VAZ-2109 special assembly. History from life

At first, this article was conceived as a review of the Togliatti family "Samara" - VAZ-2108/09/099. Perhaps in the future I will have such material - the car is extremely interesting, and its history is replete with facts that not everyone knows about. But then I remembered that in my life there was one "Samara", with which curious experiences are connected.
The story may seem incredible to some, but it is absolutely true.

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In 2000, I found myself on a long business trip to Tolyatti. At some point, I felt sad living in a strange city without car and I started thinking about buying myself some wheels. As a result of a difficult internal struggle, I came to the conclusion that since I was in the Russian Detroit, I should buy a VAZ. This was not an easy decision, since my only personal experience with the Russian auto industry did not add enthusiasm. The first car I bought was a ten-year-old "seven" in a beautiful beige color in 1996. In a year and a half, it drank so much blood from me that it would have been enough to repaint it red. And it sucked out an indecently large amount of money for a Soviet car. It seemed that I had developed a lifelong immunity to domestic cars.

It turned out not. Apparently, the proximity of the car factory and the fresh Volga air coming straight from the Zhiguli Mountains weakened my defenses and smoothed out difficult memories. In addition, I reasonably reasoned that servicing the VAZ in his homeland would not be very difficult. When it breaks (and, of course, there was no doubt that it would), craftsmen - a dozen on each corner.
The financial question put the final point in my hesitation. At that time, I was paid a salary in dollars, and after the default of 98, the prices for domestic cars were, in terms of currency, very attractive. The cost of the experiment I conceived barely exceeded my monthly income, so the last doubts disappeared.
I decided to buy myself a VAZ-2109. I didn’t even consider the “ten”, because I traveled a lot on them and realized that she received the nickname “pregnant antelope” not only for her appearance. The classic "Lada" also did not get into the shortlist due to outright archaism. Yes, and the old wounds inflicted on my soul by the beige "seven" have not yet fully healed. So it's "nine".



Friends from the locals tried to reason with me that if I don’t want to take the “ten”, then I should choose the “99th”. The hatchback is a pensioner format, and real respectable people drive sedans. I did not tell them that real respectable people do not drive VAZs, because for some reason this rule did not work in Togliatti then.

Purchase

From that moment began the most interesting and mysterious events. By the nature of my work, I periodically encountered representatives of the alternative Togliatti economy. In other words, with "brothers". There were no close contacts with them, only acquaintances at the “hi-bye” level. I was all the more surprised when one of the middle-class bandits approached me and said:

There was so much disarming sincerity in these words that I could not refuse. To begin with, I was offered to choose a complete set. Believe me, at that time, yes, in relation to Togliatti cars, it already sounded like an oxymoron. I decided that it would be a VAZ-21093 with an injection engine, front electric windows and a standard “high” panel (you could also order a “Europanel” from the VAZ-2115, but with it the car became more expensive by almost a quarter). Yes, and the color will be "emerald". My interlocutor diligently wrote down all my “Wishlist” and promised that he would call me soon and tell me when and in which car dealership it would be possible to pick up my car.



A few days later, he actually called me.

Frankly, I did not believe it then, I decided that this was just an attempt to give greater significance to my help. Even now, two decades later, doubts about reality do not leave me.

A few more days passed. They called me.

I went, paid money (and even a little less than the price list) and took the new "emerald" Lada.

Upgrade

At that time, there was such a tradition in Avtograd - every Togliatti resident who buys a new car went straight from the car dealership ... that's right, to the service. Where the craftsmen habitually carried out "broaching" - a kind of post-sales preparation, which consisted in checking that all the necessary bolts and nuts were in place and tightened with the appropriate moment. The second goal was to equip the car to a decent level. Music, Shumka, interior … Options offered a lot. For example, it was easy to install a power steering and air conditioning, sew up the interior in leather and change the stuffing of regular seats. Space for imagination and budget!



I decided in principle that I would not do any “broach”. After all, they promised me that my car would be assembled as it should! The whole “improvement” was reduced to replacing the steering column with an adjustable one from the “tens”, installing mirrors with electric and heated, “electronic” devices from the “tag”, alarm, radio and acoustics. I also changed the seats, steering wheel, gearshift lever and door cards - the interior began to look elegant.

Life and destiny

So a new “nine” entered my life. I admit honestly, given the low cost of the car, I operated it according to the principle "it's not a pity anyway." Remember what Ostap Bender said? "A car, comrades, is not a luxury, but a means of transportation." I followed these instructions exactly. The concept of “I won’t pass here” almost didn’t exist for me. I moved in the direction I needed, regardless of the quality of the coating under the wheels, heartlessly brushing aside the groans of the body, suspension and other offal. The only compensation that the “nine” received for their suffering was timely and high-quality service.



A week later, my starter burned out. Suddenly, without declaring war. I went to the factory and contacted the warranty engineer. His speech was long and so vague that I understood only one thing - my case is undoubtedly guaranteed, but no one will do anything. I did not have time to be sad, because I was mentally prepared for the fact that under the guise of an "emerald" car, I got myself hemorrhoids. In addition, just at that time, the same “brother” called me to ask how my happy life as a motorist was going. Hearing my story, he told me to immediately come to "their" service. I came. They changed the starter, they didn't take the money. The kid said - he answered for the market.

Surprisingly, the burnt starter was the only unforeseen breakdown in the life of my "nine". She lived in my family for three and a half years and traveled about 80 thousand very difficult kilometers. At this point, my friend bought it from me. He knew the history of my car and was confident in the purchase.

For two more years, the "nine" lived not in my hands, but before my eyes. Another 50 thousand were added on the odometer, but there were no unplanned breakdowns. The third owners were friends of my friend. At the end of 2007, I ran into them by chance at a party. Asked about the car. At that time, she was already 7,5 years old, the mileage crossed over one and a half hundred thousand, but there were still no complaints about the state! At least they were not going to sell the "nine".

Let's believe in a miracle

I thought a lot about how this phenomenon can be explained. Simple luck? Or did the practice of “special assembly” really exist at the VAZ? Or is it the combined result of an inherently robust design and well-timed maintenance? I didn't come up with a definitive answer. The mystery remained unsolved.
But the belief that a Russian car can be a high-quality, joyful white cloud that burst into my life does not leave me. I stopped considering our auto industry inferior and unpromising, and I sincerely rejoice for its success.
Maybe because I have never bought more domestic cars in my life.