I’ll say right away that I am not a reseller, and therefore I don’t know all the intricacies of this matter, but I can tell you a few very useful things that every owner should know before choosing and buying a used car. I gained experience while selling my previous car: I took it from my hands and at that time I was sure that it was not damaged or painted. But everything turned out to be quite the opposite when I decided to sell it and resellers on the market began to inspect it. Everyone came up to me and told me where and in what places the body was hit and painted. One friend who has been reselling cars for more than ten years told me especially a lot about all the details, and choosing one whole one from a thousand broken ones was not particularly difficult for him. Together with my personal experience and his advice, I will give below the minimum necessary that you should know in order to choose a normal used car. I will give pictures using my Lada Kalina as an example.
Technical characteristics, features of engines and gearboxes
The VAZ 1117, VAZ 1118, VAZ 1119 are equipped with four-cylinder gasoline engines: 1.6-liter 8-valve (81 hp), 1.6 liter 16 cl. (98 hp), and 1.4 liters 16 cl. (89 hp). All engines are paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. Engine life: if you're lucky, it can last more than 250,000 km, but the engine can give a surprise even at 30-40 thousand. Oil change every 15 thousand, according to regulations, the timing belt is changed every 60 thousand (we recommend every 50 thousand mileage). There are no characteristic diseases; any part in the engine can fail, from displacement of the liners to a crack in the cylinder head.
The situation is similar with the gearbox, only its resource is much shorter and malfunctions are more common. The gearbox usually does not last up to 100,000 km; the “original” clutch disc often requires replacement at 25-30 thousand. Although imported parts are more expensive than original VAZ ones, they last much longer.
When choosing a used Lada Kalina, it would be a good idea to check and make sure that the compression is uniform in all engine cylinders. Don’t be afraid of extraneous sounds from the gearbox—the howl of the gearbox is a Kalin family trait.
An electric power steering rack can present unexpected surprises if it breaks down (the load on the steering wheel increases sharply), a problem typical for Lada Kalinas produced before mid-2006. On younger cars, the problem with the power steering was fixed.
The Kalina's front suspension is independent with a MacPherson strut and anti-roll bar, and the rear is semi-independent with a beam and stabilizer. The chassis is energy-intensive and, by VAZ standards, comfortable. Handling is better than that of the VAZ 2110, but it is far from the average foreign car. The car rolls heavily in corners, there is a wide range of vertical body movements, and at high speeds, aerodynamic noise and poor sound insulation of the cabin are annoying.
Engine
The first thing you need to do is look at the exhaust pipe. If there are oily deposits on it, then immediately refuse to buy this car. This suggests that the engine consumes quite a lot of oil and requires at least replacing the piston rings. If the pipe is slightly stained with black soot, then the oil consumption is not yet high and you can still go about 100,000 km before a major overhaul. Ideally, even with 150,000 kilometers, the exhaust pipe of a car, for example, take an eight-valve Kalina, should be brown and rusty. Run your finger along the inside of the muffler - there should be no soot left on it, or at least it should be barely noticeable. Start the engine and look at the exhaust; if it is bluish-gray in color, then this is a sign of a worn-out power unit that needs to be urgently repaired, and overhauled.
The engine must run quietly and without interruption; extraneous noise and knocking are not allowed. Disconnect the hose from the breather, and make sure that when the engine is running, there are no gases escaping from it; if there is any, the engine is running out! It would also not hurt to unscrew the spark plugs: in a working engine they will be grayish or brownish in color. If there is noticeable detachment of the electrode or too much carbon deposits on them or other incomprehensible formations, this is a sign of a faulty power unit.
Problems of a used Lada Kalina in the technical part
The weakest points in the suspension are the stabilizer struts and shock absorbers. Replacing shock absorbers with imported ones changes the handling characteristics of the Lada Kalina for the better. Ball joints, silent blocks, like many other components and assemblies of the domestic Kalina are akin to playing roulette. They can last a lot - 100-120 thousand kilometers (you won’t know where the part is installed), or they can break down once a month. In general, everything is being repaired, and the prices for spare parts will not undermine the family budget. To summarize, we summarize that when choosing a used Lada Kalina you need to be careful and preferably “hands on”, because it is better to repair it yourself. The terrible AvtoVAZ branded service is not going to change for the better.
