chilicheri
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 2
Registered: Jan 29, 2010 4:53:20 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
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Post by chilicheri on Jan 29, 2010 5:16:35 GMT 2
Hi all Lada peops,
I moved to the Kalahari recently and was looking at buying a nifty and capable off-road vehicle for a lady. I'm not going to bundu bash just yet, but would like the option to do so when the time comes. The gravel roads are to be reconed with and the unpredictable weather and rain storms and mudbaths needs to be negotiated without too much trouble.
I am not that mechanically skilled though, and would thus prefer a model that will initiate me kindly...
Any recommendations on which year models etc I should avoid for now, and which ones I should try to go for?
I found many Lada's available for purchase, but found some conflicting opinions about reliability and the justification of it.
All and all I think the Lada is in the top 3 on my list, and I need to get some wheels soon, so pls reply at yr earliest convenience...
Kalahari greetings, ChiliCheri
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Post by danie on Jan 29, 2010 6:37:52 GMT 2
Hi ChiliCheri - welcome to the forum.
There could be many pitfalls when buying a Lada, specially when a lady - without any technical knowledge, buys one.
I will respond again later this evening - in the meanwhile I am sure the guys on the forum will air their views in this regards as well.
Regards
Danie
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Post by ronnie on Jan 29, 2010 10:14:19 GMT 2
Hi Chilicheri
Welcome to the Forum. I do not know where in the Kalahari you are but I have traveled extensively in the wild areas of Botswana and the Lada was 100 % reliable. Always remember the Lada is essentialy a 60's design and it requires regular maintenance to remain reliable. Danie will respond more fully later.
Regards
Ronnie
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Post by danie on Jan 29, 2010 18:55:34 GMT 2
Hi ChiliCheri In short, and to be honest, I believe that Ladas offer excellent value for money, to anyone who has technical skills, and who who is capable of working on his / her own Lada. As Ronnie said - Ladas (specially the carb. models in my opinion) are an old design, and anyone with average mechanical skills, should be able to do the required maintenance, to remain reliable. It is common knowledge that labour fees are very expensive in our motor industry - and the "Lada world in South Africa" is no exception at all. If you do know somebody who might be able to assist you with technical advice / maintenance, and you finally decide to buy a Lada, I would advice you rather to contact Jan Pretorius from Centurion Lada - to get more information about his rebuilds: www.ladasa.co.za/I m must stress though, I do not have any knowledge about the quality of Jan's rebuilds, so I would advice you that should you be interested, to insist on a written guarantee on his workmanship' and the Lada in general. While you find yourself in the Kalahari (far from Centurion) I would also advice you to make sure that Jan would be able to meet your needs, whenever you might have problems. Hope this will help. Regards Danie
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Post by ronnie on Feb 7, 2010 12:35:11 GMT 2
Hi Danie,
I have thought long and hard if I should comment about the quality of the rebuilt Lada"s and have decided to do so.This is all from my own experience. Before starting remember if you are like me and stay far from the supplier a guarantee is of limited value.
1) paint work is very good and comes close to the quality of a professional panel beater.
2)engine rebuild is excellent I have no complaints.
3)Gearbox rebuild is excellent again I have no complaints.
4)Steering small amount of play at steering wheel but is acceptable to me.
5)Transfer case Too much play on out put to front and rear axles which leads to an unacceptable amount of vibration. I will attend to this later.
6)Upholstery. this is my major gripe. I consider the supplier they use to be useless, and certainly not a professional. He simply makes covers and then installs them on top of the original material instead of stripping the seats down to the foam first. The seats are now bigger due to the extra material and the back seat pushes on the plastic side trim and creaks continually. I have cured this by simply removing the covers.
7)all doors have new rubbers and locks.
8) brakes when I collected the vehicle the brakes were awful and I would have gone back straight away except I had a 700km journey in front of me. I fixed them myself at home. I also notice the brake proportional valve on the back axle has been removed, why i do not know.
9) I should have rebuilt one my self then my own standards would have prevailed.
10) If you do not have the skills to do the work yourself then a rebuild is the way to go. But specify exactly what you want. This is difficult when you are far from the supplier, and I should in hind site have flown to JHB every week to check. The extra cost would have made little difference
Hope this is of assistance to someone who is looking at buying a Lada.
Regards
Ronnie
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Post by danie on Feb 7, 2010 18:30:58 GMT 2
Thanks for your honest report Ronnie - this report will definately enable any prospective buyer to consider all options before buying a Lada.
I still believe that it would make sense to insist on a written guarantee on these rebuilds - specially when somebody with no mechanical skills, buys one of these vehicles. This will obviously ensure that the new owner could have some peace of mind , and that the Lada (including brakes) has been rebuilt to acceptable standards.
Regards
Danie
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