2004 Lada Niva from Croatia - Comments

Two front position lights went off, changed in 20 sec.

Slight vibration when starting with higher rpm, think it's clutch disk, maybe I misused/overused the clutch, but the car had no hard drive conditions.

You will be stopped by customs when crossing the border.

You will be passed by buses.

Bought new Corolla, didn't use this asset enough considering the price, decided to buy reliable 4x4 with max. price 10.000 EUR-Niva: average fuel consumption about 9lit/100 km, everything you really need in car is there, highways best speed 85-90kmh in 4th gear, low speed gives you safety, have to be patient with gears in winter-drive a little bit in 1st, central diff. gives you low ratio with NO lock, lada's traction beats power of big 4wds, you can enjoy your life wondering around freely, load it heavily, i am so relaxed when driving it, THIS CAR SMELLS LIKE FREEDOM.

Excellent review - sums up the Niva admirably. An added bonus with the car is its remarkable structural strength. This is a safety feature, not found in 4X4s of comparable size. I really feel sorry for any driver who has the misfortune to collide their car with a Niva. The result is always the same. Minimal damage to the Niva - extensive (often irrepairable) damage to the other car. I know, because it happened to me. A V.W. Transporter van accidentally ran into the front off-side of my stationary Niva - at a speed of approx. 50-60 km/hr. The front mudguard of the Niva was slightly dented, and the steel road wheel was buckled a little. The V.W. van, however, was completely demolished and had to be towed away to a wrecking yard. I drove home- and the subsequent repairs to my Niva were minimal. The steel body panels on the Niva are twice as thick as those on most other cars - and it is this unique feature, as well as the "beefed up" suspension components, that gives the Lada Niva its legendary strength and toughness.

Author of review: it was clutch disk, bad quality, easy worn, they put Sachs, it cost me 140 eur, now it's a different story - smooth and strong start. In between oil change intervals there was no need to refil oil. No loss of any other liquid. From time to time I clean and put grease on rubber parts and all moving parts under the car, other surfaces spray with WD40; so there is no rust to report, apart from little brownness under the back bumper (18000km now, parked on the street). Sticky, soft mud of river Sava haven't stopped Lada (no lock diff), but bigger 4X4 would fail I guess (heavy). Front wheels can lose traction on wet surfaces if you are to harsh, but regarding dry road cornering, Lada is really capable. Old fashioned bumpers can be used for additional fixing of your big roof cargo. So far it's very good investment - at least twice cheaper to buy and cheap to run.

The vibration you feel, when you are driving a niva, is coming from the prop shafts. The angle of, all 4,u joints at the end

of the prop shafts is wrong.

Try to find prop shafts from the chevy niva.

Or made the track bars and the pahnar, at the rear, adjustable.

If you do the second, start to adjust the track bars in a way

that will make the diff (pinion side) starting to look down (that is very important, not up, down) a few degrees.

GOOD LUCK!!!

For more tips e-mail me:bekakos74@yahoo.gr.

Now that the Chevy Niva has been released for several years in Russia, when are we going to see it exported to other markets around the world?

The new Niva is a completely new design with some good input from G.M. All it needs is an engine of a greater capacity than the current 1.7L, and I believe it would sell like hot cakes throughout the world.

Here in Australia, we`ve had Lada Nivas from 1983 until they ceased importing them in 1997. They were well received as a durable, reliable and inexpensive 4X4. Many thousands were sold, and most of them are still going strong. Enthusiasts, like myself, would love to see the new Chevy Niva come to our shores. We have a huge G.M.H. dealer network in this country that could retail and service the vehicles. Come on Lada, how about it?

I'm 17 and just got my license in the UK. Does anyone know where I can buy a reliable Lada Niva in the UK? It will be only for off-roading. I use a Honda NSR for commuting!

mail: technopersia@yahoo.com

Thanks.

A Lada Niva is an excellent choice for off-roading.

Look up a site called Lada U.K. Ltd., and get onto the discussion section, where you`ll find Nivas for sale. You can also chat to many Niva owners and find out more about this great 4X4.

Another suggestion is to keep an eye out for Nivas on E-bay. I`m from Australia, where we`ve still got quite a few really good Nivas on our roads.

Niva owners tend to be enthusiasts and possess some degree of mechanical skills. The cars are very easy to work on, and parts are readily available. Alan Bird, who is at Lada UK Ltd., runs a large spare parts business for Ladas, at reasonable prices. Regards.