars from Polski Fiat, Lada, British Leyland and other left wing dictatorships” I see what he was on about

[@MrThecarebear]

So, right wing is okay in your book?

[@maxkennedy8075]

Albie Stainer What the fuck are you on about? “hE saY lEfT wiNG dIcTatOrsHiPs maKe cRAp cArs, hE mUsT lIkE nAzeeees”

[@spletest8977]

No matter where you go, the left wing doesn't understand the logistics of production.

[@maxkennedy8075]

bisquitnspanky They aren’t but ok

[@ivanlagrossemoule]

@@spletest8977 Fucking ironic considering the Soviets beat Nazi Germany with one of their main advantages being superior production ability.

[@LadaD02]

3:28 my bÄcK aches

[@jasperskrieverke1459]

I've had al Lada once, a 1200 from 1989, I bought it while it had driven 24.000 km's, so it was as good as new. I liked that car, have driven it for about 70.000 km's the next 4 years. I loved that car!

[@Lionfish5656]

+Jasper Skrieverke, cool story. Yes, it's true that Russian/Soviet cars last a long time b/c that's what they're meant to do. This is why they're so basic & so easy to fix. People in Eastern Europe knew they weren't to get another for years. Not only that, they had to adjust their cars for the harsh environments. This is 1 of the reasons why Soviet/Russian cars are pretty popular w/people in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, parts of the Middle East & parts of Asia. A lot of the people, if not all of the people who mock Eastern bloc cars probably don't understand why they appear so obsolete & so primitive to the naked as, as well as reading about them on line for example. They're supposed to be like that; the whole purposes of Russian/Soviet cars are to be as simple as possible to both keep prices down & to make them as easy to repair as possible to help them last longer & allow the owners to repair them in the case of lack of repair shops, get their owners from point A - point B & to survive harsh conditions & last a long time in the case that the owners either can't afford to get a new car &/or can't get a new car in the advent of circumstances where getting a new car isn't possible. Those are the main purposes of them & those are the reasons why they're so popular in Eastern Europe, the former USSR & other parts of the world, especially in the 3rd World. So, when they complain about the car having such slow acceleration or looking so old for a car of the year it was produced, they need to understand these reasons. It's 1 reason to bash them & understand these reasons & state why. It's a hell of another to bash them w/absolutely no understanding about them. Also, there are actually some legitimate criticism of Soviet/Russian cars such as the lack of safety in these cars for example. Also it should be noted that many Russian/Soviet automobiles (Though not all) were partially based on Western cars, although they weren't exact copies of them. For example, the GAZ 13 Chaika was based off of the 1955 Packard Patrician. Also, it should be noted that in general that Soviet/Russian cars tended to be produced w/out any change much longer than many cars in the West, although there were many famous Western cars that were produced w/barely/no modifications such as the Volkswagen Beetle, the Volkswagen Transporter 2 & the Citroen 3CV. Hell, many generations of the Chevrolet Suburban/Tahoe/GMC Yukon/Cadillac Escalade, the Ford F - Series, the Ford Bronco & the Dodge Ram have been mass produced w/barely if any modifications for many, many years, if not decades @ times. Now, what do they all have in common? Top Gear has never done (As far as I know. Please correct me if I'm wrong), nor will ever do a segment bashing any of these vehicles. Why? They were made by Western automakers. From what I've been reading about cars from the Soviet Union & from the videos I've been watching w/cars from the Soviet Union in action, they seem like really good cars. However, there are plenty of articles whether they're opinion pieced or factual or both, that go out to mock them or say "Known for poor/shoddy quality", even if it's only a small snippet/1 sentence. 1 example that came to mind is the ZAZ Zaporozhets 968m (A rear wheel drive car) on off road conditions & performing as if it were a 4x4/all wheel drive car. To be honest, I've never seen a rear wheel drive car that could do that. Have you?

[@j.danaclark89]

Cody Crouse I own 5 Ladas in Canada and I love them. One very legitimate criticism is the quality of the interior plastics. They break so easily.

[@darkwangel26]

and thats why top gear goes on without you

[@JohnJaggerJack]

ladas are like british gastronomy. sure it taste and looks awful but it does keep you alive in the same way a lada gets you anywhere you want.

