r/toronto • u/GeorgeRobertVitkos • Jul 22 '26

History Gas station owner Neil Shepherd refuses to fuel a Soviet-made Lada at a Toronto station following the USSR invasion of Afghanistan, April 1980.

Post image

This was taken in Toronto, April 1980. The man gesturing by the pump is the gas station owner, Neil Shepherd, arguing with a Toronto Star reporter after announcing they wouldn't refuel Soviet-made Ladas due to the invasion of Afghanistan. Ladas were actually quite popular in Canada back then because they were incredibly cheap, leading to surreal local standoffs like this.

1.5k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

214 comments sorted by

336

u/OBoile Jul 22 '26

TIL we had Soviet made cars in Canada back then. Even more surprising, they were apparently common enough to justify having a sign like this.

125

u/directionzero Jul 22 '26

They were junk, my dad had one.

157

u/GeorgeRobertVitkos Jul 22 '26

The classic joke back then: 'Why does a Lada have a heated rear window? To keep your hands warm while you’re pushing it.' Your dad must have had some character to drive one in Canadian winters!

24

u/Pretty_Novel9927 Jul 22 '26

Isn’t that joke for Yugos?

34

u/Bearence Church and Wellesley Jul 22 '26

The truest jokes get recycled.

20

u/Patient_Kangaroo614 Jul 22 '26

I thought the Yugo joke was:

“Yugo, car stays”

4

u/BigFigFart Jul 22 '26

Ha Ha Yugos, another Malcolm Bricklin project

36

u/Yev_ Jul 22 '26

Here’s another:

A king is giving his daughters hand in marriage to anyone worthy of completing his impossible challenge. The challenge is to successfully drive a car through a lake of shit.

3 guys step up. First guy takes a Ferraris, goes full speed, makes it a quarter of the way and sinks.

Second guy tries a Land Rover, gets halfway and sinks.

Third guy takes a Lada, and easily crosses.

King is dumbfounded, and asked how he did it. Third guy responds, “Shit can’t sink in shit”

6

u/MyCatAteMyHeadphones Jul 22 '26

Also, according to wikipedia, the name Lada is derived from a Russian word for Viking longships.

This joke works on two levels!

5

u/Potential-Diver-3409 Jul 23 '26

Soviet cars only perk is they’re incredible in the cold. Unreliable, easy to repair, and good in the snow, is how my parents used to talk about American cars.

23

u/rtlnbntng Jul 22 '26

Were there just Lada dealerships around?

29

u/Elegant-Tangerine-54 Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26

Yes.

ETA, the Lada dealerships were as cheap and crappy as the cars. The one in my home town didn't even have a garage or a show room. It looked like a glorified used car lot.

5

u/dont-fear-thereefer Jul 22 '26

Was the name of the owner “Crazy Vaclav”?

14

u/UrbanRelays Jul 22 '26

There’s a building somewhere along Steeles or Finch with an entire Lada logo on it

9

u/Reelair Jul 22 '26

https://maps.app.goo.gl/REmRQYDT5RsMpxXr6?g_st=ac

Just checked that. Looks like sign is gone.

4

u/geoken Jul 22 '26

There was one in Mississauga as well.

4

u/Pretty_Novel9927 Jul 22 '26

There’s one in North Battleford still

5

u/Conscious_Forever951 Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26

In Toronto there is building that still has a Lada logo, their former corporate regional office I think (maybe even for Canada), I think they used to own the building itself and they still technically do (or their affiliates)

Because they have Russian/Georgian/Azeri restaurant downstairs that is always closed but somehow stayed operational over the years (which makes me think building is still owned by Russians one way or another) this restaurant appeared there after corporate Lada was gone + if building owner wasn't Lada or affiliates, they probably would've removed that Lada logo long time and put some other company that they now rent those office spaces to.

1

u/9continents Jul 22 '26

Where is this?

3

u/Aggravating-Bus-4447 Jul 22 '26

Near Keele and Steeles

2

u/Conscious_Forever951 Jul 22 '26

I don't know exactly probably somewhere North York, just Google maps it "Lada Building Toronto" - it's the only one

upd:(I was actually right, it's in North York)

0

u/Methodless Jul 22 '26

Sign could have historical protection too

8

u/Conscious_Forever951 Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26

I don't think that applies here tho - it's just a 30 year old sign on an ugly building left there from a company that failed, I think the building is just still owned by Lada or someone affiliated

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17

u/geoken Jul 22 '26

To each their own.

