The ( mostly ) American cars page

Lada 1200L 1989

Built in Soviet Union by
proletariat I bought this Soviet utility work machine in January '99 when I needed a car for commuting and wasn't able to find a suitable Chevy truck. The car had been serviced regularly and I didn't have any problems with it, so it was really cheap to upkeep. Furthermore, when you needed parts, they came almost for free. The low-compression engine started even without the block heater no matter how cold it was and the heater was very efficient. All and all, this culmination of eastern engineering sciences served its purpose well, although it had some little features you just had to get used to. The fuel consumption was quite high considering the bang the mighty 1,2 liter engine had to offer, and it also burned some oil, which according to the owners manual was quite normal to up to 1 liter per 1000 kilometers ( 1,7 qts per 1000 miles ). You really had to drive the car in order to keep it going to the right direction. The driving ergonomics were also highly uncomfortable and wind noise was loud.

Lada 1200L (VAZ 21013) 1989 Technical Information


Last modified on 07.10.02 (dd.mm.yy)