Long-lasting Lada
Published:Sunday | November 13, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Mel Cooke, Sunday Gleaner Writer
With just over 33,000 miles on the clock, Beresford Hay has driven his 22-year-old Lada 2107 sedan, bought new in 1989, an average of about 1,500 miles a year. The farthest Hay has driven it out of Kingston is to the old capital, Spanish Town. And that was not very often.
It seems to be in superb condition, inside and out, and the last professional inspection confirms the layman's first impression. It reads in part "the vehicle is in remarkably good condition for its age. It has low mileage and it runs well". In the section for 'Recommendations for Improvement to Ensure Roadworthiness' there is one word: None.
The analogue clock in the car still works, as does the original radio with a brand that now seems very strange - Advok.
When Hay reverses the car out of the garage for Automotives to have a closer look, there are no squeaks or rattles. Neither are there any when he opens the doors. And Hay says that, of all the cars he has owned - a trio of VW Beetles, a Rover, Mercedes-Benz and Vauxhall - it has given him the least trouble. "As far as I am concerned, it is the ideal car. It has given me less trouble than all of them put together," he said. Still, Hay concedes that the Lada has got more of the kid-glove treatment than the other cars he has owned.
"This car has been petted. Compared to the other cars, it has had a very good life," Hay said. He still has the Rover.
There was a time in Jamaica when the Lada was one of few new cars available and became a symbol of the country's connection with the then USSR. In addition to the sedan and station wagon, there was also the Niva van. A memorable advertisement encouraged the potential customer "You can rely on a Lada". Up to the early 2000s, the Lada was very popular for taxi use in Montego Bay.
The brand is manufactured by AvtoVAZ in Russia. The 2107 had a remarkable run in the movie The Bourne Ultimatum, driven by Matt Damon in an extended chase scene against much newer automobiles, including a Mercedes-Benz SUV.
Practical, functional
Hay's Lada 2107 was bought from Motor Sales in a deal between staff members at the University of the West Indies and the Government, resulting from salary negotiations. While most people bought Suzukis, Hay went for the Lada. "It looked so practical and functional."
However, he did not expect the colour car he got. "When I ordered, I told them 'any colour except for red'. They must have thought I said red," he said, laughing.
He shows Automotives a tyre tube with writing in Russian and a tool bag that came after he bought the car.
"Someone tipped me off and said you have to ask for it. It took me about six months to get it," he said.
Hay still has the manual which came with the car.
As it is not driven much, the Lada does not require frequent servicing. Hay said the last full service "would have been about two years ago. In that time, I have not done more than 1,000 miles. I have a mechanic. When he gets it, he does every little thing".
The light-brown upholstery is in remarkably good condition as well and Hay said, "for a few years, I had a cover over the seat, but that did not last". Going mostly solo does not hurt the interior condition.
"Sometimes, for months, I am the only person who travels in that car," he said.
The Lada has something that the majority of new cars do not come with now - standard transmission, the long gearstick placed closer to the dashboard than in other make cars. And it does not have something which is standard on cars now - air-conditioning.
Naturally, the Lada piques interest wherever Hay drives it to, and Automotives asks if he has purchase offers.
"Oh Lord! Every day! 'Yu a sell it?'" Hay said. "I tell them you have to line up behind about 200 people."