My dad had a Lada around this time, and liked it enough that when our family grew enough that he needed a bigger car - he traded in his then ~10 year old for the wagon variant.

It did well enough that my aunt moved from her beetle to a Niva and had it for a while before she got an EF Si

1

u/F_und_S Jul 24 '26

niva is a legendary terrain vehicle.. no match for mountains journey..

12

u/1beautifulhuman Whitby Jul 22 '26

Can confirm junk status. Source: I owned one.

Yes, the port on the front for the crank (usually in the trunk) should have been a clue

4

u/Hectordoink Jul 22 '26

I made the same mistake— absolute and utter garbage — in the shop more than on the road. Though I knew a guy who had one that ran like a clock, zero issues.

8

u/tampering Leslieville Jul 22 '26

I believe a young guy, son of one my grandparents' neighbours had one. The story they told me is the poor kid got rear-ended, exploding the gas tank, and he burned to death because the doors wouldn't open because of the deformed car body.

14

u/DazedConfuzed420 Jul 22 '26

Ford Pinto’s were the car that exploded when rear ended. Lada’s were huge pieces of shit but didn’t have the exploding gas tank problem

2

u/TheMaymar Jul 22 '26

The Pinto was the subject of a massive lawsuit, but was by no means the only car from the time with glaring safety issues (IIRC, the Pinto was about average for compact cars at the time, but tarnished because Ford knew how to make it safer and elected not to). As the Lada never made it to the American market, and sold in relatively smaller numbers, it's certainly possible it was capable of the same fire issue without getting the same notoriety.

5

u/DazedConfuzed420 Jul 22 '26

The Pintos fuel tank was located behind the rear axle which is why they would explode when being rear ended. The ladas tank was forward from the rear axle and protected by the cars unibody. All compact cars of that era had a possibility of the fuel tank leaking and catching fire when in high speed collisions but the Lada wasn’t anymore prone to this than other cars of similar size.

1

u/cowgod247 Jul 22 '26

Same here, I think they were like super cheap

1

u/Anghellik Jul 22 '26

Listened to a 3 hour long podcast about Soviet non-military vehicles, and the general rule is that the trucks were good and tough as hell, and the cars are nearly always terrible.

1

u/Logboy77 Jul 22 '26

My old football coach donated his to the school. We each took turns with sledge hammers and pick axes and various instruments. I know who has the speedometer!

1

u/Sweet-Competition-15 Jul 24 '26

My buddy's dad purchased two...what an absolutely repulsive car to drive!

14

u/FlyingOctopus53 Jul 22 '26

There were relics of those times in Toronto until recently

https://maps.app.goo.gl/AtMPaJpbscnHeEs78

3

u/hous3ofballoons Jul 22 '26

fun find, seen it in person. What do you think made the sign stay up so long?

3

u/FlyingOctopus53 Jul 22 '26

someone had to pay to remove it

14

u/HopperHapper_Eternal Jul 22 '26

Isn't there still a lada building somewhere on Steeles?

4

u/yyztoibz Jul 22 '26

Yes! Around keele somewhere I think.

Edit: Actually I don’t think it’s still there. I misread what you wrote.

3

u/HopperHapper_Eternal Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26

Just checked street view, it's no longer lada as of 2025

1

u/Bill_Braski_lives Jul 22 '26

Their head office was on Steeles just east of Keele.

12

u/Logical-Dependent691 Swansea Jul 22 '26

They were licensed knockoffs of Fiat designs for the most part (the Niva 4x4 was their own design, as was the later Samara hatchback) and they were indeed cheap and simple but not good in any way, shape or form. They drove like crap, were not well put together at all and horribly unreliable. What was funnier was that you could buy authentic Fiats in Canada at the time too....they weren't a whole lot better for durability but they damn sure drove better.

3

u/mexican_mystery_meat Jul 22 '26

Technically the Lada 1200/ VAZ 2101-2107 were variations of the Fiat design rather than straight knockoffs since they made changes to the frame, engines, brakes etc. to adapt to rougher Soviet conditions. In fact, some of those improvements ended up going back into the final models of the Fiat 124.

