RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 9:49:32 GMT 2
O and did I mention that it has only got 58 000km on the clock the guy says...
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Post by marius on Jun 1, 2011 11:34:34 GMT 2
Hi Darius This can be an excellent buy - but you have to be very careful as the low kilos might be an issue - i.e. the could have been standing for a long period. With low kilos like that EVERYTHING on the inside and outside of the car should still be in very good shape. If the dash is cracked it was stored in the open and not under cover. TAKE THE CAR FOR A TEST DRIVE - that is about the only way you would be able to tell whether the car is in fairly good shape. ENGAGE ALL THE GEARS. Apart from rust - look for some oil leaks on the ground where the car is parked. Check the condition of the steering box - esp if the car has oversized tyres fitted. Check for cracks/tearing where you see three nuts protruding from the body behind the right front wheel. Good luck Marius
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Post by Ari Bezuidenhout on Jun 1, 2011 12:21:13 GMT 2
Oneday I will most likely roll mine so I understand. If I had a double I wouldn't let myself touch my own car, Charles Ask Spencer, I almost did already and at less than 5km/h Ari
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Post by Ari Bezuidenhout on Jun 1, 2011 12:24:00 GMT 2
Thanks again everyone, I will then be on the look out for a Lada, good condition around the Pretoria area. Anyone who wants to join me when looking at one, beer is on me.... Charles and I could come with you this week or on the weekend. Charles goes back to JBAY on sunday afternnoon. Ari
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 14:42:40 GMT 2
Centurion lada only servised it once. No rust except above the rear left wheel, probably scraped a pole or something. Engine is very very quiet. Oil leak at head gasket and central hub thing where the propshaft connects. Cosmetically ugly specialy inside. But it would be cheaper replacing the interoir on a car as it would the engine. Funny thing, in the service manual there is a service for 134000 but the speedo reads 056820m did it hit a million? Got the guy to accept R19k. Paint job faded a bit all around.
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 14:45:48 GMT 2
O and it struggled to get out of diff lock!
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Post by ronnie on Jun 1, 2011 14:54:43 GMT 2
Hi Darius
The more you use the diff lock the easier it will get. It does not like never being used.
Ronnie
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 15:39:40 GMT 2
Here are some photos of the Niva.... I assume then Ronnie that the diff was probably never used that much as the guy stayed and worked on a farm so it was mostly used on a farm...
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 15:40:10 GMT 2
Here are some photos of the Niva....
I assume then Ronnie that the diff was probably never used that much as the guy stayed and worked on a farm so it was mostly used on a farm...
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 15:41:29 GMT 2
faded bonet
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 15:42:31 GMT 2
Sunroof, probably not standard
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 15:45:02 GMT 2
Left rear wheel bit of damage
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 15:51:11 GMT 2
Damaged dash
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 15:58:46 GMT 2
Engine.... Lada Centurion does not know much about this vehicle (which is probably a good sign).They did a major service last time in 2002, done master cylinder, wheel bearings, and some seals that where leaking. I must say again, it is no a noisy thing at all, the engine is very quiet. The worst is the cosmetics. Who else do you use in the gauteng area for services etc?
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 16:07:08 GMT 2
I also noticed that the gas light flashes on and off randomly.
This is it guys.... It is very hard to buy with my mind and not my heart....
It is a ugly little car but if the engine and body is good fantastic... It will probably cost me between R500 and R1500 to replace the whole dash interior I expect. I will look on the Russian website quickly. The paint job I will get buffed for the time being. Then I will also have a service done on it. Probably myself that is.
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 16:22:08 GMT 2
I don't know if you guys can notice something different on this one apart from your own that might not be stock standard
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Post by marius on Jun 1, 2011 17:55:43 GMT 2
Hi Darius The interior of a Lada is not exactly modern but I find it quite practical - esp the rubber mats. Very easy to clean and you can spill just about anything. I once broke a bottle of red wine in the car. Can you imagine if it was carpeted ;D This Niva doesn't look to bad but it got a real hammering from the sun. Have a look here what can be done with a cracked dashboard! locsa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=568&page=6The only thing non standard I can see is the fuel pump and the fuel filter is on the "wrong" side of the pump. Quite a number of Ladas were fitted with aftermarket sunroofs with many complaints of leaking. The spare wheel and jack is missing? Have you given it a test drive? Oh and I forgot - the best way to engage and disengage the diff lock is when the car is moving - up to about 40-60km/h. Marius
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Post by ronnie on Jun 1, 2011 18:29:39 GMT 2
Hi Darius
The fuel light seems to flash after the gauge drops slightly below full. I think all Nivas are the same. I removed the tank unit and altered the electrical pick up. The only problem now is when the gauge shows a quarter there is only 6 litres in the tank and when it shows empty it really is empty!. The good thing is the light only starts flashing as the gauge gets close to quarter. I notice the fan cowl is missing. There must be a grave yard some where full of them as mine and plenty others are also missing. ;D
Ronnie
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Post by ronnie on Jun 1, 2011 19:03:54 GMT 2
Hi Darius
You would have thought that being on a farm the diff lock would have been well used.
