I never knew if the jokes were just cold war propaganda or entrenched in some kind of reality. The design of the Lada definitely went back some way. But for his needs it wasn't a bad car.

My dad tinkered with cars and did everything himself. Maybe from a consumer point of view the car wasn't great, but then judging by the comprehensiveness of the toolkit that came with the car it perhaps wasn't aimed at the average consumer.

I have since heard from other sources that the electrics could vary between perfect and terrible in Ladas, and that the bodies could be prone to rust. But both things were not uncommon with more mainstream cars of the time. I think the main problem my dad had was getting hold of parts in the UK.

> Another joke from that time "Why do Lada's have heated rear windscreens? To keep your hands warm while you're pushing them"

I remember many of those jokes being interchangeable with Lada and Skoda. Incidentally, my dad's next car was a Skoda Favorit. I'm not sure the jokes were really relevant there.

It is quite interesting how Skoda now enjoys one of the better reputations of brands under the VW group.