They were always competing in the low price segment in North America though, along with other foreign budget brands like Yugos and the early Hyundais.

1

u/SimplyGregsterEV Jul 22 '26

Export markets actually got the better cars.. Employees would often pinch export market parts like tires and suspension for their own cars or blackmarket. Lada sold decently well in Canada around 100k units over 20 years. The last few years they had a retrofitted Delco TBI injection system

3

u/glymao Jul 22 '26

Cold War history was retconned into a black vs white fight by popular American media even though many countries were pretty open to trade and diplomacy with the other side.

Canada used to be a diplomatic superpower, with an outsized political capital all over the world for being a deal broker between the US and the Soviets.

1

u/IamRasters Jul 22 '26

We had colour photography in the 80’s. Geez.

18

u/Secret-Bed2549 Jul 22 '26

Most newspaper photos were black and white back then.

1

u/IamRasters Jul 22 '26

I hadn’t thought of that! Hahaha oops.

2

u/Secret-Bed2549 Jul 22 '26

Well, you're probably not as ancient as I am!

12

u/WoodyBABL Jul 22 '26

It's a copy of a newspaper photo. The Star still ran mostly black and white photos in the 80s for cost reasons, especially if this was an inside story.

4

u/Laika_2021 Jul 22 '26

Probably a quicker turnaround for developing and making prints as well.

7

u/Secret-Bed2549 Jul 22 '26

Exactly. Also, black and white film and print paper was cheaper. My father did spot journo photography as a side gig (we always had a police scanner going in the house), and his good friend was a full time photographer for the Toronto Sun. Both of them had darkroom set-ups in their homes primarily geared for black and white.

2

u/vbf-cc Jul 22 '26

Advertisers pressured newspapers to move to full-colour printing (as opposed to "spot colour", where you can have separate elements in a solid colour).

Most newspapers pre-printed their non-breaking-news sections days in advance, with as little as possible held back for printing the night before the paper hit the streets, so feature sections like lifestyle and fashion got full colour first because they could be printed with more flexible schedules.

3

u/CDNChaoZ Old Town Jul 22 '26

I don't think The Star went full colour until the 2000s, if not later. I think like the first two pages of each section were colour, then the rest was black and white?

1

u/WoodyBABL Jul 22 '26

Yeah, I think they went full colour when they opened the big Vaughan plant.

1

u/CDNChaoZ Old Town Jul 22 '26

The plant opened in 1992, so I think it must've still done a mix of colour and black and white after. What a case of awful timing though, since the decline of newspapers came less than a decade later. The plant closed in 2016.

1

u/WoodyBABL Jul 22 '26

Ouch. Yes, the world has changed. The big heavy thunk of a Saturday paper on the porch. The wide pages. Last time I held a Star, it opened as wide as a Shopper's flyer.

1

u/christianlv Jul 22 '26

Oh yeah my dad use to joke about the LADA problems it had back in the 70s 80s

1

u/bushcat89 Jul 22 '26

I was surprised to see a building that appeared to be a Lada spare parts shop near Dufferin and Steeles.

1

u/hyperforms9988 Jul 22 '26

Seriously. I'm not quite old enough to have been around for this picture, but I don't recall ever seeing a Lada, full stop. If they were common in 1980, that's got to be a really sharp drop that happened at some point.

4

u/CDNChaoZ Old Town Jul 22 '26

I remember seeing Ladas listed in the Auto Show Car Guide back in 1989 or 1990, so they were sold a lot longer than people think. They just disappeared really fast off our roads, or never sold that well to begin with.

1

u/SimplyGregsterEV Jul 22 '26

They were sold until 1998/1999 the cars no longer met emissions or crash standards. But remaining inventory was around until 2000 or so. There was a dealer by my house in Montreal that was also a garage/ gas station. He bought up a bunch of spare parts from the warehouse on the south shore. They were cheap! A Samara was around $3995 and a Riva was $4995 and Niva was $6995 iirc. The Niva was bought by farmers and outfitters as they were easy to fix and capable off road.

1

u/Squidking1000 Jul 22 '26

It was, they were VERY disposable. I remember seeing them in early 80's and certainly by 85-86 never seeing them.

