First off I'm gonna tell you all the great things about the Lada Riva. Here it comes... the price.
There are a lot of websites on the net harping on about how great Ladas are. Join a social club or something guys... this is a terrible car. The stereotype of a rusting old Soviet work-donkey falling to bits as it struggles down your drive are 100% accurate. Still, I barely paid a penny for it so I suppose I can't complain.
The amount of problems I had with this car are too many to cover accurately, so I will list some of the more bizarre ones. The ignition would only work if you started the car up exactly right. And I mean EXACTLY right. As in, I could have quite safely left the key in the ignition and the door open without fear of anyone being able to (let alone having any inclination to) drive it away. As for turning the ignition OFF, this had to be done in a very particular way too, or else the radio would stop working for weeks at a time. The door wouldn't close unless I held it up with my foot whilst slamming my hip into it repeatedly. The boot wouldn't stay open which caused me many a sore head.
These problems were humorous, endearing, even, but there were some very serious problems with this car which made it borderline dangerous to drive. Honestly, it's time that the automobile equivalent of natural selection wiped these vehicles off the face of the planet. Melt them all down! Don't be tempted, whatever the price!!!