1992 Lada Niva review from Australia and New Zealand

Countless auto electrical problems, most notably the electronic fuel pump died leaving me stranded kilometres from home. I had problems with the high beam headlights and interior dash and cabin lights.

Clutch wore out and cost over $700 to repair this and the donut seal at the back of the gearbox.

Radio died not long after I got the car.

The wheels rusted badly and I rolled the tyre off the rim many times.

For a 4wd the Niva had very low clearance off road.

There was a major problem with the system that returned unburnt petrol to the tank that caused the tank to overheat and evaporate the petrol and left me stranded by the side of the highway with no petrol. There was also a major petrol leak from this system.

Whenever it rained the passenger floor pan filled with water and mud.

Wow, I have never had such an unreliable car, and I have owned 9 other vehicles previous to the Lada.

I owned a 1978 Datsun Patrol and decided to downgrade to a 4cylinder 4wd as I was spending a lot of money running the 6 cylinder patrol. The patrol was only worth AU$1000 so I was unable to replace it with a more desirable Suzuki Sierra.

The Lada I ended up with was a 1992 model, but several people estimated it to be a 1970 model based on its shape and vinyl interior. The interior was rough and uncomfortable and sticky in Australian summers.

It was very unreliable and I had to have it towed about 10 times in a year due to auto electrical and other problems.

It was very slow, and I found it to rev very high at 110km/h so I tended to coast along at 90kmh on highways to conserve petrol. It lacked power off road, though I occasionally suprised people in various off road situations.

I do not recommend this car to anyone as it is a nightmare to maintain. Cost of parts were high, and that was if the parts could be sourced in the country.