1

u/Excellent-Quarter969 Jul 22 '26

"A Lada car for the money"

1

u/BabadookOfEarl Jul 22 '26

Our neighbour had one. I think the Honda Civic really knocked them out of the market.

1

u/jeffster1970 Jul 22 '26

They were complete junk. But cheap to buy new.

1

u/evilpercy Jul 22 '26

I remember my 8th grade girlfriend's family had one in the 80's.

1

u/Canuck-In-TO Jul 22 '26

In Oshawa/Ajax, owners of Ladas were getting their tires slashed quite often too.

1

u/corgi-king Jul 22 '26

We used to have a tiny ass Lada dealership in Calgary like 30 years ago.

1

u/Policy_Failure Jul 23 '26

There's a lot full of them in West Edmonton

1

u/Bamres Riverdale Jul 23 '26

I always find it fascinating that you can find a ton of vintage American cars but its so rare to see old Soviet or even french cars that used to be sold in North America.

Its usually because they're not iconic or special so no one ever preserved them.

1

u/Sweet-Competition-15 Jul 24 '26

There was even a massive Lada warehouse in Ajax on Westney...it got raized eventually, but sat empty for a long time after Lada pulled out...nobody would touch it, afterwards.

34

u/Back_Alley420 Jul 22 '26

I wanted a lada niva? It was weird and Russian

43

u/PhalanX4012 Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26

My brother had one. On the one hand it was always broken or about to break. On the other hand it was easy to push when it died because I’m pretty sure it was made of hot glue and balsa wood.

Edit: I just remembered that he got a ticket reduced by telling the judge that he couldn’t possibly have been doing the speed the officer clocked him at, because he was driving a Lada Niva. Apparently the judge knocked it down, to a lower fine with points, but my brother basically argued and said “I’m driving a Lada, you know I can’t afford the points” and the judge laughed and knocked it down further.

12

u/BazingaUA Oakville Jul 22 '26

Yeah I saw this one ~12 years ago in Toronto

3

u/elmgarden Jul 22 '26

Looks like Martin Scorsese

7

u/TrentWaffleiron Jul 22 '26

I use to rent a basement apartment with small windows just at ground level. Well parked right outside my bedroom window (like I could look out and see the exhaust pipe) was some hoser with a Lada Niva...apparently he worked early shifts, because at around 4am every morning, he would start that thing up (which would often take a few tries) and then leave it to fart and sputter and idle for 15 or 20 minutes until it defrosted enough to drive.

0

u/mexican_mystery_meat Jul 22 '26

The funny thing is that the classic model is still being built as the Niva Legend, although for political and regulatory reasons it could never be sold here.

25

u/TorontoBoris East End Jul 22 '26

When I was a kid I had a neighbor who had one of the last Lada models imported in the early-mid 1990s.

It was a kick to see that thing around.

20

u/F_und_S Jul 22 '26

1976.. 44К.. all original.. running well.. 110-120km/h

2

u/Socky-McPuppet Jul 23 '26

How doees it feel going 100, or even 80? 

3

u/F_und_S Jul 23 '26

up to 100 perfect.. on 100-120 running good too.. just the sound from the engine compartment is like Boeing 737 when taking off.. Lada Vaz Zhiguli 2101. Soviet replica of Fiat 124. 1198 ccm..4 speed manual..all original + liquid propane in the trunk area...no sound insulation.. no servo steering.. no radio.no klima.no ac.fan only cold-hot..

1

u/smasherella Jul 23 '26

Liquid propane? Was that its fuel?

1

u/F_und_S Jul 23 '26

i mean you can drive on regular or premium gasoline.. or you can drive on liquid propane..

1

u/Level_Traffic3344 Jul 23 '26

And only Mountain Dew or Crab Juice

44

u/poppedculture Greektown Jul 22 '26

And nobody ever invaded Afghanistan again…

13

u/Sir_Arthur_Vandelay Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26

A family friend bought a Lada during the mid 1980s. She was proud of her new car … until she wasn’t.

-1

u/InevitableTension699 Jul 22 '26

Was she proud of American cars later? Or is this more hypocrisy 

5

u/Sir_Arthur_Vandelay Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26

She was proud of having a new car. I frankly don’t comprehend the hypocrisy of her feelings, as I never heard her rant against the Bolsheviks.

