I Bought The Craziest Russian 4x4 Van Sight Unseen (From Russia): Was It a HUGE Mistake?

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( tfl-studios.com/ ) Check out our new spot to find ALL our content, from news to videos and our podcasts! Here's something you've probably never seen before if you live in North America - one of the craziest Russian vans we've ever come across! Andre's spent six months getting this vehicle shipped over from Russia, and now the UAZ Buhanka is finally here. Check it out!
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#UAZ #Buhanka #UAZ452

[@ThePyleDriver]

Cooler than all the other 4x4s you guys have, combined. Nice work!

[@theascenderrc8545]

Unless they got a ford van with 44”s

[@themadpants781]

For real. This thing is badass

[@theascenderrc8545]

@@themadpants781 I’d be lying if I said I didn’t agree

[@bradh7472]

Seriously this is bad A$$! The Russians definitely took a page out of VW bus.... LOL Its a gas engine? Sounded like a little Kubota diesel.

[@somerandomgoogleuser3374]

@@bradh7472 It'll be a low power output motor, due to it being able to run on very low octane fuel - remember only 76hp!!!! It seemed to run pretty clean at the end of the video......

[@aleksey1189]

In Russia people say about UAZ : "it always wounded, but never dead"

[@vihreelinja4743]

We have uaz in the finnish military also. Old uaz jeeps did not have a motor oil drain plug so we drilled and welded them so it is possible to change the motor oil :) otherways the were bomb proof

[@Pilusajaib]

@@vihreelinja4743 wait, what? No drain plug?

[@antti-jussikemppainen305]

@@Pilusajaib The legend says that the car was made to be, almost, a one use vehicle. You'd ship it to the frontline and it would operate as long as it would. The Cold War and ussr made a interesting combination in many ways. I guess the logic was that it was more likely for the car to be shot to bits than that it would need any major service. Oil change included. It does have an fuel filler cab😁

[@Pilusajaib]

@@antti-jussikemppainen305 okay that makes sense, but so weird lol. Thx for the explanation

[@antti-jussikemppainen305]

@@Pilusajaib You're welcome! All the soviet era vehicles are a bit odd for people used to western stuff but highly capable nevertheless. More utilitarian that's all.

[@lordbaltimore1450]

Congratulations. This truck remind me when I used to drive them during the war between old country and Iraq back in 80's. Solid rock hard Russian vehicle, no joke, last forever. Just be ready for possible water pump failure. Russian built it for colder climate. I always had a spare one since I served in middle eastern military. Thank you for sharing this video. Old memories remind me how blessed I have been since this beautiful country adopted me as a citizen.

[@sam_s_]

If you are serious, America is luck to have people who come here and truly appreciate the country.

[@windrider65]

Welcome to your new home. Anybody that comes here legally I'll welcome with open arms.

[@GeorgeSemel]

As a Citizen, you are considered as much an American as a person who can trace the family back to the Mayflower. It's one of the really beautiful and unique aspects of the United State. We really have it good here so much so we take it for granted way too much. There is so much to do here, I for one after Labor Day weekend I am heading west to the Driftless Area of Wisconsin to fish the spring creeks. I like to fly fish and well I just love trout fishing. I take it that you are from Iran. Beautiful Country in its own way.

[@Alexanderofthe9th]

@@windrider65 anyone who comes here and works, pays taxes and lives a peaceful life*** There, fixed that one for ya. Slave owners were law abiding citizens once upon a time.

[@windrider65]

@@Alexanderofthe9th anybody that breaks the law to get here I consider illegal aliens. If you were a child and brought here by your family, and this is the only country you know, I believe that there should be a path to citizenship, (Dreamers). Adults that break the laws to get here, should be sent back. Why let them stay when the first thing they did was to break our laws? Come here the lawful way.

[@deadfishparty]

Love old school Russian simplicity. You certainly won’t see anything like it.

[@AlgoCurioso4]

I mean $8k, $12k or $15k is a great price for it. Who else owns one of this in the USA? And to be honest looks crazy, I really love it

[@worldhello1234]

That depends on the condition. You wouldn't buy a rust bucket for 15 grand, right?

[@sydgerald]

@@worldhello1234 I don't know in the US, but here in Chile you can buy them brand new with rear locker, BF Goodrich tires, front and back bumper and winch (plus seat warmer but who cares) for 16 grand. I have never driven one, but people say this things are unstoppable.

[@andreas4687]

gets more and more popular in germany as well. brend new one incl import and adaption to german market is around 20k €. They have a newer better enigne as well. 2,7L and 130hp with 5 speed. meets all current emission standard.

[@realfrantheman]

@@sydgerald Donde se pueden comprar wn? 🤔

[@sydgerald]

@@realfrantheman en UAZ Chile, no se si ahora están trayendo a "granel" pero estaban trayendo a pedido, de hecho el mes pasado llegó un embarque de Bukhanka, Hunter y Kazak (el Patriot) hay hasta un club UAZ donde hacen salidas. Yo todavía no veo uno en la calle, pero no pierdo la esperanza jaja, saludos-

[@sherman1118]

i was born in russia in 92 so this van already has a special place in my heart! i want a ton of videos on this!! make it happen!

[@Drskopf]

Was born in Nicaragua in the 80s and grew up seen them everywhere as well bc of the support the Soviet union gave to the FSLN gov in those days

[@Mralex22801]

А чего сбежал из России.

[@daveharness70]

"This transmission feels like you are rowing through a bucket of gravel." Priceless!

