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Lada Niva


triumphant59
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Travelled as passenger in a Niva over a lot of pretty rough terrain in Mongolia back in 1996, and it was certainly very capable off-road.    Reasonably comfortable ride both on and off roads, as far as I remember.

Two acquaintances in the Scottish Borders ran Nivas for several years, and both were happy enough to replace them with the same model.   One drove the Niva until the end of his life, and I think the other only changed to a different make (an early Sportage) when the Lada agencies stopped importing.

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we put a fiat twincam engine in one back in the late seventies out of a fiat 125 i think bolted into lada bell housing a few mods to hoses and wiring also did a riva with same went well no chain rattles we must have been bored but the 4x4 one went every where left land rovers for dead

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a friend had one many years ago at edge hill shooting ground and 4x4 track  forgot something and said ill nip home over the track out the top gate         the land rover boys get a coffee this will be worth watching     as they failed on that stretch all day  old john straight up and out the gate no dramas  home and back down  no more urine extraction by the v8 boys  didn't tell them he had a fiat mirafiori 131  twin cam engine fitted     as they ran on old fiat running gear       industrial bullet proof    however rot like a pear 

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1 hour ago, defender said:

I can remember them from years ago, calipers seized, cam chains went, gearbox lost gears and then there's the rot.

Not seen one in years till I went to Bulgaria.

Most of the problems were down to poor maintenance apart from the gearbox issues which have been sorted with updated thrust bearings. 

The rot is no worse than any other car of that time and it does mean you get good at welding.

they seem to fetch good money if already in the country but if your willing to do a road trip to lands afar you can buy one and drive it home and save quite a few pound notes.

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14 hours ago, rovercoupe said:

Most of the problems were down to poor maintenance apart from the gearbox issues which have been sorted with updated thrust bearings. 

The rot is no worse than any other car of that time and it does mean you get good at welding.

they seem to fetch good money if already in the country but if your willing to do a road trip to lands afar you can buy one and drive it home and save quite a few pound notes.

im with you lack of maintenance kills vehicles even today  the bonnet only gets lifted for an mot  30yrs ago most checked and maintained their own vehicles   some good some never changed the oil     ask anyone to check their oil or brake fluid its a larffe  the girls have more idea            or pay and squeal at mot time 

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