28th Sep 2005, 09:15

You know, a target shooter who fails to score high points, should not always blame his weapon- claiming IT is always the problem for poor results. From what you write, I think you may be contributing to some of the problems with your Lada. For example: How do you wear out two sets of disc pads in such a short period of time, unless you slam on the brakes heavily and often, and/or you rest your foot on the brake pedal whilst you drive. Poor driving technique, such as fast and hard cornering, will also wear out front tyres quite rapidly. The vibration in the steering at higher speeds is not a mystery- it simply means you need to have the front wheels electronically balanced. Front tyres that are not balanced, will also suffer excessive wear. So don`t be too harsh on the Lada,- maybe it`s not ALL it`s fault!

29th Nov 2005, 07:22

Hmmm... Not too sure that the comments made against the reviewer are so fair!

They are obviously quite a fan of Ladas if this is their 6th, so I expect they are pretty able to judge the poor quality of their current car.

As for leaving feet on brake pedals while driving?!! Not a driving quirk that I'm familiar with unless I'm trying to stop. I haven't perfected my left foot braking yet. Maybe the discs wore?

So some valid comments that some more detail was probably needed, but I also guess the reviewer's first language isn't English?

Anyway, I reckon from that review that I wouldn't rush out to look for that particular model, built on a Friday or not!

30th Nov 2005, 06:03

OK, of course I agree that increased usage will wear brakes more quickly. Engine braking and smoother driving is good technique. But brakes are there to be used and that wear rate seems too high.

Sorry, when I said wore I meant warped - mistake when editing the post.

I still reckon the reviewer knows their Ladas quite well and their comments should be accepted. I've had many cheap cars which have required a lot less attention than that mentioned. He maybe just got a lemon - it happens with any brand, of course.

I value these reviews because they do give a pretty good idea of what cars are probably worth avoiding. I wouldn't really do that on the strength of a single review of course. And to be fair, the comments on Ladas are generally pretty positive. In fact I'm considering a Niva as a winter beater for when my Honda S2000 can't hack the bad weather!

1st Dec 2005, 00:25

Thanks for your reply. I think we`ve succeeded in eliminating whatever confusion we both had, most amicably- and that`s really good. Enjoy your Honda S2000- they ARE a great car- my wife owns an immaculate Honda Accord VTis, and she absolutely loves it! And I certainly agree that a well-looked after Niva would be a great winter beater. Cheers.

12th Jan 2006, 14:08

As a owner of 112 model, which is similar to 111, I want to confirm some commentaries from the author of original survey.

Here in Russia it is very well known problem of vibrations on front axle on speed around 100km/h. Some drivers cure that by changing brake disks (not pads), some are blaming bad serial tires, but anyway it is not caused by wheel unbalancing.

Probably the problem is the low quality of brake disks for that model (especially when disks are heating) which lead to surface deformation and wrong geometry.

As for the rain water on front seats it is actually a problem if the driver lowered side windows even slightly. Dmitry, Moscow.

6th Aug 2008, 00:37

I live in the US and I have always liked foreign cars. I always thought that Lada's were interesting looking. As for brake wear, it's pretty evident on my Jeep Cherokee XJ because I can watch the brake dust accumulate on my front rims, :-0.

15th Sep 2008, 03:33

I think Ladas are very good cars. Not only inexpensive, but thoroughly reliable. Those who criticise the car, have obviously never owned one. Avtovaz produce over 750,000 Ladas every year, and the vast majority of owners are more than satisfied with their purchases. Read some of the comments on the various Lada models in this survey, and you will find that most of them are very positive.

17th Apr 2010, 06:54

Old Ladas were very reliable, like the 2105 I used to own. Newer models suffer of poor quality that that leads to many problems. That's the reason why I didn't buy the newer models.

23rd Feb 2012, 03:40

I had a Lada 2104 in the 80s, which had only 3000 km on the clock when I bought it (that is not much for me), and it was in an excellent condition. It had a lot of space, and provided good heat in the Swedish winter. But soon the problems started to appear.

The boot lid wouldn't stay open, the headlight went out all by itself when I was driving on the highway in the dark, and the engine started to stutter when cruising at constant speed - but only when I was alone in the car. Mysteriously enough, it ran smooth if I had a passenger or a heavy load.

To fix the boot lid, I had to buy dampers at Volvo, which fortunately were the same size. I had no problems with the lid after that.

The problem with the vanishing headlight was never solved.

Neither was the stuttering engine, even though the Lada dealer replaced the carburettor for a new one. This didn't help, and they had to give up. They said: "We can't fix this problem." That's when I sold the car, and I have never bought a Lada since.

In spite of this, I liked the car. It was sturdy and pleasant to drive (when the engine didn't stutter, that is), and it was practical when you wanted to bring a lot of stuff along. It was cheap too. Too bad I couldn't get it to work properly.

DiMaz.

31st Jul 2021, 13:21

A Lada is not a luxury car. It is a simple car. The problem is that newer models tried to be more luxurious. Older cars were more reliable, but a little rude. I own one, a Vaz 2105, and I am satisfied. It keeps me moving around with some minor faults, but I don't suggest a new inexperienced driver to go and buy it.