Well, it is all a matter of comparison. Georgians are in sense of driving not much different from Italians, in addition to that widespread corruption of the road police in the past 50+ years meant that all problems can be circumvented with a bribe.
There is a very simple reason for the old soviet cars (some are actually fairly young, but have been in production well into the current century) is that they are cheap. Compare them to the Fords and Chevys from 80s and 90s that can be had for couple of hundred bucks all over the US. Also in the rural environment they have one more huge advantage, their technology is reminiscent of 50s and 60s; mostly mechanical with minimal modern electronics and easily swapable parts. This makes maintenance and repairs truly a DIY thing. So if you are away from the cities and if you don't have much cash, these cars are the beaters that keep on giving. It is not that unusual for a slightly more well-off person to have one such beater for "work" and something much more comfortable for family.
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There is a very simple reason for the old soviet cars (some are actually fairly young, but have been in production well into the current century) is that they are cheap. Compare them to the Fords and Chevys from 80s and 90s that can be had for couple of hundred bucks all over the US. Also in the rural environment they have one more huge advantage, their technology is reminiscent of 50s and 60s; mostly mechanical with minimal modern electronics and easily swapable parts. This makes maintenance and repairs truly a DIY thing. So if you are away from the cities and if you don't have much cash, these cars are the beaters that keep on giving. It is not that unusual for a slightly more well-off person to have one such beater for "work" and something much more comfortable for family.