It has been almost a quarter-century since then, as cars became available to any citizen of Russia. We have forgotten all those schemes which were bought a car in Soviet times. For the car of the Soviet people were willing to go all out and reveal their basest part of the soul.
Ways to purchase a car during the post-war Soviet Union, there were many. Some of them don’t know until now, but was common among the citizens of the mighty Union of the schema. Remember the main ones.
For services to the Motherland
The country always remember their heroes: some times repressed in some encouraged, including cars. The most courageous and brave citizens of the USSR of the machine the General secretaries gave personally, even without any money. War veterans and the order-bearers were allowed a once in a lifetime to buy a car without Queuing. And as one car per family was more than enough, all were satisfied.
Years in queues
Everyone else had to wait. The waiting period averaged about seven or eight years. In turn, it was impossible to get just need to get it on any of the businesses and to save money. The cost of the GAZ-21 was in the 1970-ies about 5,500 – 6,000 rubles, “Lada” had to pay about 8000 rubles. At a salary of 100-150 rubles a month the money of Soviet citizens were. First, spending was almost nothing, and secondly, over the years of waiting, postponing of family 200-300 ruble budget for 100 rubles a month for seven years, accumulating the required amount, third, who had not time to save money, often collected the necessary sum for all relatives and friends.
The process of buying the car looked extremely humiliating. Defend the main long queue, we had to withstand some more directly in the shop — there were only a few and to such cities as Moscow and St. Petersburg had only one Soviet “showroom”. By the way, the machines themselves were not there! The buyer was given a certificate account, and then he went to a specialized savings Bank, where he again stood in the queue. Then I went back to the store for a check (after another queue) for a car, drove to the warehouse where they waited for the next Transporter with cars and picked up the car just from the color of the body that got. And it was happiness.
Hairy hand
Wait for the car in the queue could stretch for much longer time because of citizens who completely inexplicably appeared in the waiting list. To buy a place was nearly impossible — the money was not wanted, but to build his name through a friend in the shop or in the highest ranks of the party — easy. No online registration and the serial numbers did not exist, and to monitor the legality of the promotion queue is just not possible.
Used cars
In 1978, Alla Pugacheva wrote a song, which sounded the following lines: “With a cracked headlight, old doors, last century style. Somewhere outside the city, very cheap my dad bought the car”. It’s a dream, alas, in fact, was almost impossible: all used cars sold through the thrift store. They were created to fight against speculators, but in fact, no fighting was observed — the old car cost as new.
There were various corruption schemes when the employees of the thrift shop, a sizeable bribe casually brought the seller and buyer that have long been agreed on everything. This required much more money than purchasing a car through the long turn.
Voyage to the brotherly Republic
Often the machines were sent to the brotherly Republic. Georgia, for example, always behind the scenes was the birthplace of the Soviet banditry and theft, there was more than enough and the speculators, who are willing to sell cars at a price 4-5 times higher than the state.
Happy case
Met and completely unbelievable stories. In 1983, the case when the institutions of the Soviet Union came the announcement of a special purchase of cars “Moskvich” on credit. The scheme, to the village seen only under the old regime, has surprised the workers and peasants, but in reality it was truth. It turns out that due to the downed fighter su-15 South Korean passenger “Boeing”, many Western countries have abandoned Soviet vehicles. Then “Moskvich” sold even to Ireland and Scotland in right-hand drive version, and in France by the car “Moskvich”. The result of all exports settled in the USSR and the machine overflowed all the warehouses. “Freebie” did not last long.
And a little case
Who was waiting for this happy case with the “Muscovites”? To anticipate, this was simply impossible, so people are actively buying up tickets “sports lottery”, where often played cars. Lucky few, but drove well!
…To be honest, we long to nostalgia for the Soviet past, but purely from a car point of view, I would prefer modern times. Even with possible sanctions, even with the Russian Assembly, let them with anything, but accessibility almost any machine you want.