[@Lionfish5656]

+JohnJaggerJack, they're pretty easy to fix. They're still very popular in Russia & the former Soviet Union. In fact, older Ladas are still very common on Russian, Ukrainian & Belarusian roads to this very day, although not as common in the cities b/c people are richer in the cities, though you can see a lot of them in more middle & lower class areas in Russian cities to this very day. There's several good reasons for that: They're durable, they're cheap, they're excellent in harsh conditions, they're easy to repair & they last forever.

[@crustycorollas]

i agree, ladas do look cool but are woefully underpowered, id love to have one but they are sooooo rare where i live its unbelievable

[@eccIefechan]

+Cody Crouse Actually not that many Ladas in Belarus nowadays. In Russia there are far more, especially in regions like the Caucasus. Lots on Abkhazia also.

[@AdventuresWithRandR]

JohnJaggerJack yeah at least its not a Ford

[@zoltancsikos5604]

JohnJaggerJack Wrong on all accounts, bud. You're probably sore in the arse over what he said, that's why you're crying like an idiot here.

[@ryushev2000]

Well the fact is most people buy dirt cheap second hand Ladas because they're real fun to take apart, repair, upgrade and customize.

[@Lionfish5656]

+ryushev2000, typically, Russian/Soviet cars follow the same principle. This is why they're so popular in Eastern Europe, the former USSR & 3rd World countries.

[@davidsirett5560]

even this is better than the new top gear post clarkson may and hammond

[@dadedafro__8706]

Well of course ! This was the roots of new top gear and the new new shite gear.

[@TwinTowerTwo]

Ruined gearbox but still manages to do 170+ miles in it? Of course he would feel awful after a long trip like that; just as in any car, so his complaints isn't the cars fault. What does he expect?

[@billcobbett9259]

Some old Ladas had a Fiat gearbox adapted for a fifth gear- they can be a bit fragile.

[@Alex462047]

@@billcobbett9259 Even the last of the classics can be a bit dickey. The Russians say don't use 5th gear at speeds below 80km/h at full throttle, you'll overload the gearbox.

[@stanleyjunior]

Remember a team of four from the Lada assembly plant in East Yorkshire would go around shows demonstrating changing the gearbox in 12 minutes!

[@justinmccowan2543]

Love the 80's retro quality of this video! The sound quality is awesome being I am fascinated by everything from the 80's, plus I love the way the video looks with the classic British scenery!

[@dcarbs2979]

The Lada was from 1993 (K-reg), and is clearly not new!

[@kanaric]

This video is obviously the 90s

[@IHeartMyLada]

A Lada Nova (2105-3) with a 1.5 L engline was my first car, used it for 5 years as a daily driver. It had its flaws, but it was easy to fix and started up easily even in -30°C and had a great heating system. Its worst part was the damn French Solex carburettor, the idle jet kept getting clogged even though I have always used good quality fuel and had an extra pre-filter. Then I replaced it with a commie carburettor and the problem was solved. Its other weak point was the factory installed fuse box with torpedo fuses. They could easily get loose, mostly screwing up the headlights and the brake lights. Thankfully you could buy an easy to install blade type fuse box which solved this. I have sold it to a guy who restored it to factory condition for a collector. They were good times, I loved that Russian beater, it surely wasn't as horrible as western shows love to picture Ladas, but I'm glad I bought a much newer and much more comfortable ride, I wouldn't want it as my daily again.

[@TheSpyChecker]

Hahaha. Excellent and fitting choice of music with that Pumpkins song. Shakedown 1979 indeed. Thanks for the up!

[@pynchme]

I just watched Top Gear: James May's Cars of the People and he took a red Lada up with a helicopter and just dropped it. I was shocked and deeply angry, Why did he do that crap? Then we wonder where mindless vandalism comes from. He is old enough to know better - and these people claim to love motor vehicles. Nobody who loves cars and history could do that to any vehicle. Heartbreaking stupidity.

[@marko85nis]

pynchme To send a message COMMUNISM BAD! Which it was, it only works in small communities but it seemed utopian and no developed country wanted their people to like any part, product, anything that had to do with communism. Which was smart on their end. Lada's are nice cars especially the Niva (the 4x4), they are cheap, reliable but not comfortable, fancy or luxurious, they are cars for the masses and as such, fantastic for the job. Their modern cars come with more modern engines and equipment, still, outdated a bit but they do the job and for a modest price. BBC's Top Gear is a show full of politics and commercials and it is why it's so popular and not for true car lovers.

