Whole Lada Love: 1985 Lada Niva 4×4
I used to think that the Mercedes 300E that I had in the late-80s was special because it had headlight wipers, and then along comes a 1985 Lada Niva 4×4 that also has headlight wipers and it’s even older and much cooler than the Benz was. I need to redo my headlight wiper vehicle wish list. This tough Soviet 4×4 can be found here on Craigslist in beautiful Sammamish, Washington with an asking price of $10,950. Thanks to Roger for sending in this tip!
Having grown up in the 1960s and 70s, Russian, or then Soviet, vehicles were always so interesting to me and they still are. Maybe even more so after a visit to Russia a few years ago. When they involve having all four wheels powering the vehicle and manual shifting in a small, tough-looking shape, I’m all in. I’ve had a Fiat Panda 4×4 on my list for too long now and a Lada Niva is somewhat similar in size and configuration. I don’t know if AutoZone would have parts for either one of them and that’s nothing to fret about these days, thanks to Al Gore we have the magic of the internet at our fingertips and we can search for parts from around the globe! Parts are readily available for these Lada 4x4s since they’re still in production today and really haven’t changed that much over the decades.
Yep, this seller is as cool as it gets. That’s probably a Russian bike, too. A really, really, really small Russian bike. Ok, back to this Lada. They were made starting in 1977 and they’re still being made today as the Lada 4×4. The designers reportedly referred to the Niva as a “Renault 5 put on a Land Rover chassis”. There is no question that they’re tough. Russian tough. Soviet tough. As in Soviet villagers-and-farmers-living-in-the-woods tough. That’s what they were designed for, Niva translates into the word field, “a wide, open space that is usually used to grow crops or to hold farm animals”. There are a few videos on the internet and here’s a cool one on YouTube showing the versatility of these things. In the desert or in town, everyone from farmers to pregnant women loves the Lada Niva!
There are no interior photos at all which is incredibly strange. Usually, it’s the engine photos that are left out of an online sales listing. I’m guessing that it’s drop-dead perfect inside, too. Here, there is an engine photo but it’s 74.8% obscured by the gigantic non-Subaru-looking tire under the hood. That’s one big, heavy tire, Comrade! This should be a 1.6L inline-four with just under 80 hp and this Niva has a 5-speed manual instead of a 4-speed so that’ll be nice during your 30-mile commute. Seriously though, I would love to have a Lada Niva, there’s something about these small, tough 4x4s that gets to me. Are there any present or former Lada Niva (or, Lada 4×4) owners out there?
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Comments
Lada? Nada.
Where’s your sense of adventure? If you’re bored with all of the Subaru Justys that clog up the car shows here’s a chance to be different.😁
Here in France we say Lada-Caca. That would translate into Lada-POS. I saw one at my mechanics a couple of weeks ago. It was like new. Only 2000 km on the odo. Was garage kept for over 2 years. They put it back on the road but it is always coming back for a reason or another. The guy can’t stand the thing anymore…they have other Niva’s on maintenance and the guy with the greased hands told me the were just a huge pile of cr@p and told me to never buy one. Poorly built, poor materials used. They do have good all terrain qualities though and are very good at that. Maybe Honda or Mazda should buy the brand, get their engineers in the plant and re-think stuff…
Not Honda or Mazda but Mahindra. I love the little Roxor.
rust, rot is the killer on these BUT that locking center diff… you can pull thru anything… more than ANY other 4wd I had (gord in canada)
IF you can find parts that is…. with the net, you are sourcing overseas so stockpile before “the Don” closes that avenue!
and don’t forget, at least with the ones to canada, you could HAND CRANK the engine… should be that hole under the badge in the green body under the grille
Looks like a Yugo 4X4.
One only needs to go to YouTube and watch Russian car accidents to know you NEVER EVER want to ride in one of these. I now know why they have two door handles….they double as your coffin!! They don’t hold up well in wrecks at all; they’re top-heavy; no crumple zones built into the body shell, and from what I’ve witnessed in those videos….no I-beams in the doors either! Have a death wish? Buy a LADA and drive the roads of Russia. You might last an entire week!
Well, ok, but half the stuff on Barn Finds doesn’t even have collapsible steering columns. Is this one more dangerous just because it has a later build date?
I had a friend who bought one new. It was a true pile of junk and after struggling for a year he sold it. It was not well built at all. But it was a pretty decent little 4×4 and would go anywhere, and it came with a hand crank. Yep. In 1987 you could start it by hand so that was cool.
Yea, Will,My grandson and I watch the russsian car crashes and are amazed how these people drive. And most of the cars fold up like a Wheaties box. Some of the cars look identical to the American counterparts, but they aren’t, as you say. Death traps all of them. The boxy Lada sedans are the worse.
Gimmme American iron..
Cheers
GPC
They sold these in Canada as well. They are amazing off road and very slow.
