All The Cars I’ve Ever Bought
Lada Riva
WHY DID YOU WANT ONE?
Being honest, this one was more about the journey than the car. I never really ‘got’ Lada Rivas, nor the love that so many people have for them. But back in 2005, I decided that if I was going to drive out to Chernobyl to mark the 20th anniversary of the nuclear disaster that changed the course of history, this was the only car to take there. After scouting around for Lada Rivas for sale in the classifieds and online, friend and colleague, Simon Goldsworthy, offered me his 1988 Riva 1200 for £200 on the proviso that I‘d do something ‘interesting’ with it. At the time, I wasn’t saying too much about the plan I had – but to take it on the 1600-mile journey to Chernobyl in the middle of winter probably ticked that box emphatically.
WAS IT A JOY – OR A NIGHTMARE – TO LIVE WITH?
It was actually brilliant given that it was a project bought to complete just one journey. Getting it ready for the drive to Ukraine in February involved servicing it and fixing the dodgy electrics. Servicing was a doddle, apart from the sheared radiator bleed nut, and as for the electrics – there weren’t much to them, but the issues were left buried in the fuse box. It also ran roughly and I never really got to the bottom of the reason why before setting off on this car’s final journey. Once underway, the electrics kept tripping, taking out one system or another, and as quickly as I fixed that, something else would go wrong further down the line. The rough running – misfiring and a loss of power – worsened the further we went; in the end, we staggered into Berlin, found an old-school Lada dealer and got them to re-build the distributor for us… all for €20. After that, it was a dream to live with.
WHAT’S YOUR ABIDING MEMORY OF IT?
This car was unstoppable as we drove east. We fitted winter tyres in Warsaw and witnessed first-hand just how effective these cars are in low temperatures once we hit the deep snow. Police curious to know why two idiotic Brits were driving this heap so far from home stopped us near Berlin – and again in Warsaw for driving where we shouldn’t have – but the law left us alone after that. The further east we drove, the colder it became and the more at home the Lada felt. My abiding memories are of driving it into Chernobyl after the madness of the long drive through Berlin, Warsaw and Kiev and experiencing the sheer remoteness of the exclusion zone, feeling like we were the last people on earth. It was hard not to feel emotional when we finally made it to the nuclear facility and were directed to the town of Pripyat close by. Getting back into our Lada really did feel like a homecoming after spending a few hours in the abandoned town. The trip culminated in a shot of the car and me metres away from Reactor 4, dosimeter buzzing and the smell of copper in the air. I was glad to leave.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR BUYING ONE?
These days, bagging a good Lada Riva generally involves being involved with the owners’ club or one of the many enthusiast groups out there because there aren’t many left. As you’d expect from a car that was bought on its low new price and then suffered horrendous depreciation, not too many survived the Nineties intact. But if you’re looking at one now, there’s surprisingly little you need to check because they are as tough as old boots. If the steering is sloppy, the box needs adjusting. The electrics were notably flaky when new, but chances are any Riva you’re looking at will have been sorted. It’s the same with the bodywork – notable rust traps, such as the inner sills, outriggers, jacking points and floorpans, are straightforward to fix – but on the whole, what you see is what you get with a Lada Riva.