Wanted Lada Niva

[rendog]

Hey im looking for another (have owned one previous) Lada Niva. Under $2000 wof and rego, anywhere in the north island. K's not important.

[billyvanboheman]

Good luck with the hunt, but you do know you are a sitting target for the Lada Jokes, I'm sure some on here wont be able to resist
You know the drill, Why do Lada's have heated rear windows , So you can keep your hands warm while you push them

Sorry, couldn't restst

[niblik]

Hey im looking for another Lada Niva.

why?

i'm sorry.. i couldnt resist either..

good luck with your hunt...

[De-Ranged]

hmmmmm

Cheers Reece

[rendog]

and it has begun....

[mudzilla]

I heard Ladas are a good investment,,fill it up with fuel and double its value....ha ha....and another...WHY.

[De-Ranged]

Just something for those taking the piss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yoz7wazwqU

Or this one, a bit of fun going till you look closely at his wheels he's done most of the mud runs on AT's at best buggered if I can see any tread I'd be surprised if they are the baja's he's got on at the end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpCJs8At8xc

I just had a rather sick thought, you know how a few yrs ago it was the susuki's, now its lux's what if.... the next craze is lada's hey they are cheap coil sprung, good entry and exit and real simple to work on....


Just found this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4p3BP6SUP0


Cheers Reece

[vando]

you heard about the 16 valve Lada? 8 in the engine and 8 in the radio.
Sorry, couldn't help myself.........

[Aaron]

A guy goes into a parts shop and says, Can I have a petrol cap for my Lada, the parts guy thinks for a minute and then replys, That sounds like a good swap!

[Goose]

Just watched those video's, and none of it surprises me

Like I said, they're a little underengineered, and have quite a few minor (and a couple of major!) problems, but at the end of the day, they're bloody amazing for what they are....
But then, light weight and good approach/departure = a capable truck. I did toy with the idea of doing a diesel swap, susp lift etc, but decided toyota was a teensy weensy bit more practicle for what I needed....

GO THE LADA!!!!!

[Cloggy_NZ]

Good on ya Rendog,
Try and not let the constant barrage of attacks lessen your quest for another Niva.
I have had a couple. I bought one brand new in 1991 and only sold it about 3 years ago. It is still going strong with its new owners who are not afraid to give it a hiding. It took me everywhere from Bluff right up to Cape Reinga and just about everywhere in between. I towed a Hilux which was towing a trailer full of dirtbikes and burned its clutch out on 90 mile beach. You should have seen the 4 young guys disbelief on their faces when my little Niva pulled them out of the soft sand, trailer, dirtbikes and all. It put Chev V8 powered Cruisers to shame when it outclimbed them on a steep hill here in Wellington (the Holley carbs on Chev motors don't handle hills to well). In all the years I had owned it, only once did it fail to get me home, when during its first 3 years and still under warranty a front wheel bearing collapsed. To Lada NZ credit at the time, they towed it home, put me in a hotel for 2 nights, got me home, fixed the car etc. all without the slightest fuss.
My next 4x4 was a Hilux, I couldn't believe how easily the panels dented and bumpers came off, the Niva has solid 8mm thick bumpers, you can use them for the odd snatch tow.
I was only due to an ever expanding family and the need for more room that the Niva finally had to go. I too would love another one, the only thing I would do to it this time is get rid of the independent front by fitting Jeep Cherokee diffs, right width and same stud pattern and more power in the form of a Holden 3.8 V6 or similar. My last Niva I repowered with a Fiat 2.0 litre TC and fitted Toyota Cressida power steering.

[rendog]

cheers cloggy.

[coxsy]

the 2000 niva for $8000 in canterbury a bit to much for you

[rendog]

Yeah kind of defeats the purpose of a "cheap" toy. How much were they brand new?

[Cloggy_NZ]

When I bought mine new in '91 I paid $19995 for it. This was for the Cossack model with all the extras, bull bars, tow bar, wider wheels and tyres, cloth seats and carpets, sunroof, bullbar and spotlights, stereo and some fancy graphics. A plain jane Suzuki SJ413 also sold by the same dealer brand new was the same price. They were about the cheapest new cars available at the time with only something like a Daihatsu Mira (shoebox) being cheaper.
I briefly thought about buying the Suzuki until I drove it. No power, hard suspension, cramped interior, just as if not noisier. Dad had a 14' boat at the time and I don't think the Suzuki would have coped very well towing it up and down Wellington's hills. The Niva on the other hand, towed it quite well, they are rated to tow 1580kg which is not bad for a little wagon.
The Niva could also seat 4 people in comfort, 5 at a pinch.
A great little wagon. The fact that they were produced for 25 years straight without any major revisions or updates must say something that the engineers got the recipe pretty well right the first time around.
The new Niva is actually badged Chevrolet. General Motors saw an opportunity and took over the development of the second Niva. Stuck a decent engine in it (Opel 16 Valve, 2.0 MPI), refined the drivetrain for less noise, sorted out the build quality issues and are now building them in a brand new factory which can't keep up with demand.
No plans at this stage to build any RH drive models which is shame.

[nuts]

hey there was a guy in nelson bringing them in and putting toyota 24 turbo deisels in them ... well they went realy well in fact for wt they were they went off

[mercutio]

seen this

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Specialist-cars/Competition-cars/auction-97164961.htm

[rendog]

Yeah saw that thanks, but no wof or reg. But if nothing comes up, might consider something like that.