LADA SAMARA
(1987-1997)

BARGAIN BLOC BUYING

HISTORY
The Samara hit the UK late in 1987 and imports ceased in 1997, following the company’s inability to adapt the engines to strict new exhaust emission regulations. There was a plethora of models over the years but the basic design remained the same.

It should be pointed out that the Samara bears no relation to long-obsolete Fiats, unlike many other former Eastern Bloc cars, including Lada’s own Riva. When launched, it boasted a standard five-speed gearbox, a modern 1.3-litre engine and a front-wheel drive chassis with a three-door hatch bodyshell. The engine was then developed into two other versions – a 1.5 and a 1.1. The latter is really too small however, for the weight of the car.

The five-door hatches and saloons came later and were available until the end in 1997 with both 1.1 and 1.3-litre engines, though the last cars were base and S trim levels. New Ladas are apparently being designed and built in the former USSR and there is a thriving trade in exporting old UK examples back to their homeland!

WHAT YOU GET 
A luxury-liner it isn't, though all cars come with carpets, cloth upholstery and a rear wash/wipe. A powerful heater is far more important to motorists in Minsk than air conditioning or a CD autochanger, remember. So, it’s a basic car, but all the essentials are there. Just don't expect to jump out of a small Japanese car and into a Samara without a moment of shock.

Interiors and seat upholstery, in particular, are hard-wearing but so must their occupants' posteriors be. Lada rear seats are well known for their ruggedness (like their home-market drivers). Conversely, the front seats are generally far too soft! As for the rest of the interior, there's very little in the way of gadgetry to go wrong and the dash is functional with a capital F, if unremarkable for any other reason.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR 
The build quality of the cars is usually fine, though there have been stories about dodgy panel-fit and poor paintwork in circulation over the years. The newer cars were certainly well built and solid.

Early cars may leak in heavy rain so check the carpets for signs of staining, as well as any tell-tale corrosion bubbles at the base of the windscreen, where water is most likely to have dribbled in.

Mechanically, you shouldn't have much trouble. The engines are fairly bullet-proof, if crude. Idling is known to be lumpy, so don't be concerned at the sight of the motor bouncing around a little on the mounts when cold. Chances are, it'll have you damp-eyed, remembering your old Morris Minor or Cortina from way back when Ladas were foreign and exotic.