[@pynchme]

Marko Živković Thanks for the reply. I won't be watching the show again. Their attitude to vehicles and disrespect for technology repels me. Btw I know someone with a Niva and they love their vehicle.

[@marko85nis]

pynchme Same here, 5th Gear seems nice, only watched a few shows. In my country we have a show which is much better but 1 show is never enough :-)

[@jaggass]

+pynchme Jeremy Clarkson got 2 quarry dumper trucks and snapped a lada in half. this angered top gear Russia they decided to bury an austin maestro and dance on its grave.

[@jaggass]

Believe it or not the remaining Lada Riva's left in the UK are going up in value.

[@Sh4quille0atmeal]

This isnt the old Top Gear. This is *the old* Top Gear

[@Stanwis]

Lada is still better then all this Austins, Rovers and Range Rovers. Because it works most of the time.

[@HRHooChicken]

+Cody Crouse Errm... have you ever watched Top Gear? They have endlessly mocked British cars and car makers from the 1970s and 80s. Any positives they talk about are purely sarcastic backhand compliments. British humour at its finest!

[@Lionfish5656]

HRHooChicken, cool.

[@user-ix8yo2sq3i]

Fuck to top gear it's a ugly

[@mogge9604]

Lada is stil a Good car!!!!

[@jamesdeen8158]

So humor is based on both telling everyone you make the best cars but actually meaning you make the worst?

[@stupidmemerman]

The lada to this day is still amazing

[@GRAHAM5020]

I like Quentin, but i don't agree with his statement on the Lada, yes they were basic, but they were solid and reliable.

[@armincekric7621]

My dad had Lada and it was black hole for money. It was young Lada not some old, destroyed one.

[@Me-wg4qx]

GRAHAM5020 facts, I’m literally saving up to buy it one

[@tub19]

My late Dad had one, £3000 brand new they was doing 1500 part exchange at the time. So went to auctions brought a banger for £50 took log book in cause the car wouldn't go. Got the Lada, they never collected the car. When me Dad was looking for another it had over 120,000 on clock.

[@peterwallis4288]

@@armincekric7621 I hear the quality control was rather bad. Any cars that have survived this long are probably the good ones though. I have 2 Ladas, and my ones are great.

[@billcobbett9259]

@@peterwallis4288 I've got a 30 yr old Niva. Tough as old boots and always starts. Great fun.

[@proto-nm9hr]

I grew up with these cars, eastern Europe is full of them till this day, my dad owned one, he hated it crashed and bought a bmw afterwards

[@Kref3]

I have never in my life really worked on a car, but always thought it would be fun to repair or upgrade your machine yourself. I considered once to buy a Lada Niva because 1. it probably is a funny little offroader and 2. it is the perfect car to learn how to take cars apart and put them back together.

[@dafiltafish]

I think it is the coolest boring car ever made. What port do I have to use to get one shipped to the sates?

[@bluephalanx]

@Adam Chlebovec i mean,america also killed their own people and also did similar things to the USSR except gulags etc,and they are doing it now even

[@locomotivebreath9364]

@Adam Chlebovec You are liberaha ebanaya, not an eastern european, Adam, so you better keep your mouth shut.

[@KevinBower-gy5be]

Quentin Wilson looks just like Mr. Burns from the Simpsons. Release the hounds.

[@rscosworthfan]

i had one of these years ago it never broke down and felt like a tank the steering was heavy but i still loved it

[@markjosephbudgieridgard]

I've watched this video lots of times and I always end up in fits of laughter it's so funny absolute classic from QW top guy !

[@AgentOrange859]

I used to hate ladas. I thought that they were ugly. Now, I can appreciate how easy they were to mend, especially the body pannels. Very tough cars. Somehow the cars are a lot less ugly now.

[@Lionfish5656]

+AgentOrange859, I never even heard about them until 2013 when I started playing City Car Driving, which is a Russian computer simulator game which features a realistic Russian city environment.

[@DJEDzTV]

My grandfather had one of them Ladas, served him for over 20 years...Been crashed twice and still it went on..

