Cubans go to Miami for Russian car parts

Because that is the cheapest way to get what you need to fix your Lada or Moskvich. And the source is a Russian born, Cuban trained engineer who lives in Miami.

Zakharov, 40, is Miami’s go-to man for visiting Cubans or those with family on the island who need parts for the thousands of Russian-made Ladas and Moskvichs that dominate the country’s cracked streets, alongside Fords and Chevys dating back to the 1950s.

The former Soviet Union began exporting its cheaply built models to Cuba in the 1970s until production began to peter out a decade ago. Very little evidence of Soviet influence remains in Cuba, except the spunky little Russian cars, famous for rattling chassis but sturdy engines.

With state salaries pegged at barely $20 a month, few Cubans can afford to buy new cars, so the parts business plays a crucial role in keeping the aging models on the road.

The U.S. trade embargo prevents parts from being shipped to Cuba. But Cubans visiting Miami can buy them take them back to the island, or have U.S.-based relatives find someone traveling to Havana to take them.

Zakharov supports President Barack Obama’s recent step to normalize relations between the U.S. and Cuba, even if it threatens to cut into his Lada business. Improved U.S. ties and greater prosperity in Cuba could mean a move to more modern imports like France's Peugeot and South Korea's Kia which have begun to make inroads in the island.

Getting parts from the United States is cheaper than in Cuba, where state-run stores sell them at four times the cost, said David Peña, a mechanic and president of the Russian Car Club in Havana who drives a souped-up, sporty red 1972 Lada 2101 that he fixed himself.

“You can find most things here,” Pena said referring to the constant need for spare parts. “There are so many Ladas, but we have to be inventive,” he added, noting that many Ladas end up being repaired with cannibalized parts, often from other makes.

His own Lada has a Fiat engine and an extra Alfa Romeo carburetor. Havana chef Alberto Perez recently put a Peugeot diesel engine into his 1982 Lada.

Zakharov became a conduit for the parts after arriving in the U.S. in 2006. He was born in Moscow but raised in Cuba’s central city of Camaguey where his father was an economics professor.

Once in the United States, Zakharov, an electrical engineer, learned his experience on the island meant nothing, forcing him to start anew.

"When I came here I never thought my business would be spare parts," he said. "Then friends from Cuba started calling me."

A Spanish and Russian speaker with Cuban and Russian passports, Zakharov seemed ideally suited for the job and started ordering parts via mail from Russia.

Life has a way of making its own plans for us.