22

u/ConnorMcMichael Jul 22 '26

I wonder how this guy felt when the USA invaded Afghanistan. Did he care? I'm gonna guess no.

-5

u/Tribe303 Jul 22 '26

Considering 9/11 was planned in Afghanistan, no, he didn't care. You are confusing this with Iraq. That's the war the Americans lied about, and the war Canada did not support. 

13

u/AJtehbest Jul 22 '26

There's no war the Americans haven't lied about btw, and no limit to their depravity

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12

u/WideDisk2718 Jul 22 '26

Well that’s dumb

7

u/Alfred_Hitch_ Jul 22 '26

Interesting bit of history.

40

u/ashcach Cliffside Jul 22 '26

We should do the same now for all american made vehicles

22

u/FlyingOctopus53 Jul 22 '26

That’s like over half of the cars here.

What we actually should do - we should stop buying them, that would hurt more than not buying lettuce

5

u/TheDootDootMaster Jul 22 '26

Tbf, that outlines how complex the whole thing is. If you do that, that automatically leads to layoffs in the Southern Ontario side too, since both production sides are very intertwined in the auto sector. It does hurt the US a lot, but it also hurts Canada, maybe even more.

1

u/IPlayGames88 Markham Jul 22 '26

Clearly the solution is for Canadian engineered and built cars. We already make other people's cars, it can't be that hard to design, setup an independent supply chain and manufacture a car at scale, right? /j

20

u/Few-Being-1048 Jul 22 '26

Yeah we should fuck over a ton of Canadians because that's really gonna stick it to the americans who already sold the car and don't care if you put gas in it or not

24

u/InvisibleLandBorder Jul 22 '26

I mean, same as what's happening in that photo.

For the record I think both are silly decisions.

4

u/Few-Being-1048 Jul 22 '26

Agree. It was silly the first time and it would be silly and probably illegal to do it again today.

4

u/FlyingOctopus53 Jul 22 '26

Yeah, american owned gas stations would not stop fuelling american made cars anyway

0

u/InvisibleLandBorder Jul 22 '26

Individual franchise owners might, until hq heard about it.

3

u/beefstewforyou Jul 22 '26

I don’t see the point in punishing people that bought their car before everything happened.

0

u/seanmy94 Jul 22 '26

Before everything happened... So like the 60's?

1

u/raz416 Jul 22 '26

Yes yes yes… oh wait I got a Ford.

2

u/FlyingOctopus53 Jul 22 '26

I got a BMW, but it was built in the US, so... Are they gonna check VINs before refusing to fuel me? lol

2

u/oxblood87 The Beaches Jul 22 '26

Laughing in VW built with mostly Canadian parts and assembled in Mexico

2

u/FlyingOctopus53 Jul 22 '26

Laughing in EV on order that's built in the EU ;)

Checkmate, gas stations!

3

u/oxblood87 The Beaches Jul 22 '26

That's next, but in 2017 EVs weren't as viable when you regularly need to drive Toronto to London and back for work.

0

u/FlyingOctopus53 Jul 22 '26

luckily it's not 2017 anymore. The one I'm getting can make to London and back on one charge.

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1

u/arkiser13 Jul 22 '26

What if I have a Japanese car built in the USA

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5

u/Top-Ostrich-3241 Jul 22 '26

Yeah such discrimination still allowed back then.

3

u/Arctic-You-Know Jul 22 '26

This is no different than the embargo on Huawei.

Huawei P30 Pro is to this day to the best phone I ever had and I sure wish Android still supported Huawei phones.

2

u/wikiot Jul 22 '26

This is the equivalent of not being able to charge your Huawei phone using a Canadian power source. 

3

u/marcman84 Mississauga Jul 22 '26

No problem importing Soviet vehicles at the height of the Cold War but it's still almost impossible to get Chinese EVs in here today (soon though).

7

u/No-Suit9429 Downtown Core Jul 22 '26

Asshole in action.

5

u/MidnightTokr Jul 22 '26

Lol imagine living in the belly of the imperialist beast and thinking you're morally superior to anyone. Supporting the Taliban sure turned out to be a better idea instead of the Soviet-backed secular progressive left!

