i still service the "odd" one .you can get most new parts from Gee Motors Napier.still .I have a couple of factory books,i serviced quite a few for M.A.F .They were a swap for milk powder deal.or so we were told,a bit like Crafar farms for sweet F/A.Good luck with your project
tonyrockyhorror,
May 1, 8:50pm
Miranda_b. contact Keith at Scotties Rentals in New North Road, Auckland. He ran some Lada 2105s as rental cars in the early 90s.
miranda_b,
May 1, 10:32pm
Thank you, I will do that. :-)
floscey,
May 1, 10:52pm
get the one with twin tail pipes , then you can use it like a wheelbarrow.
thejazzpianoma,
May 2, 12:40am
If you give Katikati College a call I am pretty sure Lloyd Smith is the teacher who had one when I went to school. He still teaches there as far as I am aware and may even still have the Lada.
He was a nice guy and being a teacher will no doubt be very sympathetic to your cause. His Lada was quite legendary when I went to school. I even heard story's about him threatening to lock students in it as punishment.
Best of luck with your project.
elliehen,
May 2, 12:53am
I bought a Lada brand new in 1990.By the time I passed it on to a teenage son, I had unpicked the driver's door and propped up the failed window with a forked manuka stick, taped in place with duck tape.
I heard every Lada joke under the sun and was highly visible in my small community.When it was finally ready for the wreckers, someone bought it to race in a demolition derby.I kept the state-of-the-art Lada toolbox, complete with tyre-pressure gauge, tyre pump etc
It transported carloads of boys to basketball and cricket and is still asked-after with affection by them ;)
In Nelson during the 90s there were Russian sailors from visiting ships who would buy Ladas to ship back home.
nightboss,
May 2, 1:37am
Thanks for that link, loved that video.
Here is a version of that video for the ultimate Lada fan.
Easy to double a Lada's value, Just fill it with gas.
rsr72,
May 2, 4:15am
The Lada Niva a future collectible.
petermcg,
May 2, 4:40am
The lada cars that we had here were a copy of a Fiat, used the same tooling, body was the same. Some friends here had one from brand new.
woody1946,
May 2, 5:11am
The only problem there is the dreaded 4 letter word R-U-S-T
thejazzpianoma,
May 2, 5:41am
Yes the Fiat 124, although the car was extensively modified more so than just the engine.
Not sure if the legend is true but I heard that was the reason that Fiats of the 70's and 80's rusted so badly. Apparently Fiat did a deal for their old tooling and setting up a fancy factory in return for ongoing supply of cheap Russian steel. Apparently the Russian steel was particularly prone to rusting due to its makeup.
Again. not sure if this is a myth or not. Anecdotally I have noticed the Fiat steel of the era rusts very badly even when well painted/protected so there could be something in it.
nightboss,
May 2, 5:43am
I heard the rust problem was due to how they were delivered here. The Russian Navy did the job, as deck cargo on their submarines.
ladatrouble,
May 2, 5:52am
They rusted the same as any NZ assembled car of the time - very few pre 1987 NZ new cars left on the road, they all rusted away.
supernova2,
May 2, 7:43am
I dont think the Lada rusted as badly as the Fiat of the same age.There was a story going the rounds that a shipment of Fiats came out as deck Cargo and most of them got "Drowned" on the way.Then of course some Fiats were NZ assembled and the story attached to those was delays at the factory before painting.Was it "bad" steel!Nah don't think so, it was just the average steel of the day coupled with sloopy assembly.Remember the Sigma's that got the dup treatment at Todds but the doors didnt so the body survived but the doors dropped off!
moosie_21,
May 2, 8:40am
I work at the Museum here in HB, I will have a look in our archives for you since mantagsi mentioned it, but I wouldn't hold your breath! Will get back sometime this week.
miranda_b,
May 2, 9:19am
Thanks! Even if you turn up nothing, I really appreciate the help.
miranda_b,
May 2, 9:43am
Haha, the idea of naughty teenagers locked in a Lada. How sublimely evil.
I have a cousin who went to Katikati College and finished not too long ago - I'll have to ask her if she knows of this infamous Lada. Thanks for the tip!
rsr72,
May 2, 11:48am
Quite correct; it was the lousy quality Russian steel sent to Fiat in exchange for the tooling, engineering, licencing etc. in the days when Russia had no foreign exchange.
mohaka,
May 2, 12:15pm
Those Ladas go well with a fiat twin cam exchange,done a couple.At least didn't rust as bad as Fiats(alot of impurities in steel) and werestronger.There used to be an agency in Seaview,Lower Hutt,I know the guy who was involved in running it.
trogedon,
May 3, 4:47am
There used to be a Lada in Dunedin in the 80s with THIS IS NOT A RUSSIAN SLAVE MADE CAR painted on the sides of it. Used it for ???guilt trips??
jonieponie,
May 3, 8:57am
have heard of 4k toyota motors more or less bolying straight in to nivas, and makes them a lot more reliable, heard they are good 4wheel drives, being light and not as wide as other 4wds, still never be caught dead in one tho, just my opinion
richard112,
May 3, 8:59am
Difference between a Lada & a tampon! Lada doesn't come with it's own towrope. For advertisers: Country Calender was sponsored by Lada for a while, so TVNZ may be able to help. I know here on GBI there were more Ladas to the square metre than most places. Some came here new. Maybe an ad in the local rag could produce something. best of luck.
miranda_b,
May 3, 10:38am
Thanks, I wasn't aware they sponsored Country Calendar. It fits with the analysis I've made of the advertising examples I already have though. :) Thanks for the GBI tip too, I'm thinking I might have to take out ads in local rags to get the old folks who don't go on the Internet!
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