Body and external accessories
Before buying a car, always check for scratches on the paintwork. It would be better to add the following to this action:
- It is necessary to pay attention to the size of the gaps, as well as to ensure that the transitions between body parts are uniform;
- The safety of the paintwork is checked on the surface of the body, on all ends of the doors, on all thresholds;
- You need to check the presence of plastic fender liners in the front arches;
- The type of rubber on each of the four tires should not be different;
- The plug located under the gas tank cap must be equipped with a retaining cord.
Even before starting the engine, try unscrewing the tank cap and then install it in place.
The plastic stopper additionally holds the cord
As you continue to inspect the vehicle, you can pay attention to the following elements:
- Headlights installed at the front should not have chips or scratches;
- The same applies to the rear signal lights;
- There should also be no scratches on the glass or side mirrors.
Finally, try folding both mirrors located on the outside of the body. If it is determined that everything is in order with the mirrors, you can proceed to inspect the interior.
The child lock mechanism is controlled from the end of the door
In the rear doors of the Kalina-2/Granta family of vehicles, a mechanism is installed that allows you to block the door from being unlocked from the inside. On the front side there is a lever that rotates 45 degrees. On the left door the lever is turned to the left, on the right door - clockwise. This is how the serviceability of the locking mechanism is checked.
Cost of used and new cars
On the secondary market, Kalina can be purchased for a price of 120-130 thousand rubles. The initial configuration of Lada Kalina is equipped with a 1.6 liter 8 cl engine. (81 hp) with a 5 manual transmission, the “chips” will include an alarm system, an on-board computer, a height-adjustable steering column, electric power steering, and front electric windows.
The price for the new Kalina hatchback in Russia starts from 293,900 rubles for a car in the initial configuration with a 1.6-liter engine (81 hp) and rises to 401,000 rubles for the Luxury package with a 1.6-liter engine. For such a considerable sum for a Russian car, Kalina will be equipped with front airbags for the driver and passenger, fog lights, alarm and central locking with remote control, heated front seats, heated electric mirrors, electric windows on all side windows, air conditioning, rain sensor, ABC in the drive brakes, on-board computer, electric power steering, CD+MP3 audio system, navigator. For a Lada Kalina station wagon in the initial Standard configuration they ask from 298,900 rubles, Lux will cost 408,300 rubles.
In Ukraine, the cost of the VAZ Lada Kalina 1119 (hatchback) ranges from 70,290 hryvnia for the initial configuration to 81,390 hryvnia for the rich content. VAZ LADA Station wagon costs from 74,070 hryvnia to 85,170 hryvnia.
Transmission and suspension
Of course, most car sellers won’t let you drive it yourself, but you can evaluate the overall condition of the suspension and transmission even while sitting in the passenger seat. When changing gears, listen for any crunching sounds. If there is one, you risk having to replace the synchronizers, and this will be very expensive at a car service center. The gearshift lever should move without much effort and not dangle around the cabin. Ask the driver, with the car stopped and the engine running, to press the clutch - the sound should not change, and if you hear a strange hum, even barely audible, this is a sign of failure of the release bearing, which urgently needs to be changed. When turning the steering wheel, especially when starting a car with the steering wheel turned, a crunching noise may be heard, which indicates faulty CV joints. The suspension should work softly, but in moderation; knocking when the shock absorbers operate is not allowed. Get out of the car and look at all four wheels, the tread on them must be worn evenly, then everything is in order with the camber and toe.
This is all my advice for now on choosing a used car. If you have any other knowledge on this topic, please express everything in the comments, I think the information will be very useful for many owners who have decided to buy a used car. Thank you for your attention! We continue to add to the list below!
Special versions of Kalina 2
Surprisingly, while the regular station wagon did not find popular love, the elevated version of the Cross, as they say, took off. This is, in fact, the same station wagon, but with ground clearance raised to 208 mm, a protective plastic body kit and a slightly retuned suspension. There are different springs and shock absorbers from the usual SW, which work more efficiently on rough terrain. It didn't turn out as well as Renault did with the Sandero Stepway, but people liked it.
The Sport version is more niche and less assembly line. It was manually finished in the Lada Sport department, which is why the circulation there is smaller and the people’s love is not so strong. But in vain! Kalina Sport with all-round disc brakes, a tight sports suspension and an engine of 118 horsepower (sometimes indicated as 120 horsepower) is the Kalina of a healthy person! Steady, gambling, playful (9.5 seconds to the first hundred).
There’s no shame in it, Lada Sport are great. The problem may lie in service. Standard suspension parts will not fit here; service technicians may also have questions about the engine (here is the original intake and exhaust).
