Old cars after the war were terrible and only lasted for short distances, no matter if they were from the east bloc or west. But longevity rapidly improved in western cars, while eastern ones didn't really develop that much. Early Japanese cars were also bad but got better. Soviet and eastern block technology just developed much more slowly than western Europe or Japan, and the difference grew larger every year.

Things that happened in cars in the eighties: electronic ignition (no distributor), fuel injection (no carburetor), full body zinc coating (much less rust).