1983 Lada 2106 from UK and Ireland - Comments

Gearbox needed replacement at 48,754 miles.

Brakes became very weak at 45,000miles.

Radiator failed on me at 68,000 miles.

Heater broke down in 1991.

Screen wipers replaced at 69,000 miles.

Rust began to attack my car in 1991.

My head gasket blew in 1989.

New headlights at 80,000 miles.

New indicator lights at 85,000 miles.

Fuel gage stopped working in 1992.

Suspension unit failed in 1993.

Oil leaks in 1993.

This car is slow and I suggest it is not taken on the motorway as it struggles to go any faster than 75 mph.

The interior is fairly comfortable, but it is gloomy and the comfort is ruined by the poorly made suspension units which makes the ride jollity.

This car can be unreliable, but can be very cheap to fix if you go to scrap-yards to get parts. Also you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself.

It does not drink too much fuel helping to make up for all the shortcommings this car has.

The handling of this car is rubbish there is lot's of body roll and it is likely to tip over at high speed.

Steer clear of this brand made after 1992 as they struggle to pass smoke tests and the catalyst filter may be expensive to replace.

The purpose of the car is taken out of context.

It is slow, but it's only a small engine in relative terms pulling a very heavy (read solid) body.

Yes it has body roll, it is after all a very capable four wheel drive. To be good at it's intended purpose you need compliant suspension to give good wheel articulation over rough terrain.

Horses for courses as the saying goes.

The poster of the comment above mine,^^^^^^^

probably had the 2106 confused with the 2121, 'cause I've driven a couple of 2106s and they're not 4WD or for rough terrain (although compared to the cars in the USA the 2106 is an offroader).

This is a cheap 1983' car, what do you expect, 120mph? In my opinion it's a reliable, cheap and easy to fix, moderate speed, good acceleration, solid, moderate confort, moderate fuel expense, NICE Design and looks, easy to modifie.

If you want good performance from this car, firstly it has to be in perfect condition - the engine and the suspension parts, put an electronical ignition, good sparking plugs and 5 level gearbox. This will make the car less noisier, a little bit faster, economical, and is good for the preservation of the engine.

In general - I love this car!!! :)

2106 is the best sedan from VAZ factory. Next models are not so good (2105, 2107). LADA 2106 is abble to reach the speed of 120 mph only in case of small rebuilding. It has a natural engine (filled by the pressure of atmosphere) and engine tuning is easy. My first LADA 2106 has the folloving modification:

Redrilled engine (1.6 to almost 1.8), lowered motorhead, the old carburetor was replaced with 2 webers, tripple ignition, hich quality sparks, exhaust pipe (all of it, from the engine to the silencer) was replaced with a wider one made of stainless steel and polished from inside. The valve channels were polished too (more than 200 hours of hand polishing). The flying wheel has been replaced with a smaller and much lighter one (60 percent lighter approx.).

The result of this modification (which has been made by myself without need of big investments and with the help of few books) was a car old as I am, running 120+ mph. The engine was accelerating from 1200 to 9650 RPM in 250 miliseconds approx., the power of the engine was 220 PS approx.

I used this car to get familiar with the engines, to understand, how a natural petrol engine works and what it needs to work better. it was one nice hobby. I would buy this car for normal usage too. The consumption is pretty fair for me and total cost of ownership is literally cheap as air.

All LADAs has very specific rear drive system. If a person learns how to drive and safely handle LADA or FORD SIERA, he/her will never have any problems with handling any other car in the solar system.