Ronnie
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spikes
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Post by spikes on Jun 1, 2011 19:34:14 GMT 2
Hi Darius, What does the brake pedal rubber look like? If it is worn through the rubber in the bottom r/hand corner only the 58k may be right BUT I'd be very wary of the fact that the service booklet shows 134k Curious: What is the bottle between the rad overflow tank and the brake fluid cyl for?? Once again: drive it and use all gears in both high and low range. Regards Spikes
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spikes
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Post by spikes on Jun 1, 2011 19:35:19 GMT 2
Oh yes! Good to see that the air-filter extension pipe is still in place S
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Post by ronnie on Jun 1, 2011 19:37:49 GMT 2
Hi Spikes
I assumed that was a windscreen washer bottle from some other vehicle.
Ronnie
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 20:06:27 GMT 2
I must add that there has been other guys servicing the Niva. None probably familiar with Lada vehicles and they might have added the bottle. Why the km's are so confusing I really don't know. Centurion lada says they serviced it last in 2008 and then it had 65 000 km on the clock.
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Post by marius on Jun 1, 2011 20:08:12 GMT 2
Darius I see the other guys came to my rescue with some other stuff I failed to mention - thanks guys! ;D As far as the tell tale fuel light - if you turn right you will have plenty of fuel - if you turn left the light will come on. The only exception will be the guys who live in Pennington that can afford to fill up - they won't notice it. ;D Anyway - don't worry about the fuel light - but if you travel in a straight line and the gauge shows near empty - IT IS NEAR EMPTY! Like Spikes I would also be very worried about the mileage reading - it smells very fishy to me Marius
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Hercules
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Post by Hercules on Jun 1, 2011 20:56:09 GMT 2
Hi Darius.
The green colour paint on the Niva is of a bad quality and they all faded in the sun, mine too. The sun did got hold of this car.
The washer bottle is not standard and the filler cap is missing.
The dash is from the sun and is called Niva sickness. About all of them is cracked.
The fuel pump is non standard and please move the filter before the pump. It look like the work of a certain pro we know.
If the sunroof leaks, do not worry, very cheap and easy to repair.
The tyres fitted are normal road tyres.
The speedo reading is a bit doggy, maybe the speedo was replaced or the cable disconnected.
The spare wheel and jack and jackspanner is missing.
The vehicle overall look good and the price is fair providing the engine and drive train is OK.
Regards.
Hercules
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 21:03:10 GMT 2
It stinks of fishiness!!! But honestly it sounded very good (like most Nivas on youtube), drove very well and was very quiet (I just did not go to 5th gear seeing it was gravel roads we test drove the thing on). Spikes the pedal? I can't remember noticing it was worn, i probably would have if it was but I am almost 99% sure that it wasn't worn. My gut tells me that he probably replaced the speedo unit and everything at some stage for some reason. So no one will really know what the km's are as the old man sadly past away.
I am glad to hear the Fuel light is not a problem thanks Marius.
I know that assumption is the mother of all F'ups. Thus I assume that the people who worked on it before could not get hold of parts and had a 'Boer maak n plan' brainstorm. Which leaves me to believe it might be small things and probably some of them can cause major problems (self made seals for instance).
Personally seeing that it is only going for R19k I believe it not a bad deal but neither a really good one. You just get what you pay for, for a vehicle that is not around that much anymore. Correct me if I'm wrong on that. I'd love to service and fix where I can by myself and will appreciate any assistance that anyone can give.
Does anyone have a ballpark figure of what it might cost to respray the thing white...
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RATEL
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Post by RATEL on Jun 1, 2011 21:07:18 GMT 2
Thanks for the input Hercules! I appreciate!
Spare tyre is in the back, its a larger tyre than normal thus the bonnet does not want to close when you have the spare in.
Regarding the jack, I can't remember seeing it. But they are readily available (not a standard Niva type though), unless there is something I should know that I don't about the jack.
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Post by jaco1978 on Jun 1, 2011 21:27:46 GMT 2
The interior of a Lada is not exactly modern but I find it quite practical - esp the rubber mats. Very easy to clean and you can spill just about anything. I once broke a bottle of red wine in the car. Can you imagine if it was carpeted ;D No-no-no!!! One should never break a bottle of red wine. And cleaning a carpet would not have been punishment enough. ;D
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Post by jaco1978 on Jun 1, 2011 21:30:24 GMT 2
Regarding the jack, I can't remember seeing it. But they are readily available (not a standard Niva type though), unless there is something I should know that I don't about the jack. Darius, I might get a high-lift jack soon and might then be willing to part with my stock one. Unless there is a reason to hold onto it.
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Hercules
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Post by Hercules on Jun 1, 2011 21:32:42 GMT 2
A jack is not a problem, as a 2ton bottle jack works better. Mine aslo has not an original jack, and if I had one, can not use it as my vehicle got Excallibar side steps fitted.
Regards.
Hercules
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