[@Kyntteri]

So if I understood correctly, the journey is to be from Birmingham to Hull. Map says that's about 150 miles long journey. OK, but in 3:19 he says he has been doing the trip for 170 miles already and makes it look like there's still a long way to go. So did Count Quentin actually lie, or was the only road going through Liverpool or something, or did UK shrink in size drastically in the last decades? I need to know.

[@bensmithkent22]

He is actually quite amusing despite looking like dracula. Clarkson and him made for the best viewing and funniest lines insulting cars on these old style tgs.

[@konsvarka7376]

the Lada is a good car reliable and easy to work on...

[@zekhong]

I was in Jamaica before people over there said lada were SImple and reliable cars.

[@Switswoo111]

I had a sky blue riva and it never let me down. I loved it 😁

[@video99couk]

I had a choice around 1987 between a Lada and a Hillman Avenger. I chose wisely, the HIllman was a hoot to drive, I drove it for 7 years before selling it on. I never forgot my Avenger because in 2001 and bought another, and still drive that in 2020.

[@whiteboywhite3292]

MY OLD MAN VERY NEARLY BOUGHT ONE IN THE LATE 80S UNTIL ME AND MY BRO SAID WE WOULD CALL CHILDLINE

[@DystopianOverture]

Ladas are tools, they get people to a to be and be easy to fix and cheap.

[@itsamemario333]

Kirsty Foster No.

[@alexeielizarov2329]

itsamemario333 Yes....

[@nixxxon18]

Kirsty Foster All cars are tools to transport you from A to B... and there are the crappy ones and the good ones.

[@PatoStereo]

british people don't be so proud your car industry is not the best in the world there is actually worst models than this lada

[@nixxxon18]

***** LOL

[@TomCro73]

Brilliant report - from the days when motoring journalism was driven by researched content, rather than gimmicks to amuse the peanut gallery!

[@donweigel6337]

Loved my Lada 1200 never let me down wish l still had it!

[@LeifDjurfeldt]

Its basic, but LOVE THIS WONDERFULL CAR!!

[@alikhanaltynbek8833]

The price for this new car in the USSR was about $1.5-$2. So, do you have anything similar for such a cost in gb? It was simple and very usefull car for mid class.

[@dimashevchenkoua]

actually, this (or any) car was very tricky to buy with huge waiting times in the USSR.

[@drewthompson7457]

I drove a Riva Estate Wagon for 10 yrs, until it rusted too much. Great car. I'd likely buy another if they were still imported here.

[@PK-nn3sx]

When I was a kid we learned to drive on these though mostly on 1200 (were cheaper/popular versions) as well as we learned how take them apart then put back together or fix up on the go, real deal.

[@AlejjSi]

What always fascinates me is, that they always spread shiton the east european cars like the Lada or Skoda. Yes, they were obsolete, but given the circumbstances in which they were produced, they weren't that bad. And they lasted, While the british had all the technlogoy in the world and what did they make? Marina? Allegro? Metro, that wasproduced for million years and came from the 80s? And while Skoda and Lada are now making modern and nice cars, british industry doesn!t exist...so who really did bad cars?

[@MihaiRUdeRO]

AlejjSi True but skoda only exists because it's owned and operated by VW. The same can be said about most surviving communist brands, Dacia is owned and operated by Renault for example. Lada however only survives because they're sold to 3rd world countries for dirt cheap, they're not good enough for Western markets.

[@AlejjSi]

Yes, but they were certainly good enough that the companies who bought them still run them. And where is Rover? Bought and abbandonned by BMW and then by the chinese. And I mean they're not the only ones: Peugeot and Citroen only survived by merging into PSA (and still face crisis again now), Nissan is owned by Renault, who is helped by the french govt, Mercedes is trying to save money by using Renaults's diesel engines and selling their Kangoo, or as whatever the name of the small Renault van is, with an MB badge and I could write and write and write...

[@MihaiRUdeRO]

AlejjSi Yeah the British motor industry is virtually non-existent. The surviving companies like Land Rover or Bentley are all foreign owned. All the other brands are dead, Triumph, Rover, MG etc.. I agree this presenter should not be so critical, all I was pointing out was that I don't believe Lada is in the same category as say Skoda or Dacia. Lada is the worst of all former communist brands.

