SUV - Sovjet Utility Vehicle

[Dr Lovejoy]

Bin Lada - 4x4 , 82 hp, 135 km/ h ( 136 with 98 octane), 1300 kg - built in 2007.

[gucom]

Am I the only one who finds these cars kinda awesome? 

and at the 1kph speed gain with 98 octane

[ARMAN]

cool cheap 4x4 2007 its a new car

[Skaala]

[Thamar]

OMG, you're my hero! 

No really, I would really like to own one of these. Build like a tank and capable of some nasty terrainwork...

[Dr Lovejoy]

Well, 10.000.- Euros will buy you a new one with a 2 year warranty.
They haven´t changed it since 1976, so you pretty much buy a "new" vintage car.

[MIHALS]

Do you guys know, that Lada Niva is the world's FIRST SUV built?
always loved these cheap little SUVs

[spanky]

very cool... being light can be a big advantage when goin through mud 

[ARMAN]

Do you guys know, that Lada Niva is the world's FIRST SUV built?
always loved these cheap little SUVs

I thought wragler or some toyota were the first ones, afterall Niva is very simular to some old yoda or nissan

[danidmas]

Cool! Mr Lovejoy finally decided to post!!

The Niva... I love that car. Seriously, I even considered buying one (if brand new it's dirty cheap... imagine a second-hand one) just for those rainy days when you don't have anything to do. But then, Samurais and Suzuki Jimmys are not much more expensive. Just wondering, what about its reliability?

Do you guys know, that Lada Niva is the world's FIRST SUV built?
always loved these cheap little SUVs

The americans were using Jeeps back in WW2

[ARMAN]

Just wondering, what about its reliability?

you can fix niva with pocket knife and they should be able to survive driving on russian roads wich is a high standart proof of its own

[Skaala]

The americans were using Jeeps back in WW2

A Jeep is not an SUV
A 5-door was even made


regarding reliability....if it's good enough for comrade Putins hunting trips it should do just fine for the rest of us

[Dr Lovejoy]

I would definitely buy one again - although it had a major hazard just before christmas: a linkage or rod between the two gearboxes just broke off and I had no gears at all.
That happened @ 05:00 in the morning on my way to Germany on a deserted norwegian road - of course  - just 3 months after the warranty expired.
But Lada Germany told me, before they even had seen the car(!), that there would be no expenses at all and they would fix it! And they did.
After all it was a production fault / defect and they are using a different supplier for these parts now( a lot of bended metal I can´t name).

Anyway the Niva is reliable and cheap to run although the tank is to small (42 litres / 10L/km). 4 new snow tires with 4 new rims came in @ 680.- Euros.
A major service is somewhere between 120.- and 160.- Euros. You have to make some improvements though: the (metal)mirrors rot after one norwegian winter, (plastic)replacement is 47.- Euros each side, there is no room for speakers in front nor is there any radio (I got one though).
And you have to keep an eye on the body work because the paint work is thin, so my dealer gave me a pot of paint when I bought the car (that IS one honest seller!)
The heating system is beyond anything i´ve ever experienced: HOT!

btw: Lada is under contract with Opel - means GM - and my dealer is really into muscle cars, what comes in handy when I get myself a 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner 442 Six Pack..................

[Phobo]

lol and I thought you were kidding when you said you own a lada niva .

What was the main reason that you bought it and how is it to drive on tarmac? Please
make some shots from the inside if possible.

When its under the flagship of GM I doubt that it is no big problem to find someone who can fix problems
because I dont think there are many dedicated lada service stations in norway.

[yeckmohr]

this car is epic, i like it, my father had also a lada, i learned driving in it, okay it was a fiat/lada.
it's russian comfort style, the ventilation is like a sandstorm, noisy and the luxury isn't there, but the 4WD is perfect i heard.

[Guyon]

Being an American I've never seen a Lada, only seen them on the internet. Seems like a good buy though!

[Schwalbe]

Nice to see your SUV Dr Lovejoy ! 

Your truck was popular in the 90' in Canada, especially for his 4x4 capacity in the snow. Today it's quiet rare to see one. 

Nice Skaala's pix of you trying to climb the hill. 

All the best buddy !

Julz

[mrmojo77]

A classic! I have used one while in the army. One of the patrol cars was a Lada Niva and it was clearly one of the most reliable cars in use by our group. Other Russian jeeps, UAZs were always broken and even when there was three of them it was a rare occasion to have one in running condition.
I would happily own a Niva.

[Dr Lovejoy]

A four hour trip on the danish highway (120km/h) with the Lada is........eh........loud.
Well at least louder than other cars, so you need really good speakers, but its a comfortable ride.
Long distance hauls on tarmac are no stress and it makes a nice camper because you can reach
places in nature where no body else gets..............

[stmoritzer]

looks like fun 

cool car