Fast Cars

If you live in the Caucasus, the definition of fast car may be different. If it can negotiate potholes quickly, it is a fast car. Here's the story of a blogger getting her tough Lada Neva and upgrading it.

The Neva must have been specifically designed for Central Asia's bad roads and dreadful climate. It looks like a cross between a Yugo and a Subaru, but is three times tougher than both and much classier. Most have 4WD. Ours doesn't because someone removed it, but for $40, we can have it put back in. My friend owned it and took it all over the place without 4WD, finding it completely satisfactory.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of most Soviet-made cars is their lack of distinguishing characteristics. It doesn't matter if a model was made in 1976 or 1997 -- design differences are apparent only to the trained eye. Lada Nevas, especially, seem to come in one color only -- white -- and every single one looks the same.

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Read more from this blogger: Carpetblogger: Freedom of the Potholed Road