Ah, the true banger.

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Sun 28 Jun 2020 00:13
Ah, the true banger. - SLO76
I remember fondly wandering through the old trade yard at my work sniffing round all the old rot buckets (or cars with character as I called them) which came and went daily. I loved taking in and selling cheap cars, I liked the sort of people who bought them. They were more often than not car people and wise to the utter waste of money the things are. Good conversation was had and an easy sale done if the car was reasonable plus you knew they weren’t coming back to haunt you in most cases. I’d refuse to sell to anyone I regarded as unrealistic.

In those days (late 90’s) cars a decade or so old were rusty and aged. Buying one was a gamble, a bit of fun. You could be lucky or you could expire in a cloud of steam the next day, every journey was an adventure and they did all look like a true banger with crusty arches and wonky electrics. It was also an eye opener how fast things had moved with 1994 Mondeo’s, Rover R8’s seemingly a light year beyond an 1984 Sierra, Montego or Cavalier. I don’t think things have moved as quickly today with cars dating circa 2010 still pretty modern.

We often sold end of life cars to Glaswegians heading to Blackpool on holiday. All they cared about was did I think it would make it. At £300 if it lasted a week they were happy, they’d get £50-£100 scrapping it when (or if) they returned. It was a wee adventure holiday.

Today it’s not so much fun. I’ve several old cars in the family and among friends which are solid, don’t look their age and provide utterly reliable transport. Brother in laws 19yr old Civic is the best example. It’s largely rust free, cost £550 about 3yrs ago and never goes wrong. It would sell for £500 easy enough today.

I remember the true motoring horrors of old Lada’s, Yugo’s and early Hyundai’s all thanks to the Proton franchise we had alongside our Mitsubishi dealership. Folks today have no idea what a genuinely bad car is. Why anyone bought an FSO Polonez I’ve no idea. Awful doesn’t cut it.

I miss the truly awful cars, the bangers and the just downright bad. Today selling cars is easy, it’s all down to finance. Cars are all generally good so buy what you like but real talent came from flogging a 6yr old Montego estate that had been resprayed twice to hide the rot and the best finance available was 20% APR plus. An old Lada with holes in the wings was a challenge even at £300 and it was a nightmare trying to convince someone behind the wheel of an early Kia or Hyundai which were all horrid to drive.

I’ve an unhealthy fondness for awful cars. The sort no one wants. On that note, anyone got a Proton Persona they fancy selling?
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Sun 28 Jun 2020 00:23
Ah, the true banger. - Jamie3141

What has happened to Ladas over here? As a fan of many things Russian, I really enjoy the look of the old Nivas and Rivas (of the 1970s), etc. Have they all been scrapped?

The only ones left are extortionately priced even when they're blatantly absolute garbage. There are a few very well-kept examples, obviously restored by lovers of Soviet/Russian stuff.

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Sun 28 Jun 2020 00:32
Ah, the true banger. - SLO76
I had a contact who worked on a container ship who bought every Lada we took in and for good money too. It was fired in a container (paperwork was binned) and off back to Russia it went. They wanted Rivas and Nivas of all conditions but the Samara was of little interest, they’d take one of cheap enough alongside one of the former. I was quite impressed by how not too rubbish the Samar’s was to drive especially the comparatively sweet running later 1100’s which were cheap enough to almost make sense new.

We took a fair number in as the previous Lada dealer was also the Proton dealer and after they went bust we took the latter on and it was a sensible upgrade for your typical Lada owner to buy a used Proton which was actually a pretty decent thing, if you excluded the poverty spec 1.3 GE MPI with plastic seats and one wing mirror. It was luxury compared to any Lada. But to answer the question, they all went back home to Russia. Today they mostly build rebadged old Renault’s similar to Dacia and are unlikely to return here thanks to the Romanian firms position.

Edited by SLO76 on 28/06/2020 at 00:33

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Sun 28 Jun 2020 00:35
Ah, the true banger. - Jamie3141

That's a shame! Demand is now much higher than supply will ever be. It looks like there were attempts to reintroduce the Lada Niva ca. 2010, but it wasn't fruitful. The price new was £10,000. The only engine option available was a 1.7L petrol and it was based on a 30 year old design.

(web.archive.org/web/20101124090716/http://www.fwi....m)

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Sun 28 Jun 2020 00:39
Ah, the true banger. - SLO76

Had it been right hand drive it might have found a market but no one wants lhd. I was pleasantly surprised when I drove my first Niva, it was a far better car than the equivalent Suzuki SJ or even the Land Rover Defender.

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Sun 28 Jun 2020 06:39
Ah, the true banger. - _

My niece had a Yugo in 1989 ish and it was terrible. In the end she abandoned it on the garage forecourt and invited them to take her to court.

SLO, you might like to read this

www.librarypoint.org/blogs/post/the-yugo/

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Sun 28 Jun 2020 09:18
Ah, the true banger. - Trilogy.

About 10 years ago a friend's girlfriend wanted a very cheap car. He found her a Proton 1.5 saloon for £50. It lasted her for two years.

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Sun 28 Jun 2020 09:44
Ah, the true banger. - bathtub tom
it was a nightmare trying to convince someone behind the wheel of an early Kia or Hyundai which were all horrid to drive.