But in general, this is a Lada of the old generation. It can be repaired both in the garage and in an open field, so there is hardly any fear of any extraordinary service complications.
When “combi” is not combi
Formally, the station wagon should be the most spacious in the line. This works with Skoda and BMW, but not with Lada. The difference between Kalina SW and a regular hatchback is only 120 liters of standard volume (240 and 360 liters). But if you compare it with another five-door, it turns out to be a failure: Kalina station wagon is 360 liters, Granta liftback is 520 liters. At the same time, the liftback is only a few centimeters longer, that is, its maneuverability and agility in crowded courtyards does not suffer in any way.
New Lada: Brake and clutch pedal sensor lada kalina and priora: characteristics, repair and replacement
In a word, if you choose a Kalina station wagon and hope to get the most practical car, you will be disappointed. There is more overpayment than benefit here.
Is there any point in watching first generation cars?
Only if you don’t love yourself at all and don’t take care of yourself. The first Kalina, even when it was under warranty and new, liked to do weird things with electrical parts, or even send its owners into roadside lampposts. For some reason, this story did not develop, although overseas and for lesser offenses, Toyota and Volkswagen fell to their knees and lost billions.
The fact is that the electric power steering on the early Kalinas lived its own life, sometimes jamming, or even turning the steering wheel where it was not asked. Several such stories ended up on the pages of “Behind the Wheel,” but for some reason the case never came to the point of imprisoning the perpetrators. But even without crime there were enough problems. You can simply type “Kalina EUR” into a search engine and be horrified by the owners’ stories.
And this is on relatively new cars! And now their mileage has exceeded 200 thousand km, and contacting them is not a good idea.
It’s better to leave them to live out (rot) their lives, and start looking for a car for yourself from the 2nd generation. There is not such a fundamental difference in price, but a fundamental difference in quality.
Acceptable comfort
LADA Kalina is a good budget car. The hardness, color and texture of the plastic are all a matter of taste and, as they say, do not affect the speed. And the Kalina’s speed is more than decent, the car accelerates well and is able to handle city traffic quite well. On the highway, of course, it’s a little scary, since the air flow from the trucks rocks the car a lot, but at the permitted speeds there are no problems. It is quite possible to find a car with a rich set of equipment, with air conditioning, heated seats and even with a Japanese automatic transmission.
Interior and engine compartment space
All doors, hood and trunk lids should open without jerking. The hood must be pressed against the body in the closed position. The spare wheel, wheel wrench and jack are always kept in the luggage compartment. Having verified this, proceed to inspect the engine compartment:
- Check the level of antifreeze, as well as brake fluid (the body of the tanks is made translucent);
- Check the level of engine oil and gearbox oil (use a dipstick);
- You can pay attention to the release date of the battery. The numbers will be printed on top of the negative terminal or on the battery body.
Note that now some factories do not explicitly print the battery production date. Instead, special code is used.
The numbers 309 mean the following: third month, 2009
Of course, it would be advisable to check the engine and body number with the values indicated on the PTS coupon. In Kalina-2, all the numbers need to be looked for under the hood:
The three most important signs
The following elements are indicated in the figure:
- Engraving with body number;
- Engine number plate;
- Pivot table with general data.
Inside the car, they check whether the main blocks and components can be adjusted:
- Front seats;
- Front seat head restraints;
- The rear seats should fold easily;
- The steering column should move up and down and lock into place;
- Air duct guides should be easy to adjust;
- The mirrors are adjusted with special levers.
It is necessary to check whether each of the seat belts is securely fixed in the connector. You can also try shifting the gearshift knob without starting the engine.
The serviceability of seat belts is checked as follows: the belt is pulled sharply, after which the tightening mechanism is activated.
Manipulations for checking seat belts
Motors and the illusion of choice
If you do not take the charged versions, inflated to 120-140 horsepower, on the Sport and NFR lighters, then you are left with a choice of 87, 98 and 102 (later 106) horsepower. More precisely, it’s difficult to call it a choice at all. In terms of elasticity and peak values (acceleration 0-100 km/h) they are approximately equal: 11.9 seconds. for the 87-horsepower version with manual transmission and 10.7 seconds. - for the top-end 106-horsepower version with manual transmission.
And in general, you don’t have to choose an engine. Motors are heavily tied to transmissions. So, the robot is powered by a 106-horsepower engine, while the Jatco automatic is combined only with a 98-horsepower engine. Mechanics are available with 87- and 106-horsepower, but are not combined with 98-horsepower.
