ffjunkie
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 16
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Hoezit
Jul 18, 2010 17:11:09 GMT 2
Post by ffjunkie on Jul 18, 2010 17:11:09 GMT 2
I'm about to buy my first Niva, as I was looking for a good car that a student can afford, but still take me to remote places to practise my falconry, not get me stuck and bring me back in one piece. I previously owned a Honda Prelude '88, but spares were immensely expensive, then had a VW Jetta II, but the engine was about to go, so I sold it, currenlty going about bashing my dad's Honda CRV. Cheers Adam
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Hoezit
Jul 18, 2010 17:22:09 GMT 2
Post by marius on Jul 18, 2010 17:22:09 GMT 2
Hi Adam Warm welcome to the forum! I think you're about to buy the right car to practice your exciting hobby Enjoy! Marius
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Hoezit
Jul 18, 2010 17:31:07 GMT 2
Post by Ari Bezuidenhout on Jul 18, 2010 17:31:07 GMT 2
Hi Adam
Good choice and the Niva is an easy to work on cheap to fix vehicle that can take you anywhere. By the way I'm also a student. I hope you get one soon.
Ari
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Hoezit
Jul 18, 2010 18:06:53 GMT 2
Post by ronnie on Jul 18, 2010 18:06:53 GMT 2
Hi Adam Welcome to our Forum. As Ari and Marius have already said you have picked the right vehicle. You won`t be sorry. Regards Ronnie
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spikes
Moderator
Posts: 3,689
Location: Mpumalanga
Town: Nelspruit
Registered: Apr 19, 2010 19:39:51 GMT 2
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Hoezit
Jul 18, 2010 18:37:29 GMT 2
Post by spikes on Jul 18, 2010 18:37:29 GMT 2
Welcome Adam spikes
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Hoezit
Jul 18, 2010 18:50:33 GMT 2
Post by danie on Jul 18, 2010 18:50:33 GMT 2
Hi Adam
Welcome to the Forum, and please let us know once you manage to find one.
Just some advice - don't go for good looks only. If you find one you really like, take it for a proper test drive ..........and if you need more advice, feel free to ask any question at this Forum before you buy the car.
Regards
Danie
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Hercules
Veteran Niva Petrol Head
Lada - your peace of mind to take on the world's vast landscapes.
Posts: 785
Location: Gauteng
Town: Benoni
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Hoezit
Jul 18, 2010 19:46:03 GMT 2
Post by Hercules on Jul 18, 2010 19:46:03 GMT 2
Hallo Adam.
A warm welcome to the forum, and like the previous members said, now you look for the perfect vehicle.
Hope to hear a lot from you.
Regards.
Hercules
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ffjunkie
New Niva Petrol Head
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Hoezit
Jul 18, 2010 21:12:44 GMT 2
Post by ffjunkie on Jul 18, 2010 21:12:44 GMT 2
Cheers guys, thanks for all the replies. I've seen some nice ones these past few days - they're more plentiful than I initially thought. I'm planning to swing past Jan Pretorius' place tomorrow to see what's what for myself, and then go looking at a few second hand ones.
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Hoezit
Jul 18, 2010 21:20:25 GMT 2
Post by Ari Bezuidenhout on Jul 18, 2010 21:20:25 GMT 2
Thats a good idea, but be careful, Jan can talk a whole in a persons head. Take what he says with a pinch of salt as the english say.
Ari
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ffjunkie
New Niva Petrol Head
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Hoezit
Jul 18, 2010 23:11:08 GMT 2
Post by ffjunkie on Jul 18, 2010 23:11:08 GMT 2
Dankie viri tip. I'll keep my eyes open and ears to the ground. I've collected alot of info over the past few weeks, so that I won't be buying a cat litter in the bag like last time.
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Hoezit
Jul 19, 2010 6:17:57 GMT 2
Post by danie on Jul 19, 2010 6:17:57 GMT 2
That sounds very good.
Be wise, take care, and keep us posted.
Regards
Danie
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Hoezit
Jul 19, 2010 9:30:28 GMT 2
Post by Ari Bezuidenhout on Jul 19, 2010 9:30:28 GMT 2
Hi Adam
If you are not sure about the one you want to buy , give me a shout and I could come give it a check over if you like? If its not too far.
Ari
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ffjunkie
New Niva Petrol Head
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Hoezit
Jul 19, 2010 14:27:17 GMT 2
Post by ffjunkie on Jul 19, 2010 14:27:17 GMT 2
Thanks for the offer chum, I'll let you know. I bumped into an old friend at a tyre shop today that I haven't seen for over two years.
Guess what he bought himself? A LADA!
Adam
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Hoezit
Jul 19, 2010 14:38:38 GMT 2
Post by Ari Bezuidenhout on Jul 19, 2010 14:38:38 GMT 2
Hi Adam
How did it go at Jan's place today?
And sure thing just give me a shout.
Ari
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ffjunkie
New Niva Petrol Head
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 14:13:41 GMT 2
Post by ffjunkie on Jul 21, 2010 14:13:41 GMT 2
Went to Jan's place today.
Just before I went there, I went to see a Lada that was advertised, but no price. Apparently the car was stolen, and after finding it back in 2004, the owner left it standing and now wants R50 000 for it. So no...
Jan gave me the number of a guy selling a basic, in very good condition, basically just needing maintenance, so I'll phone him sometime.
Jan also told me not to even look as an intermediate with plastic bumper, as they like to overheat in the bush, because of a smaller radiator. I also saw one for about R30 000, but the gearbox needs a recon and it is rusted all over the place.