[@AlejjSi]

Well, that's true. Lada always stayed alone, that's probably why.But in the 70's and 80's Lada was one of the best and fastest cars you could buy in the eastern bloc

[@MihaiRUdeRO]

***** Sure they're sold in Denmark, Sweden and Germany.. but does anybody buy them is the question ;)

[@kristiant96]

Lada is one of the most reliable cars you can get ... hell i still see quite a few of them in my country ...

[@Lionfish5656]

+Kristian Toshev, Where are you from? I'm assuming you're either from Russia, Byelorussia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan or Kazakhstan. As long as you can take car of the car properly, then yes, it is very reliable.

[@kristiant96]

Cody Crouse Bulgaria

[@chili_boi2537]

Same, but most Ladas I see have problems.

[@Mod-rw9cw]

My old boss had one of these in the 1980 s . He used to give me lift home from work on a Friday it was only 7 miles . It used to take 45 mins and hardly any traffic 🤷‍♂️😂

[@henryp4684]

Езжу на 2107 2002года выпуска, до сих пор гоняет бодро✌

[@olegoleg1838]

Me as a russian I feel that this guy for some reason has a lot of resentment towards Russia. This car is AWESOME for what it is, a true rear wheel retro car. I wonder if he drives some american heros of the past will he be so bitter.

[@moldprintsrl]

ive got Lada Niva 4x4 and a freelander just changed the Niva's clutch and rebuild the engine for 230 euros try and do that on landrover . I have to admit the comfort is better in a landrover but if u consider the price Lada wins anyway Niva is a real 4x4 which can compete with a lot more expansive off roaders

[@jaggass]

Niva's are very good off road.

[@MrLeeflemwell]

We had a Niva back in the late 80's. The transfer box fail. The price of new one was more that the car was worth and difficult to get hold of. 😒

[@Scalihoo]

It was the world's first mass-produced off-road vehicle with a unibody frame

[@AlexiaVon]

I have memories of my neighbour push starting his lada on cold mornings.

[@terzo8139]

you can say whatever you want but this was a great machine that has perfectly fulfilled the task that was given to it .

[@Lionfish5656]

PorKoshenko ukr president, You should see Top Gear Series 12, Episode 6. They also are extremely condescending, ethnocentric, unfair & retarded when if came to reviewing Eastern Bloc cars. That episode was a bullshit parody & they've a poor job "reviewing" & "testing" the car. Fuck Top Gear. I like BBC, but FUCK TOP GEAR!! I have a really good feeling that they treat Russian cars poorly just because they're Russian & they want to attract the Americans who are more familiar with Toyota than Russian cars like Lada for example.

[@peterl3417]

Exactly, if you were a family man in Russia and wanted to be able to visit relatives and not have to wait for parts for a week if your imported car's fuel filter gets clogged or idk it needs an injector, belt, or alternator, this was the most rational choice, while you saved money on a house or something more useful.

[@rick3914]

@@peterl3417 and not less Everybody was and already is able to repair it alone everywhere

[@darrenwilson8042]

For Christs sake which route did the all knowing Count Quentula take to Hull from the Midlands? Motorway all the way so I have no idea where the roadside caff and rural roads could be? Would the lack of navigation skills explain the fuel use?

[@billcobbett9259]

Going the pretty way makes for more interesting viewing.

[@SiPhillipson]

But Ladybower reservoir?! Having been up the M42?! Crazy.

[@redrock12]

in iraq we have this car in the 80s

[@Alex462047]

Compared to modern, extremely complicated shitboxes with expensive parts and a built-in service life of ~5 years, I will take a Lada, especially a classic, any day of the week. No, they are not the last word in comfort (especially for lofty characters like me), but a well-maintained example will start in any frost down to -30 without being preheated (I haven't experienced a frost cold enough that a preheated classic wouldn't start in it). A basic metric socket and spanner set is sufficient to carry out all non-capital repairs (with a 0.15 feeler gauge, a 10mm socket, 13mm and 17mm spanners you can complete engine valve adjustment in under 15 minutes), they are so eminently repairable that a chimpanzee could be set loose under the bonnet with positive results. Window winding handle replacements start at €0-67, an alternator can be bought and fitted for €20, cheaper if you fit it yourself, which requires only two spanners and about 15 minutes of your time. Sure, they rust, but everything rusts in winter conditions. The key is to treat all exposed areas with anti-corrosive oils and mixes once a year (I soak the door sill spaces in used engine oil and old transmission fluid with zinc added, the rest, including underside, with zinc added Movil [Мовиль]). For that level of care, they go almost forever.

