In the mid-1980s, a personal car in the Soviet Union was a rarity. In 1985, only 45 people per thousand residents of the country owned their own car — specifically a personal one, not an official or departmental vehicle.
Could these people be considered lucky? The question is not so straightforward.
On the one hand, a car provided freedom of movement. Its owner was not dependent on public transport schedules and could drive around their locality, go to the dacha, travel to other cities, and even to the sea. Personal transport opened up opportunities unavailable to most.
On the other hand, a whole set of problems came with the car. Many of them seem insignificant today or have disappeared altogether, but in those years they were part of the daily reality of the Soviet motorist.
Buying a Car: Money is Only Half the Battle
It is worth starting with the most well-known and, perhaps, painful topic — the acquisition of a car. In the USSR, this process was far from simple, and there were several reasons for this.
First of all — the price. A "Zaporozhets" cost about 3500 rubles, while the cost of a "Volga" could reach 10,000 rubles. For a Soviet person, these were serious sums, especially against the background of an average salary of 150–200 rubles per month.
Simple arithmetic looked like this: with an income of 200 rubles, saving up for a "Volga" meant putting money aside for about 50 months, that is, more than four years, and practically the entire salary without any remainder. In theory, given the planned economy and relative stability, it was indeed possible to collect the required amount in ten years, but in practice this required strict financial discipline.
However, having money did not guarantee a purchase at all. You couldn't just come and buy a car. First you had to stand in line, and for this you needed a positive reference — a kind of confirmation that a person was "worthy" of owning a personal car.
There was also an alternative route — stores like "Beryozka", but they did not accept Soviet rubles, but special types of currency. Another option was commission stores, where used cars were sold. At the same time, their cost was often higher than that of new cars, precisely because of the shortage and long queues.
Much more details can be given on this topic, but a person without a car is still not a motorist. Therefore, it is logical to move on to the difficulties that began after the purchase.
Garage: A Necessity, Not a Luxury
There is a persistent myth about the extremely low level of crime in the Soviet Union. In practice, there were enough thieves and hooligans. Mirrors, headlights, interior elements and other parts could be removed from cars — for resale or simply out of hooligan motives.
In addition, there were few cars, and each car automatically attracted increased attention. As a result, owners faced a new question — where to store their "swallow".
Guarded parking lots existed, but most wanted a more reliable and permanent solution. This is how garage cooperatives appeared. However, everything was far from ideal with them too.
Firstly, you had to join the cooperative, and this in itself was not easy. It is no coincidence that Eldar Ryazanov dedicated an entire film to this topic, "Garage". Secondly, the garage itself had to be built at the expense of its own materials. However, this problem was often solved informally: bricks and other resources were often obtained "for a treat", because there was a logic that "everything around is collective farm property, which means it is common property".
The third difficulty was the location. Garage cooperatives were often located far from the owners' place of residence. A person could live on one end of the city and keep the car on the other.
Everyday Difficulties of a Soviet Motorist
The problems were not limited to buying a car and finding a garage. There were significantly more of them.
Spare parts remained a constant headache. It was not always possible to get the necessary parts, and speculators sold them at inflated prices.
A separate topic was tires. Summer and winter tires were often absent as a class, so they drove on one set all year round. Worn tires were patched, as new ones were expensive and were a scarce commodity.
The situation with gasoline was also not easy. There were few gas stations, and the availability of fuel on them could not be considered guaranteed. That is why many drivers carried a canister in the trunk — so as not to run out of fuel on the road.
Car washes practically did not exist. Cars were washed manually: a bucket, a rag — and the job was done. At the same time, washing a car in the yard of an apartment building or by the river was not prohibited, whereas today such actions are already against the law.
Repairs most often fell on the shoulders of the owners themselves. I had to understand the device of the car, repair it myself or contact a conditional "Uncle Vasya" — a neighbor in the garage who knew exactly what was wrong.
Today, the situation looks the opposite: modern cars are often designed so that an ordinary driver cannot perform repairs on their own. This is already part of the business.
In Soviet times, there were many difficulties, but they were of a different nature. Today, the main limitation is money. If they are available, you can buy any car without queues, buy a garage and pay for maintenance. Everything else is a matter of budget.