On this Independence Day, see America with a New Zealander driving a Lada Niva across the country

For most of us, the dream of a cross-country road trip typically involves some sort of big boat of a car: preferably a convertible for taking in the vistas and the big open sky, and almost certainly not something built in the Soviet Union.

Gavin Shoebridge, a New Zealander now living in Florida, always dreamt of a U.S. cross-country trip, too, but when the time came for his first trip, his steed ended up a 1982 Lada Niva, perhaps the most famous four-wheel-drive automobile to emerge from behind the Iron Curtain.

Sure, he probably could've had it shipped to him from the dealer in Seattle, but over the nine days he drove it back to Florida, he encountered mechanical problems, got to experience more of the country than many Americans do, met probably more people who knew what the Niva was than he expected, and saw it all from a unique viewpoint, serving as a reminder that we all see this big country of ours from different backgrounds and reference points, all of them valid.

As for Gavin's choice of chariot, he details why he wanted the Niva in full in a separate video:

And as for the gas leak he couldn't track down during the road trip itself, he filmed a follow-up video on the leak, the damage, and the fix.