Driving around in a Lada

We bought a Lada when we moved to Ukraine, they were cheaper, and Garry thought it would make us blend in better. However none of the locals can figure out why we would drive a Lada. The first year living here, when we were following Canadian friends, driving their old Lada Niva, we were stopped in a police check. At the time Garry was not as proficient in Russian as he is now, and our friend told us that the police wanted to know why foreigners were driving Ladas, when everyone knows imported cars are better. Victor said he explains it like this-

 "You want to drive a foreign car? So do they!"

see that shiny blue car? That is the new model Lada universal the 2171 I think 

An older model Lada Niva -now these are shine Chevy branded SUVs

Yes it was a 2171, they have changed the back lights on the new model

I wonder why? we have replaced that piece twice on ours!

Classic Lada following a hatchback model- they look a little like a Pinto

Two Ladas, a classic blue and the gray car is the Lada sedan 110- same model batch as our 111

The Samara, one of the hatchback versions made by Lada, is driven by many people in our village popular for the more powerful engine than the classics, Garry says when he went to China they were all over as taxis

 The old Lada Universal our one hundred eleven descended from is below, Lada's version of a station wagon, we where told the name means that you can fit the whole universe in the back, there are many on the road, popular for bringing stuff to the market, you can pack many banana boxes inside. Recycled banana boxes are used for everything that doesn't go in a bag.

Yellowish Universal on the highway  to Zaporosia

and a blue one parked near Mc Donald's in Zap

a what's that? moment- note the handicapped sticker in the back window

 

New paint jobs tend to be in bright colors

Every parking lot has at least one classic in

Classic Lada check out the upholstery

 

And not a Lada - this is a Volga, what the Soviet higher-ups drove

New model Lada with Russian plates- it was hot, maybe the new ones don't have A/C either?

It's the only thing we'd change about ours every summer, if they only could put one in...

 

You have to love a motorcycle with a sidecar- even if it's not a Lada!

I think this is a Moskvich  (Lada's old competition)-in very nice shape

see the taxi parked in the middle of the marshutka vans? Pretty sure that's a Lada!