The name, "Lada", apparently comes from a type of a small, fast sailing boat � once popular with river pirates � which is a common sight on the River Volga, near the city of Togliatti, which, in turn, the home of the Russian car manufacturer, AvtoVAZ. The Lada � in the form of the Lada Niva � first arrived in Britain as early as 1978, but it was not until 1983 that right-hand drive models started to arrive. Since that time, the Lada brand has become synonymous with economy cars, basic in design and performance, but, nevertheless, practical � at least, to a degree � and hugely affordable.

History of Lada
The Lada Niva was, in fact, the first car to be designed solely by AvtoVAZ designers, and its introduction in 1978 � with primarily off-road use in mind � proved highly popular. Following the success of the Niva, a new family of front wheel drive vehicles, the Samara series � although originally named "Sputnik" � was launched in 1984, featuring a new, overhead camshaft, engine design. The Samara range featured a new body shape, and interior design, rack and pinion steering, a 5-speed gearbox, and the combustion chambers in its engine were developed in collaboration with Porsche, no less. A 5-door, hatchback version was introduced in 1987, and 1.5 litre, 4-door sedan followed three years later. The Niva, too, continued to evolve, albeit subtly, throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Its 4-speed gearbox was replaced by a 5-speed model in 1986, and shortly afterwards, a special edition � with added extras, such as a sunroof � known as the Cossack was added to the range. A further facelift took place in 1995, when, in addition to some other minor improvements, the 1.6 litre engine was replaced with a newly designed 1.7 litre version, creating the Niva Hussar. Changes to legislation relating to vehicle safety, and exhaust emissions, together with a scarcity of spare parts, caused Lada to withdraw from the United Kingdom, and, indeed, most other Western European markets in the late 1990s, such that 1997 saw the last arrival of any of the Lada models on British shores.

Lada Models
The basic Lada Niva, and the later, special edition, Lada Cossack, both feature a 1.6 litre, 4-cylinder, petrol engine and a 5-speed, manual gearbox, equipped with additional low ratios for extra traction when the vehicle is used off-road. Both similarly feature a traditional carburettor, no catalytic converter, and no fuel injection. The end result, in both cases, is a vehicle that is well suited to being driven in rural, or semi-rural, areas, particularly in bad weather, but less so to being driven on the road. Performance on the road is, however, passable, although it does take some time for the engine to pick up, and handling is predictable, but slow. Common complaints levelled at the Lada Cossack include that the passenger cabin is very noisy, and that its build quality � in common with just about all Lada Models � is poor. Dashboard switches, especially the headlight switch, are prone to breakage, and the windscreen washer pump, and windscreen wiper motor, are other components that fail with monotonous regularity.

The Lada Hussar, on the other hand, features the later, 1.7 litre petrol engine � complete with single point fuel injection system, and catalytic converter � delivering 75bhp @ 5400 rpm. The dimensions, and height, of the Hussar mean that it is a useful tool for carrying large quantities of equipment, or materials, particularly so when road conditions are poor. If you do want to take advantage of the its full capacity, however, you will have to remove, rather than just fold down, the rear seat. Simply folding down the rear seat means that the driver, and passenger, seats cannot be adjusted fully, so that they become impractical for all but the shortest occupants. Like all Lada models, the availability of spare parts for the Hussar is a problem.

The Lada Samara features typical � and now, unfortunately, typically dated � European styling, from the 1980s, and is available in a choice of 1.1 litre, 1.3 litre and 1.5 litre petrol engines, in 3-door, or 5-door, hatchback, and saloon, models. The 1.1 litre model, however, has a reputation for being underpowered. The Samara also features a 5-speed gearbox, and front wheel drive, but its suspension, handling and electrical systems all leave something to be desired. There may also be problems with the levels of exhaust emissions when it comes to MOT testing.

Buying a Used Lada
Many jokes have been told about Lada, in one form or another, over the years, but Lada cars are essentially what they are � mechanically simple, with basic equipment levels � and if your budget is tight, they may appeal to you. One of the advantages of simplicity is that there is less to go wrong, but the condition, and future prospects, of a used Lada, will depend largely on its previous owner(s) and how they have used, and treated the car. Electrical problems are, perhaps, the most common fault in used Ladas, but driveshaft problems are not unknown, so, if you can arrange a test drive, drive the car around a corner in forward, and reverse, gears, to make sure that all is well.
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