1981 Lada 1200 Estate review from UK and Ireland

Not much really - timing chain pad wore out and rattled - easy job to replace, and the clutch went at 50000 miles just before I sold it.

Bodywork was corroding around the rear arches and at the front of the door sills.

Very uncomfortable car with poor performance from a rough, thrashy engine. Awful seats and a bouncy ride. Long journeys were definitely not its forte.

As a local hackabout, though, it was quite good fun. There's nothing like owning a cheap car you really don't care about - leave it anywhere, thrash it to within an inch of its life with impunity (fairly necessary to maintain even modest progress), and generally use and abuse it. It was surprisingly reliable - always started, only broke down once when the clutch failed.

Fuel consumption not great - 30 mpg at best. Handling best described as 1950s - vague steering, roly-poly cornering and poor grip. Quite a laugh to drive in the snow.

It had to go when I had more long distance journeys to make, and the best bit was selling it for £20 more than I bought it.

Not in my all time list of favourite cars, but I had a grudging respect for it.