[@Dalroi1]

My family had a number of Ladas. I had one, a Riva, and even a Polski Fiat. They're reliable, cheap motors, that cost nothing to insure. You could park them even in the roughest council estates and they wouldn't be broken into or stolen. They were so simple there was almost nothing to go wrong, never had any problems with ours. The only problem was the glue was rubbish, so the windows would drop down into the doors and not come up again via the winders. Easily fixes with some wooden chocks and a hammer to fix them in place ;-)

[@Dalroi1]

Considering the UK alternatives at the time were junkers like the Austin Allegro, the Morris Marina, the Triumph Dolomite etc, I was happy to buy a car that didn't pretend to be anything other than what it was, and would last a hell of a lot longer. No-one forced us to buy Ladas, but for the working man they were good value. It amuses me to think that the cars I owned probably ended up back in Russia again.

[@royc8587]

Ladas, nobody plays chicken with you when you are driving one of these,they avoid you like the Plague

[@Levermonkey]

I rather liked my Riva. He used all that fuel because he clearly got very very lost.

[@josephmullin5845]

For a car with a ruined gearbox that Lada drove effortlessly.

[@channelbizt]

I'd respect someone much more who buys and renovates a Lada, and drives it with pride coz it's an icon they've brought back to life, than some who buys a brand new Merc with nothing needing done and somehow thinks he's fucking James Bond!

[@channelbizt]

@G W I think you missed the point. Try again.

[@harambefanaccount6892]

I'd take a lada as a quirky weekend car. I wouldn't take it on the highway though. Couldn't be much worse than a British car of the period.

[@mandablyatskayapizdo]

I'm surprised the word hideous came out of this guys mouth.

[@autofox1744]

When I was shopping for my first car here in the US, I seriously looked at one of these that had been brought down from Canada, along with an '89 Peugeot 505 Turbo. Wound up with an '07 Hyundai Accent, sadly.

[@andrewkellers9275]

☺☺☺☺ I had a lada...brilliant car always worked Very reliable

[@plavins1]

lada is a bad car, no doubt about it, but they are still very popular in eastern europe and russia, and when you really tune it up, i mean good shocks, springs, tune the engine up, they are not half as bad as they say, here in Latvia many people drive them as a holiday car, most of them are restored and in great condition. But the reason why many of the classic ladas are still around is because they are rear wheel drive, and that is why most of the young guy buy them. besides i don' t know why he is saying that it does not have enough power, i have a 1.5 liter lada right now and it can spin tires in second gear no problem, my father had 1.3 liter lada it could go 160km/h with full car of people, with a 4 speed gearbox, the tachometer was probably at 5000 rpm or so.

[@vant4888]

If you are a masochist buy Lada if you are a sadist - sell one

[@christhjian9923]

Therealdeal is right. It's an ok for 1960s car.... But that's also the problem with them. Russia's car industry is so incredibly stagnant. Mine on the profile pic - the 06 (063 is the one on the pic) - was taken off from manufacturing in 2003 and the newer 2107 was finally abandoned in 2013! And they are in fact, complete stone age compared to a Ford Sierra for example But older models look good and I use this green one as a hobby car too. Riva family, i.e 2105 and 07 look terrible, both outside and inside. By the way 1.3 litre engine shows 3500 rpm when doing 90 km/h and 4600 rpm when doing 120. I happen to have one. Definitely cries for another gear with a faster gear ratio. Newer ones have 5-speed boxes too. 1,5 and 1,6 should be more reasonable engines as therealdeal said.

[@christhjian9923]

Christhjian And some tuning is always a good idea too. Another great thing about Ladas are that parts are incredibly cheap. Some examples I've got - clutch disc 20€, ignition lock 9€, new set of diods 10€ and so on.

[@valtralad1]

There not bad, there just basic

[@peturkristinsson9463]

ive got a lada 1500 with a 5.3 liter hemi in it and it makes a lot of noise cause i cut the firewall out to fit the engine and its greeeeaaat

[@FinflazodeTurroai]

Mmmm ... my car is thirty-five years old and still runs and makes the LADA look gorgeous ... and I love my car. They say love is blind ...

[@kbhasi]

I had been watching quite a bit of Garage 54, and had never known Lada offered their cars in right-hand drive until I saw this.

