Today I saw my first....

[sirwiggum]

Bluebirds and Primeras were good motors.

Shame Datsun just built Qashcows now.

I saw a Lada 2172 in Belfast

Like this



Looks like a mk5 Escort in real life.

On French plates, plenty of French plated cars including a Safrane and loads of tour buses. Good to see.

[lozz]

Looks like another throw away car,

Resembles a mk2 hyundai Accent me thinks

[sirwiggum]

It "stood out" as being one of those cars that you would easily miss, but on second glance was unrecognisable.

At first I thought it was a South American VW Pointer



Which *is* based on a mk5 Escort.

Strange that France gets Ladas now. But then I think Renault owns them? And probably not worth engineering for RHD.

[lozz]

Google says Renault bought out Lada
Havent renault got enough rubbish of there own,

[sirwiggum]

Explains why the Renault F1 car had a Lada sponsor.

So they have Lada *and* Dacia as Eastern European subbrands.
They seem to be pushing Dacia as the budget brand in the UK now.

[jasper5]

My son works for a Volvo dealership who are also Renault dealers, apparently they are obliged to sell the Dacia alongside the Renaults.

[sirwiggum]

My son works for a Volvo dealership who are also Renault dealers, apparently they are obliged to sell the Dacia alongside the Renaults.

I think that's how they're going to sell the Duster and Sandero in the UK. Saves them setting up a new dealer network.

They stripped back a chunk of the Renault range in the UK to make way - Laguna, Wind, Espace, Modus, Koleos.
And we never got the diesel version of the Fluence - sells very well in Ireland, every 2nd car on RoI plates seems to be a Fluence DCi.

[Captain Jack]

Lada! Ha... Loved the old rugged Nivas but their current range is cr@p.

[FarmerPug]

Their current range looks like old hyundais/kias, that 2172 up there looks like an old kia rio.

[sirwiggum]

Good call, but up close it really did put me in mind of an old mk5 Escort.

Wonder does it drive like one?

[FarmerPug]

Good call, but up close it really did put me in mind of an old mk5 Escort.

Wonder does it drive like one?

driving like an old escort jeremy clarkson always liked the way it drove

[sirwiggum]

Did you see his review?

He slated it. Back when car programmes were generally nice and the Escort was a huge seller.

I had the 92 Orion based on the mk5 Escort, just before the mk 5a / mk 6 whatever its called oval grille improvement drive. Absolute lemon.

Some agreement in S. America meant VW could sell it as one of their cars, the Pointer.

There were some weird ones too, a VW badged 2 door Orion for example.





and a Ford Versailles (aka Santana/Passat)

[FarmerPug]

they were all junk fords of the early 90s the only decent thing they made was the transit van

[steve_earwig]

I was thinking about this thread earlier, my sis-in-law took me for physiotherapy this morning in her Dacia. I think it's a Logan (Wolverine it aint) and it has the legend "Dacia by Renault" on the boot lid. The interior always used to strike me as unbelievably cheap and plasticky but, oddly enough, after a few months driving the toyota, it looks quite good now The electronic indicators make a strange noise that sounds to me like sonar, so I always have an irresistible urge to shout "Dive! Dive!" every time she makes a turn.

Also, in the tv ads here, it's pronounced "Datchiya" - what a load of old bowlarchs.

[sirwiggum]

Saw a few Logans in Spain.

Don't look too bad for a cheap car. A cross between a Renault 9/Pug 309 and a mk2 Clio