Rooikoos' one still sounds very attractive.
Cheers Adam
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 14:55:08 GMT 2
Post by marius on Jul 21, 2010 14:55:08 GMT 2
Hi Adam
I'm not sure about the smaller radiator - but the scoop on the bonnet is the major overheating culprit on the intermediate.
>>Rusted all over<< stay away esp if rusted underneath. Gearbox repairs can be very expensive.
If you can find a Niva that is in good running condition (test drive it) and it does not jump out of 5th gear when you let go of the accelerator it's a good buy.
Any gray smoke coming from the exhaust on a hot engine at idle - is not a very good sign. Many Ladas tend to vibrate a litte at around 110. Anything excessive is not good but can be fixed.
Don't even think about the one that was left standing - after it was stolen in 2004! Did you test drive it?
The one Rooikoos wants to sell and the basic one sounds like good prospects.
Regards Marius
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ffjunkie
New Niva Petrol Head
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 15:01:53 GMT 2
Post by ffjunkie on Jul 21, 2010 15:01:53 GMT 2
Yeah, I know about the ones left standing, probably just good for spares. Had sliding back windows, maybe a Jan mod? Still, he wanted 50 grand for it. Not from me. I'll check out Danie's one as well as the basic one when I'm back in town next week.
Anybody on the plastic bumper ones overheating when driving along slowly on dirt roads?
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 15:48:42 GMT 2
Post by marius on Jul 21, 2010 15:48:42 GMT 2
I think even a perfect Niva would struggle to sell for 50K The plastic bumper one is the Sidekick - the one with the black plastic trim around the wheel arches is the Intermediate. Any Niva with working Russian thermostat and 10 liters of anti-freeze/water mix should not overheat.
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ffjunkie
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 16
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 16:21:14 GMT 2
Post by ffjunkie on Jul 21, 2010 16:21:14 GMT 2
Thanks for the help marius. just Jan I suppose...
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 17:11:06 GMT 2
Post by marius on Jul 21, 2010 17:11:06 GMT 2
Jan has "designed" his own - so called - SA thermostat - which is not a thermostat at all. Just restricts the flow of water to the radiator. Some of the guys on this forum are not happy with it.
My Niva still has the original Russian thermostat for more than 10 years now. For most of it I lived in a place with summer temps ranging from 35-45 (hot as hell). Not once did the car overheat.
I also did a lot of bumper to bumper traffic in Cape Town - still no problems.
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ffjunkie
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 16
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 17:44:21 GMT 2
Post by ffjunkie on Jul 21, 2010 17:44:21 GMT 2
How do I then go about checking if the Lada still has the original thermostat, or how big a job is it to replace the mod with the original?
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 17:58:44 GMT 2
Post by marius on Jul 21, 2010 17:58:44 GMT 2
In the tech part of this forum is an extensive thread on the subject. locsa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=technical&action=display&thread=22The original looks like this...number 2. If it looks like anything else it's not the original. You can easily order the original part from Russia or the EU. Normal running temp on the Niva is around 95 degrees. Running too cold or too hot will cause problems. Changing the thermostat is dead easy - but if the temp is fine leave it as it is.
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 17:59:32 GMT 2
Post by marius on Jul 21, 2010 17:59:32 GMT 2
;D Like this...
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Hercules
Veteran Niva Petrol Head
Lada - your peace of mind to take on the world's vast landscapes.
Posts: 785
Location: Gauteng
Town: Benoni
Registered: Oct 2, 2009 11:55:41 GMT 2
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 18:05:48 GMT 2
Post by Hercules on Jul 21, 2010 18:05:48 GMT 2
Hallo Adam.
All 1.7 Lada's has the same radiator. The intermediate have the same bumper as the standard Lada. Jan just knocked his own intelligence with his comment about the plastic bumpers, as he own and drive a turquoise Sidekick and even tow a trailer.
Danie's Lada is worth looking at and at a decent price.
Regards.
Hercules
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 18:22:00 GMT 2
Post by marius on Jul 21, 2010 18:22:00 GMT 2
Well said Hercules ;D
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ffjunkie
New Niva Petrol Head
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 18:38:37 GMT 2
Post by ffjunkie on Jul 21, 2010 18:38:37 GMT 2
Thanks for all the tech info. I also do believe that Danie's Lada could be the best option, besides, I prefer his over a basic anycase.
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 18:41:09 GMT 2
Post by Ari Bezuidenhout on Jul 21, 2010 18:41:09 GMT 2
Hi Adam
Have a good look around and dont be in a rush, that way you should get a decent one
Ari
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 18:42:39 GMT 2
Post by danie on Jul 21, 2010 18:42:39 GMT 2
We indeed find ourselves in a small world. ;D
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ffjunkie
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 16
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 18:55:02 GMT 2
Post by ffjunkie on Jul 21, 2010 18:55:02 GMT 2
Not in a rush at all. I think I have accumulated enough knowledge to find my way round a lada for the purpose of buying a well maintained vehicle. There are also just so many available on the market, as some vehicles I have been referred to by 3 independent people.
I've got a nice long weekend ahead of me, to decide what to do, and get the ball rolling next week.
Cheers Adam
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Hoezit
Jul 21, 2010 19:34:49 GMT 2
Post by marius on Jul 21, 2010 19:34:49 GMT 2
Also - too many bells and whistles in front of the radiator can also be a cause of overheating.
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