1991 Lada Niva 1.6carb/Lpg
Summary:
A 4x4 VW Beetle!
Faults:
1 month after I bought it, My friend had an accident with it and ran into a wall after jumping off a sidewalk 30 cm (1 feet tall). (replaced radiator with a new one and newer overheated again) However after repair, I drove it another 50 000 km and had my wife and my friends kept having minor accidents on and off-road. :)
Many things fail by the time if you buy a lemon in the first place! but the car keeps going and even survives accidents.
General Comments:
When I bought the car. I was told it had been in a very bad condition before and saw some restoration. The seats weren't original. Paint was in bad condition and the engine overheated easily although did not consume oil. It was an LPG conversion and almost never ran on petrol since LPG is cheaper.
The car is really solid. The engineering is very clever, but the material quality is very low. Rust, electric problems (blown fuses, blown bulbs are very common) are nature of the car. Clutch plate wears every 25 000kms (Heavy car with 1.6L engine.
Amazingly the car survived all the accidents and off road driving. Started very easily in winter even below minus 30 C.
Really slow on road and offroad, negotiating steep climbs can only be done using 1st low gearing. Otherwise a superb offroad car to amuse your friends.
Limited cargo space tells you that it is a small car. It is a 4x4 vw beetle!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 16th September, 2005
27th Sep 2005, 09:10
Good review of your Niva, which sounds like it`s had a pretty hard life - what with all the accidents etc. However, it kept going- and that`s the main thing. Your comment about the clutch was curious. My Niva has done over 60,000 kms. and the clutch is still original, with plenty of lining still left. Maybe, on occasions, you inadvertently rest your foot on the clutch pedal when you drive. This practice will burn up the clutch rapidly on any car. The only other logical reason for premature clutch wear, is the installation of an inferior quality after-market clutch kit,- which might have been the reason in your case, considering the relatively high mileage on your Niva when you bought it in the first place. Cheers!