RE: 400-mile Lada Niva for sale

RE: 400-mile Lada Niva for sale

Tuesday 9th August 2022

400-mile Lada Niva for sale

Well if a Suzuki Jimny is too common and a Dacia Duster too modern, here's just the new 4x4 for you


Despite first being launched not far off 50-years ago (1977), it’s still possible to buy a new Lada Niva. Well, sort of. Check lada4x4.co.uk and, perhaps unsurprisingly for a Russian car, the website states that imports ‘are currently paused’. There are three cars in EU stock, it says, though it’s hard to imagine that getting in one - if now is 'Lada time' for you - will be all that simple.

So how about this one? It’s very nearly new, having been registered last year and covered just 365 miles since, and it's for sale in Bramley, near Basingstoke. Much, much easier. Certainly it’d be the rarest 4x4 in any neighbourhood…

Plus, of course, if back-to-basics, no-frills transport is your bag, the Niva would be perfect. That dependability and ruggedness is what made the little Ladas such cult heroes, with the sort of rudimentary nature that makes a Dacia resemble a Range Rover. This was basic decades ago, so in a world of lane-keep assist and head-up displays, here’s a 71-plated car that also serves as a time capsule.

The doors look half the thickness of a Fiesta's, with incredibly basic door cards, and the interior is the definition of spartan. Yes, there’s a modern stereo in there (and even some extra speakers) but details like the spindly handbrake, elementary dials and switches from a microwave give away the Niva’s true age. That and how much can be seen with all the glass and skinny pillars. No need for parking cameras here…

There’s no hiding the Niva’s hardy 4x4 nature, either, with low-range and diff lock levers sprouting out of the middle with the gearstick and alongside what appear to be heated seat switches. Such decadence! The very opposite of the modern SUV, the Niva was always designed with proper go-anywhere ability in mind, and the outside gives an even clearer hint of that. The ground clearance is huge for such a small car, the tyres are narrow, the overhangs (the front in particular) short and any fripperies that might hinder progress in the rough are stripped away. Even the spare wheel is tucked under the bonnet. It’s hard to think of any vehicle, whether off-roader or track car, that makes its intended use quite so clear.

And by the standards of pick ups and traditional 4x4s, the Niva is going to be another level of basic to drive. We’re talking 0-60mph in 17 seconds and 23mpg, according to the internet - it’s not often you get such bad scores on both. Plus the noise, agricultural suspension, lack of safety kit… you best be prepared! That said, one review of the Niva from 2021 had this to say: “It’s not as good on-road as a Duster, but better on the rough stuff – and though a Jimny may be a more modern design it’s just as stupid a choice for long trips on Tarmac.” And you see Jimnys everywhere, so people are clearly committed to the cause – perhaps the Lada is not such a daft choice…

Alright, you’re really going to have to buy into what’s offered here. But as events like Festival of the Unexceptional have shown, there’s a real appetite out there for the simpler, less flashy cars – especially with limited-run, multi-million-pound supercars arriving every other week. Things that, ironically enough, end up being more common than the old and ordinary stuff that’s been ignored. £25k is a lot of money for a left-hand-drive car that’s politely described as compromised, but even when they could be ordered, a Luxe like this was just over £20k. Utilitarian chic doesn’t come cheap, it seems. But for something a little bit different…

See the original advert here.

 

Author
Discussion

Matt80M

Original Poster:

1,137 posts

171 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
I cannot imagine a single scenario where this is the vehicle I would choose to be in.

rossub

4,400 posts

189 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
Who the hell is going to hand over £25k for that?

I thought it would be £9,995

rewild

2,981 posts

138 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
So cool.

BrettMRC

4,037 posts

159 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
Not for £25k, not even if I won the Euro Millions.

The spinner of plates

17,650 posts

199 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
I guess even the oligarchs need to be less conspicuous these days.

MattsCar

915 posts

104 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
Some very tasty audio equipment in that...Dynaudio front speakers and Sony Hi Res player. At least a couple of grands worth.

Reciprocating mass

6,029 posts

240 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
They have always had optimistic pricing at the apple pie car dealer
But they have been there a very long time
They have a lovely Daimler but the price is a tad over what others seem to be going for

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204044...

FaustF

677 posts

153 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
For that price I don't know what the question is that results in that being the answer over a duster or jimny

biggbn

22,839 posts

219 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
Absolutely love these. Mate used to have one with a Fiat Twincam engine, much more driveable then!! Sturdy, proper off roaders

Turbobanana

6,160 posts

200 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
Confusing Article said:
...It’s hard to think of any vehicle, whether off-roader or track car, that makes its intended use quite so clear... (a) car that’s politely described as compromised...
So, which is it: a car that does exactly what it says on the tin or something that fails in some way to do what it was designed for?

cookie1600

2,095 posts

160 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
The particular Bramley where the showroom is sited, is roughly half way between Godalming and Guildford, before any interested party starts dashing off in the opposite direction to Basingstoke.

jeremyc

23,336 posts

283 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
Article said:
...and it's for sale in Bramley, near Basingstoke.
It's the Bramley near Guildford in Surrey, not the one near Basingstoke. But it's still closer that Russia. smile

Robmarriott

2,634 posts

157 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
Matt80M said:
I cannot imagine a single scenario where this is the vehicle I would choose to be in.
It’s raining and the only other vehicle available is a pink Ford StreetKa with roof which is stuck down?

biggbn

22,839 posts

219 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
Robmarriott said:
Matt80M said:
I cannot imagine a single scenario where this is the vehicle I would choose to be in.
It’s raining and the only other vehicle available is a pink Ford StreetKa with roof which is stuck down?
Oh, I'd have the StreetKa, one of the best fun cars I've owned!!

bungz

1,960 posts

119 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
biggbn said:
Oh, I'd have the StreetKa, one of the best fun cars I've owned!!
Was going to say I bet the Ka would drive infinitely better.

How does it get such appalling mpg laugh


Richard-390a0

2,224 posts

90 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
That is blooming fantastic & the neighbours would hate me for buying it so i want it even more lol!!! (just not at that price)

el romeral

1,030 posts

136 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
Quite a perky little thing and they seem to have aged well but maybe not at that price.

pb8g09

2,302 posts

68 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
My Eastern European partner would be absolutely over the moon if I brought this home one day.

Then I'd tell her the price and she'd probably murder me in my sleep.


Matt80M

Original Poster:

1,137 posts

171 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
biggbn said:
Robmarriott said:
Matt80M said:
I cannot imagine a single scenario where this is the vehicle I would choose to be in.
It’s raining and the only other vehicle available is a pink Ford StreetKa with roof which is stuck down?
Oh, I'd have the StreetKa, one of the best fun cars I've owned!!
You'd probably be drier in the StreetKa once you get moving.

andyj007

302 posts

177 months

Tuesday 9th August 2022
quotequote all
25 big ones... ... april fools surely