Had one in Canada. Great car for what it was. I had both a Niva ( paid $300 for it cause it had a broken transfer case) and a 1980 Lada 1500. I loved these cars. Simple to fix, reliable transport for the price and very rugged. Rust was the issue and the seat fabric broke down in the sun.
Hand crank, manual fuel pump for priming and points and condenser. Wish I could find a reasonable 1500 now…they’re all 10g’s and up.
Ah, the original KGB SUV…
NZ got them in exchange for milk powder during the Soviet Era. I remember looking at new ones in the mid-1980s with my then brother-in-law. The cars’ build and materials quality wasn’t particularly good; they seemed underpowered and very thirsty on fuel. He ended up buying a Suzuki SJ410, which was a much better vehicle for his use.
As already mentioned, rust is a major killer in these Soviet machines. The few surviving examples over here go for around USD $3K if it’s in decent shape. Rusty ones go for much less.
It’s interesting to me the sort of money being asked for these cars in North America.
Remember my old man bought an 87 Niva as he needed a cheap 4×4. I was in my teens then,don’t think I’d never felt so embarrassed before… It was only 5 years old when he aquired it, but already had SEVERE rust issues.
Rust eventually killed it after a few years.Technically however, I remember my pa found it very easy to work on and its terrain capabilities were excellent even on stock tires.Due to wear the 5spd had to replaced with a far more available 4spd from a regular Lada; the operation was a breeze in the driveway.
Quality on upholstery and trim parts was below any standards.It was extremely lazy on the road and rusted in most unthinkable places – like the middle of the roof! The Niva still has its assets, as its been in production for 40 years but soon will end.You can still buy an upgraded Niva Putin edition ,in camoflage colors of course!Or how about the ‘pimped’ version…?
mark, there is a good reason it looks like a Yugo to you, the Yugo was a variant of the fiat 127 and the lada niva built by vaz used the mechanics from a fiat 124 with the exception of the 4×4 system and the body was from inspiration of a prototype they built derived from the fiat 127 that became the Yugo. I used to own one when I lived in costa rica. very slow and probably not the safest means of transport but was great offroad.
Bought one new, in Canada.
It went anywhere and everywhere.
I towed a tent trailer up the 400 hwy in Ontario, with 4 people and all the gear to Algonquin park; 3rd gear up one hill, otherwise always in 4th or 5th.
Got to Algonquin Park and my neighbor had a brand new Ford F150, American guy. He trash talked the Niva non stop, for days, until the hood was up on the Ford. He needed tools to fix something, so I loaned him the tool kit that was standard equipment on the Niva. You could almost rebuild the engine with that kit. He stopped trash talking my Niva after that. Besides having a great tool kit, which I never needed, I drove it for 10 years and wish I still had it.
Simon Ross. He has an English-sounding name, but he is Russian. Well known around here…he & my nephew actually raced a Niva in the “24 Hours of Lemons” last summer.
Austrian Import, look at the windscreen sticker right top corner! Wonder how she ended in the states. Cheapest true 4×4 here in Austria! If you look at the second line of the sticker it will tell you the last reg. number and in the circles the expiry of the last TÜV (technikal inspection). Thei are not all that bad, had a few issues with cams, leaking brake reservoir, loose nuts n bolts, but nice to work on.
Thomas from Tyrol!
Niva was developed for Russian roads that disappear during rain and other difficult terrain to access. These were exported to markets outside of Soviet Union in order to import foreign currency. They were never designed to conquer Auto Bahn or even Karl Marx Strasse. Idea was to offer a vehicle that could be serviced in a village garage with minimal tools.
Vehicles for CCCP domestic market were almost always offered in “semi-raw” state, many times a new owner would end up diving under his new aquisition to tighten oil pan bolts, check belt tightness, level of coolant, brake fluid, adjust the clutch etc. Did anyone say warranty? Nyet! Export models were assembled on different lines subject to much stricter quality control and with carburetors and other components from the west that would make them more “serviceable” in the Western markets. As these were to be the “face” of the Soviet Union, they had to be much better than the ones for domestic use.
Many Western mechanics simply did not know or even care to work on these utilitarian buggies from behind the Iron Curtain. Sort of reminds me the techs in the US when workin on Alfas and Fiats, some of the most reliable brands until they were utilized in the US. Fix It Again Tony? If you would have actually taken your Fiat to Tony then he may have fixed it right the first time…
Interesting array of ex-pat metal in the photos, with Gaz 21 being a very attractive proposal. The red Izh 2125, ahh not so much comrade. I do see several in LA from time to time, there was a white one in particular with dealer plates. No way to get these even close to being registered in Commiefornia legally, but even gray market smog would be a stretch.
I have to correct my previous post its Gaz 24, not Gaz 21. Don’t know what happened, maybe too much schnapps? )))
I’d rather have the Volga or the Izh in the garage
Mitch, are you sure you have thought this one out? I understand Volga 24 but Izh? Come on, comrade ;-))
Of course, you’re right, I was just showing off.