Driving on frozen Lake Baikal pics

[A Former User]

[Blondude]

Words cannot describe how much I want a bukhanka.

[ttyymmnn]

@415s30 Nice to see it’s still freezing somewhere.

[TheDutchTexan]

Ever since I played Metro Exodus (caspian desert van) and saw "To the lake" I have a strange attraction to that UAZ van... "tabletka" they call it in Russia in case of the amberlamps. I freakin' love it!

[RallyDarkstrike]

@TheDutchTexan @Blondude The craz thing is you can still buy them new! Youtuber MegaRetR does videos on cars in Russia and has a recent one that he was exploring in a dealership showroom!

[A Former User]

@rallydarkstrike They can't really change anything, the people out in Sibera are used to them and can fix them. I remember watching The Long Way Around and they pulled these across rivers with a GAZ, they seemed to do pretty well on their own other than the impossible spots. If I was Leno I would have one and a Niva to mess around with.

[A Former User]

@ttyymmnn Well they are not new pics.... Seems like the arctic is too warm this year, worse than they thought.

[RallyDarkstrike]

@415s30 said in Driving on frozen Lake Baikal pics:

@rallydarkstrike They can't really change anything, the people out in Sibera are used to them and can fix them. I remember watching The Long Way Around and they pulled these across rivers with a GAZ, they seemed to do pretty well on their own other than the impossible spots. If I was Leno I would have one and a Niva to mess around with.

True! I love the fact they still exist though...Russia has such a crazy car landscape...

[TheDutchTexan]

@rallydarkstrike I found that out the moment I started researching it when I saw it in "To the lake". I have also had a strange affection for the Trabant as well. I just think they have such a cool vibe. Utilitarian. Won't win any races, but you could probably fix them with a screwdriver. Got to find a 25 year old example that isn't completely rusted to bits and then ship it to the US. Tall order I reckon. At least replacement parts would still be available, "overnighted" from Russia...

I would probably try and find one in The Netherlands myself since I speak the language and people do import them. Prices are insane though... Cheapest one I saw (before importing it to the US) is 15,500 euros which at time of writing is 18,350 US dollhairs. I'd be building some classic Americana for that kind of scratch (which is my original plan, buy a 70-72 Monte Carlo or equivalent and build it as a budget daily driver with the help of a mechanic friend. And by help I mean hire him, he runs a business as a classic car mechanic, so no way I am taking bread from his table).

[RallyDarkstrike]

@TheDutchTexan I love the Trabant as well! A cool thing to do would be fly to Russia, buy a brand new or new UAZ van and then drive it all the way to a port in Europe...that'd be an experience!

[TheDutchTexan]

@rallydarkstrike can't you guys in Canada import at 15 years? Lucky! 10 less years of deterioration.

[RallyDarkstrike]

We can, yup! Lucky Trabant bodies don't rust, but the panels underneath the Duroplast do

[Blondude]

@thedutchtexan That's where I first came to love it too. Driving through Novosibirsk in that thing felt so badass.

[TheDutchTexan]

@rallydarkstrike yup. Kinda the Corvette and DeLorean curse there. Bodies look great, but the frames under them can be utter trash.

[RallyDarkstrike]

@thedutchtexan said in Driving on frozen Lake Baikal pics:

@rallydarkstrike yup. Kinda the Corvette and DeLorean curse there. Bodies look great, but the frames under them can be utter trash.

Pretty much....part of the reason I like the FIAT 126...you know it's going to rust, but there's not much to it and it's monocoque, so if it's going to rust, you'll see it

[Shop-Teacher]

DAAAAAANG!