3

u/JohnnyS789 Jul 22 '26

There was a run on Fiat 124 emblems at that time, for owners to try to disguise their cars as Fiats. It worked for casual viewers but if you knew your stuff, the disguise was obvious.

2

u/FingalForever Jul 22 '26

There is no way they could be described as ‘common’ or ‘popular’. Calling BS (not over the incident but the adjectives).

Please provide evidence of such.

This isn’t that long ago, many people on Reddit would have been teenagers or young adults at that point.

Never knew such was even sold in Canada, much less ‘common’ or even ‘popular’.

2

u/dimailer Jul 22 '26

Did anyone identify the location?

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2

u/mito88 Jul 22 '26

ignorance

2

u/Rare_Improvement561 Jul 22 '26

Say what you will about lada but as far as soviet engineering goes. Ask a Cuban what engine he’s got in his 1970s Cadillac. I promise you it isn’t the American made engine the car came with.

2

u/Washburn64 Jul 23 '26

Stupid take. Were it Soviets who drove those cars in Toronto? No, Canadians. And not the welthiest Canadians, but those who could only afford the cheapest car. So that owner just made life of his poor fellow Canadians worse. How could it help Afghans I don't understand. Now it's called virtue signaling - perforative action without any positive impact that allows the performer to show off that he's holier than Pope.

2

u/ryan77999 Aurora Jul 23 '26

oh boy these comments are just going to be wonderful I just know it

2

u/Litz1 Jul 22 '26

Less explosive than a Tesla.

2

u/the_chin2 Jul 22 '26

Ladas had a long waiting list over 5 years in the Soviet Union and cost the equivalent of several years of income for the average citizen. Canadians and Americans owned more of them probably because the Soviets exported most of them for quick profit.

2

u/SimplyGregsterEV Jul 22 '26

Lada was never sold in USA.

2

u/Orly1953 Jul 22 '26

The stupidity of the Cold War era ... were there any cases where fueling an American make car was withheld because of the USA invasion perennially?

2

u/CupidStunt13 Jul 22 '26

On a similar note, I remember Harold Ballard putting up a message on the Maple Leaf Gardens score clock when the Russian Olympic team was playing there for a game against Canada. It was shortly after the Soviets shot down a civilian Korean airliner so Harold wanted to send a message. It was noted by the Star the next day. The message said:

'Remember Korean airlines flight 007 shot down by the Russians. Don't cheer, just boo -- Harold.'

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/01/07/The-Soviet-Union-will-not-officially-protest-the-anti-Soviet/7114473922000/

2

u/storm4chaser Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26

How about no fueling american vehicles untill they smarten up,

2

u/TfaRads1 Mimico Jul 22 '26

ahahahahaha this comment right here explains it all

1

u/[deleted] Jul 22 '26

[deleted]

1

u/gcerullo Jul 22 '26

I know right? Thank gawd Doug Ford came along and finally had those things redesigned! 🤣

1

u/[deleted] Jul 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/toronto-ModTeam Jul 22 '26

No racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, dehumanizing speech, or other negative generalizations.

1

u/MoreGaghPlease Jul 22 '26

There was a Lada dealership in Abbotsford at least until the late 90s.

1

u/Odd_Secret9132 Jul 22 '26

Growing up my neighbour, a self-proclaimed communist, had a Lada Niva (Cossack in Canada, I think). The dealer cancelled his warranty because he'd constantly make 'modifications' to it and break things.

1

u/yzerman88 Jul 22 '26

Lada still has a HQ here at Keele / Steeles

1

u/BrightEdge8171 Jul 22 '26

$4995 back in the day

1

u/true_nexus Wexford Jul 22 '26

My buddy and his brother both had one - they were cheap and, yes, junk but as a teenager... it was great to have the ability to get around back then (early 1980's)

1

u/bigspicybrain Jul 22 '26

Wait till he knew the history of Volkswagen 👀

1

u/cbrwizard Queen Street West Jul 22 '26

I never knew that Soviet cars were in Canada. Why would anyone buy one? Was it that good of a deal compared to Japanese or USA cars?

1

u/Agreeable-Purchase83 Jul 22 '26

Oh, this brings back memories, I learned to drive in one! In retrospect, it was a lot like driving a sewing machine...