[@OleNesie]

I would love one of these things these days

[@AlainHubert]

This guy is probably dead by now from eating all that ultra greasy and disgusting breakfast @2:47. No wonder he felt sick soon after @3:25 sitting down in a car for hundreds of miles trying to digest that crap...lol ! Having a Lada is still better than having no car at all...barely. I should know, I had a used one back when I was a student, and was very glad to be able to afford it.

[@collinslfc]

+AlainHubert Quentin Wilson is still alive....

[@AlainHubert]

+Collins LFC Do you know about something called sarcasm ? Obviously not.

[@collinslfc]

AlainHubert I know what sarcasm is and I can inform you that: "This guy is probably dead by now from eating all that ultra greasy and disgusting breakfast" is not sarcasm.

[@AlainHubert]

+Collins LFC Sarcasm : the use of irony to mock or convey contempt. That's exactly what my comment was. Case closed.

[@collinslfc]

AlainHubert Hmmmmm....if you say so.

[@Kaavs]

Well, russians bought them back, because it was literally impossible to get spare parts for lada or any other cars in soviet union. All cars were expensive, and most of the time, if they broke down, you would have to fit parts from other cars, mostly different brand. Winter tyres? You were lucky if you managed to find spare tyres at all. There were no car services, and that was the main reason women rarely rode a car, just because they were not so proficient at fixing them if anything happened. And things happened a lot. So the "stone age" quote wasn't an overstatement, it was an understatement.....

[@seanie.k9865]

The fact that the thing still works is a testimony to its quality and good engineering. Dry your eyes and get a life.

[@snellingjam1]

Had an E reg one of these and to this day is the only car I bought, drove for a year and a half and sold for the same price as I paid for it!....it was a basic beast but it never let me down

[@briansteffmagnussen9078]

I have loved Lada since I was in diapers, and I still love the old cars of that era. I miss the days when cars were built solid and simple. The cars made today are cheaply produced, complex, and manufacturers fill them with foolish option which only has the function to break within a given time so the car's selling price to be loaded to the bills from auto repair shop. One fact is that Top Gear is an entertainment program that makes a show out just to entertain, Top Gear has nothing with the real world outside of television to do and I can not take Top Gear's attitudes to what is good and bad seriously in any way.

[@Lionfish5656]

I really don't like their "Has Communism produced a good car" episode either. I thought it was a poorly done show & was heavily biased against them. If I were shopping for my 1st car, I'd probably either get a Lada Zhiguli or a Lada Niva as my 1st car because of the quality of them, price, DIY friendly repair low maintenance costs, low running costs & beginner friendly driving atmosphere.

[@Lionfish5656]

+Brian steff magnussen, I understand that you don't like Top Gear's attitudes towards Russian/Soviet cars. Do I disagree w/them? Yes.

[@briansteffmagnussen9078]

Cody Crouse Top Gear will ctritcise anything no matter if it is a good car or a super good car as long they can make a joke that attracts viewer to the show. Furthermore Top Gear will ridicule other countries and their culture for the same reason. would you let Jeremy do a review on your car your wife or your country and culture ? Dont think so. That's why Top Gear are useless as a guideline for wich car that is good and wich car you should buy.

[@shai3691]

ah i love when my car reviews are biased by political views

[@Life_Is_A...]

1:45 What's the name of the music here? EDIT: smashing pumpkins - 1979.

[@mrnewton86]

Lada, Buy a Lada, Buy a Lada and get the engine free! Lada, Buy a Lada Buy a Lada, you'll go down in history! Driving, really really really fast, Watch out, for that a snail going past! Lada, Buy a Lada, Buy a Lada and get the engine free! (To the tune of the Flintstones)

[@jwserge]

Fuck that Top Gear! I'm the nice nice Lada - A little Bella Machina From the USSR And i just ignore your opinion I'm still young, nice windy lady Never decaying, And i will never be yours. I'm a free runner of the whole world

[@Zero_Ninety]

I'm not a religious man but if there is such a thing as hell, I imagine it would involve driving a Lada to Hull.

[@rjhtrucking5429]

Apparently it's 170 miles from Birmingham to the a1 /m18 junction and then the next part we see is driving over some viaduct. Funny route to hull

[@gregoryburgundy4857]

whats that song in the beginning? its been a while since i heard it.