The problem on my Lada in the end, which caused its death knell, was the expensive welding needed on the chassis to stop the floor falling out... car was worth maybe £200, welding would have cost £500... half the original price of the car.
At one point there was a lucrative trade in Ladas... people would buy them in the UK in any condition and put them on a boat to Russia.. on the voyage, they would make a whole good car out of the non-runners and ditch the remains over the side. The North Sea is littered with the skeletons of knackered Ladas. Wish I'd sold mine then... would have had 5 years use and got a £5 profit from it, but I loved it so much I couldn't bear to part with it... Oh foolish sentiment... he went for scrap in the end, towed away to an ignominious fate by the council.