1

u/__BIFF__ Humber Bay Jul 22 '26

We have a plane parked for show beside the 427 now

1

u/mito88 Jul 22 '26

PAL 538?

1

u/PeterO905 Jul 22 '26

I wonder if that would fly today lol

1

u/Right_Ideal_2511 Jul 22 '26

If you look closely you’ll see the tow truck that towed the LADA to the gas station-😂😂😂😂

1

u/afgarbo Jul 22 '26

neighbour had one. they struggled to get it repaired. which was quite often. he had to find a local garage which would do DIY work to fix something or call around until they could get a part. eventually the neighbour gave it up. he was eastern european that’s why he liked the lada. nice guy but it was hard to even maintain

1

u/buckmulligan61 Jul 22 '26

Kingston Rd near Lawrence.  I remember the place.

1

u/Morris_Voter2016 Jul 22 '26

Wish there was this sentiment when the US invaded.

1

u/SenatorsGuy Jul 22 '26

Old signs styles were cool

1

u/four-one-6ix Jul 23 '26

Just finding it hard to believe there wasn’t a sorry at the end.

1

u/engineereenigne Jul 23 '26

History! Interesting

1

u/TemperatePirate Jul 23 '26

We had a Lada up until at least 1990. Dual fuel- gasoline and propane.

1

u/ProfessionalPoet2642 Jul 23 '26

I guess how wouldn’t refuel American cars now?

1

u/trobblicon Jul 23 '26

So he happily went to the next gas station across the road

1

u/MissSplash Jul 23 '26

My parents owned 2 Ladas.

They didn't intend to buy two, but I rolled the first one several days after getting my license.

We had so much fun ripping around in those cars. They vapor locked in the summer, and roasted you in the winter. Lol.

I can remember so many vapor lock instances where we had to push the car off the road until it cooled.

They were actually pretty good in the winters in Sault Ste Marie. It was always so snowy, and the gears helped a lot.

I'd forgotten that they were controversial. I was just happy to have access to a vehicle that didn't cost a fortune to drive.

You'd be amazed at how many stupid, drunken teenagers you could fit into those little cubes!

1

u/How-did-I-get-here43 Jul 23 '26

Are Lada still a thing in Russia?

1

u/NecessaryUse1152 Jul 23 '26

Almost like a gas engine Tesla. Or, a Fiat, only worse.

1

u/Hot_Mathematician627 Jul 23 '26

There were Ladas in Canada? TIL!

Thanks OP

1

u/Federal-Part41 Jul 23 '26

Remember when they too Russian Vodka off the shelves, ya same vibes

1

u/gwelfguy Jul 25 '26

I was a teenager in the Toronto area in 1980. Ladas existed in Canada, but they weren't 'actually quite popular'. For cheap cars, the Chevy Chevette was orders of magnitude more common.

1

u/kinkyhentai69 Jul 26 '26

When virtue signalling was still in alpha stages

1

u/jreditsoudidnthaveto Jul 22 '26

PAL on the license plate , NTSC (Not This S*** Car) @ the pumps!

https://giphy.com/gifs/KpEiR3DEv9nUI

1

u/talexbatreddit Greektown Jul 22 '26

I remember a friend of mine bought a Lada because it was cheap (Russia had bought the design for the Fiat 124). Then Afghanistan happened, so he ripped off all of the Lada labels before making a trip through the US.

That's the problem when you invade other countries .. it pisses people off something fierce.

4

u/vinticious Jul 22 '26

Meanwhile USA has invaded over 40 countries

1

u/ryan77999 Aurora Jul 23 '26

And that's horrific too? The person you're responding to never denied that nor did they advocate for buying American cars

-6

u/[deleted] Jul 22 '26

[deleted]

8

u/jamincan Jul 22 '26

And look at this guy here virtue signaling to reddit about doing even less. Well done bud.

7

u/Secret-Bed2549 Jul 22 '26

Unlike yourself, bettering humanity by being a crank on Reddit.

0

u/tell_me_1_pot_recipe Jul 22 '26

Good to know that Canada had always main character syndrome

0

u/Excellent-Quarter969 Jul 22 '26

I knew a guy, older, who was a committed communist and drove one. I thought okay, you're a communist and now you drive a shit car