Around ten years ago I bought a Kia Pride for fifty quid. It had exceptionally soft springs and very lightly damped suspension. It rolled and wallowed, making it feel like a much larger car and surprisingly comfortable. Of course it wouldn't go round corners any quicker than a 2CV. Found out they were actually Mazda 121s (and also badged Ford Festivas), always built under licence by Kia until Ford and Mazda sold the rights to Kia.

It was remarkably competitive off road, giving me much fun (and a few awards) on grass autotests and trials. It was used almost daily on local journeys. I ran it for six years and got £300 when I flogged it.

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Sun 28 Jun 2020 19:37
Ah, the true banger. - argybargy

Worst car I ever test drove was a Yugo which someone had treated to a totally inappropriate makeover. Think "Sherman tank with a body kit" and you've got the picture. I'm not generally uncomplimentary to a seller when I try out a car, but on that occasion I turned to the garage mechanic who had accompanied me on the test drive and just said, "Its awful". And it was.

On the other hand, a friend of mine who ran a washing machine repair business had a Lada estate, circa 1980 vintage. He heaved white goods in and out of this thing all day long, gave it scant TLC but it lasted him for years. Horrible to drive like my Yugo, but as practical as they come.

Another chap I knew was having a bad time financially and bought a Moskvich as a stop gap. Rather than try to sell it once his finances improved, he left it unlocked in a council car park in a notoriously crime ridden area, hoping to claim on the insurance. Sadly, even the local thieves wouldn't touch the ugly lump of Soviet metal, apart from removing a wing mirror in desperation.

Edited by argybargy on 28/06/2020 at 19:51

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Mon 29 Jun 2020 08:15
Ah, the true banger. - nellyjak

Wartburg Knight anyone..??

A neighbour of some years ago had one and happily disappeared each morning in his own personal plume of blue smoke....I recall he had it for some years however.

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Mon 29 Jun 2020 08:18
Ah, the true banger. - badbusdriver

What has happened to Ladas over here? As a fan of many things Russian, I really enjoy the look of the old Nivas and Rivas (of the 1970s), etc. Have they all been scrapped?

The only ones left are extortionately priced even when they're blatantly absolute garbage. There are a few very well-kept examples, obviously restored by lovers of Soviet/Russian stuff.

You don't actually need to go that far for a reasonable supply of old Lada's. Seems to be plenty in Germany. And while there are a lot of, shall we say, optimistically priced ones, there are decent looking examples at a more realistic price point*. I have looked at them plenty of a couple of websites, Mobile.de (which is just vehicles for sale in Germany) and theparking-cars.co.uk (which is worldwide).

Never liked the Riva myself, but i like the older saloons and love the Niva (which is still available new, in Germany amongst other places).

As for my own 'banger' experiences, well i had a Lada 1600 saloon which cost £30, an Opel ascona which cost £180, a Saab 99 which cost £200, a Saab 900 which cost £250, a Ford Fiesta 1.6d which cost £250, a VW Polo saloon which cost £350 and another Saab 900 which cost £200.

*I was looking at this one just last night!

suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=3021910...6

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Thu 27 May 2021 22:27
Ah, the true banger. - Metchy

My first car was an 07 Proton Gen2, bought off a friend for £300 in 2017.

I'm only just thinking I'm going to have to sell it and I'm gutted. The engine has started stalling when putting the clutch down after braking from 30+mph, (either to change gear or come to a stop). Often there is a hill involved when this happens.

The revs drop and while the clutch would usually stop the revs dropping and bounce them back up, sometimes it doesnt and thats when it stalls.

The engine light has been on for at least 2 years - internal speed sensor is what the diagnostic points to. A couple of garages told me it wouldnt be an issue, and it wasn't until last summer when the stalling started. I got the part replaced and it was ok for 6 months, but the light has come back on and now it has stalled again.

I hope this description makes sense, I'm not especially knowledgeable about cars. I'd never heard of a Proton until I started taking the p*** out of my friend for having one, little did I know I'd end up driving it! It's been a great first car - certainly a bit of a banger, quite sporty looking, and also a hilariously random make. I always end up having a laugh with the garages when they see what I'm driving. People think I'm some sort of collector or something haha.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm hoping for by replying here - I guess if anyone reads it I hope they find it amusing or nostalgic, as that seems to be the gist of this thread.

If anyone has any ideas for what might be the issue (considering it has recurred with a new part) that would be cool. TBH I'm thinking its the end game for the car.

Also if the OP is still looking to buy one let me know! If not I wonder if anyone knows if there's any point me trying to find a buyer, or if its destined for scrap?

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Fri 28 May 2021 06:09
Ah, the true banger. - edlithgow

I'm quite likely to be back in Brexitistan if next semester is online only (which I can't really do, and don't much want to.)

Sounds like my kind of car.

Maybe a bit modern though.

Edited by edlithgow on 28/05/2021 at 08:04

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Fri 28 May 2021 08:50
Ah, the true banger. - Steveieb
One of my work colleagues drove a Moskvich home from Moscow at the end of his posting. He told us about the solid Russian engineering and 19 piece tool kit but had to eat his words when the car caught alight when left on the car park.
What UK consumers didn't realise was that all export cars were checked over and repaired before being shipped to Uk importers Satra Motors in Bridlington. Foreign buyers in Moscow were allowed to go to a compound and choose a car which had everything working and this often took all morning.

I spoke to a Lada dealer and he said that Satra Motors were brilliant to deal with and never turned down a warranty request.

An early Which report identified leaking brake unions and sloppy steering joints on the Moskvich whih had to be repaired at the dealers before sale.
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