1980 Russian Lada Niva Off-Road 4×4

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January 11, 2012 – The seller has relisted for a BIN of $5,000. We’re getting closer to the $4,000 I spouted off six weeks ago.


November 27, 2011 – At $4,000 this SUV would be enticing but at $6,000 starting bid the trigger isn’t quite cocked and on December 2, 2011 – no one else pulled the trigger either.  I’m encouraged by the Fiat DOHC engine swap for part and mechanical reliability/availability plus lots of new parts which I guess means they are available. 

It’s really got a nice stance and overall timeless style to it.  


“Up for bid is a 1980 Lada Niva. As the door plate says, this 4×4 SUV was made in the USSR. This is your chance to own the same type of off-road vehicle as Vladimir Putin. While these are the vehicle of choice throughout much of Eastern Europe and Russia they are extremely rare in the US.
The engine in this Niva has been converted to a 1981 Fiat Spider DOHC 4 cylinder with Bosch fuel injection. This almost doubles the horsepower along with making parts readily available. There is information on this type of conversion available online for those that are interested. It has a five speed manual transmission along with shifters for a differential lock and hi-lo. Since the conversion the Niva has less than 10,000 miles on it. 

At the time of the conversion the following was done:
Completely rebuilt engine
New 210mm (larger) clutch
Rebuilt ZF gear Box
Rebuilt radiator
Rebuilt front/rear driveshafts with new U-joint and couplers
Rebuilt brake system with new master cylinder, new front 3-piston calipers and pads, new rear wheel cylinders and shows, new rubber brake lines
New German made CV joints, both inners and outers
New front suspension ball joints, rebuilt steering box
New all terrain tires on 16” alloy wheels

Know issues with the car that cannot be seen in the pictures:
Headlight wipers do no work
Spare tire does not hold air

Recent history of the car:
This car was purchased by a friend of mine in March of 2009 off of Ebay. Her and I served in the Peace Corps together in the Republic of Georgia. We spent a lot of times riding through remote areas of the caucus mountain ranges in Nivas and it was just too much of an opportunity to pass up.  She drove the car regularly up till about a year ago when she started a PHD program. At that time she asked if she store the car at my house in Petaluma CA while I headed overseas again. The car was driven from San Diego to Petaluma (600 miles) at that time without any problems. The car has spent the last year under a temporary carport at my house. I started it up last month, installed a new Bosch fuel pump, and took care of some light electrical issues. I have driven the car up and down my driveway but the car is not currently insured so I have not taken it out on the road. It appears to be running slightly hot but otherwise everything is in working order. We are both sad to see this go but we don’t have the space or time for it. This car needs to go to an enthusiast that is interested in driving and maintaining a rare 4×4 vehicle. I have only seen one other of these in the US.” 





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