[@VK-vm4xe]

LOL

[@fredbrackely]

And that's when its actually functional.

[@gregh7457]

i thought he said a bucket of snot

[@SwapBlogRU]

It's amazing that they still make these new. Ну и на русском что-нибудь напишу, а то мало ли кто-то ищет коммент на русском)

[@guyforlogos]

I love seeing how emotional Andre gets when the truck comes around the corner! So glad you got it after all that time.

[@ianwatson3315]

That was drama.

[@brunojulio]

A bit fake😂

[@IanSizzler]

"this is where my wife and I will have picnics... ... Actually I don't know that she's going to get into this van..." 😂😂

[@brly4542]

Lol damn you beat me too it haha

[@kuyajohnny8506]

I freakin love this van. Total old school Russian. Looks like a lot of good times over land camping

[@sanfordzeitz9077]

Two years ago I spent a month touring Mongolia, much of the time without the benefit of roads. I was with a small group and our three drivers each drove similar vans to the one featured in the video. The Russian made vans were pretty indestructible as we used them in a lot of difficult situations, such as water crossings, thick mud, steep hills, desert sands and very bumpy off road grassy trails. I think Andre will be happy with the purchase!

[@anthonyc1883]

Andre: "Honey, I'm going to get a Buhanka. Oops, sorry for my Russian, it means a loaf of bread." Andre's wife: OK, get some milk while you're out, too."

[@richfarfugnuven6308]

Underrated comment...

[@TowPiglet]

Absolute pleasure 🙏🏻

[@ericsushi]

How cool is that. Towpiglet and TFL 🙌

[@WW-wf8tu]

You went above and beyond just a delivery service. That makes it extra special. Wish I had used your service when I had my 4Runner delivered to me from Colorado. :)

[@milbybay]

Glad to see you on TFL again

[@mchuo7834]

In this episode of TFL, two Russians geek out over a 25 year old cargo van

[@pigybak]

Alex!!!!

[@Alexanderofthe9th]

Andre is a national treasure and must be protected at all costs Congrats dude 🙏

[@earl60446]

Congrats to Andre, I hope you have the "getting parts for it" situation all worked out. I can see it now, "Yes, that oil filter will be $8 U.S. dollars and shipping will be $65 U.S. dollars", YIKES! It is very cool though, looks very off road worthy as many rusky vehicles do.

[@trabertgraneau3323]

I’m glad that after months of waiting, Andre finally got his “Loaf of Bread.”

[@JOHNJ0HN9111]

60's ford van

[@jeffwilliams6374]

Preview of the US if the political environment does not change VERY SOON...

[@jeffwilliams6374]

This will be an awesome “Pimp My Ride” episode. 😎

[@1225KPH]

In the old USSR, you had to wait hours in line to get a real loaf of bread.

[@alexandrvasilev2865]

@@1225KPH not hours, it was 5-10 minutes. But for UAZ Bukhanka it was impossible to legally own by regular citizens. It supposed to be only in state's service (army, ambulance, police (militsiya), fire department, etc.)

[@seanmiller140]

THAT is BADASS! I don’t want to miss a single episode of you getting to know this awesome vehicle.

[@justaguy6100]

Andre, there are many things about your journey to TFL that I'm sure would be an amazing story. Seeing your excitement at receiving this van, it must represent a significant sentimental memory for you. It's great seeing you this happy.

[@JanisJanovskis]

Two trucking vlogers together in the same video - amazing. And, what a van 🤩

[@coryernewein]

Andre was like a kid on Christmas when it came around the corner. Nice ride! Good job Tow Piglet🤙

[@GCTO239]

Congrats! I love the Buchanka. It is an offroad beast. Great angles, wonderfully simple, lots of space. Quite popular among enthusiasts here in Germany. Such a capable van.

[@chava05]

Congrats on your "New" special vehicle! Well deserved! Looking forward for restoration and mods videos.

[@isidroavila72]

Happy for Andre he was so excited that make me feel like I was there, this will be a success for the channel and a joy for Andre amd his family

[@YENKOGT]

Great to see Alex in here! I don't know why this makes me happy, this guy start really small and he is nailing it.

[@scottbenke7182]

Tow Piglet

[@Nathans_Margarita_Salt]

This van actually looks really badass, esp with those Super Swampers. Congrats Andre!

[@tomhoots]

Absolutely excellent, Andre. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.

[@leootp22]

Just to see Andre's excitement and just absolute joy is so awesome!

[@alfredsmith2322]

Watching Andre's joy makes me smile. Very cool.

[@TheBabadush]

Andre I always enjoy your genuine excitement. Congratulations!!! That thing is awesommeee!!!

[@therichie9916]

Looking forward to this series more than any I've seen in a while!!

[@EdgarRenje]

It's so great how excited Andre is about this!

[@ricksteinbauer9970]

I have never wanted to drive a 4 cylinder van more than this one! It looks incredible!

[@RetirementGoals1]

I’m really looking forward to updates on this vehicle. Congrats on getting it.

[@1allanbmw]

My wife is Belarusian and her father was an ambulance driver. This is what he drove back in the day. Me? I was born in '59 and my dad bought a brand new (in '64) Jeep Wagoneer. I have a '59 Willys Utility Wagon. So being a real 4X4 guy, I noticed these things right away when I visited Belarus back in the mid-'90's. I never really got to see one up close, so it's nice to see your video. And being an 'ol trucker AND car hauler, I was sitting here watching your battery issue and kept saying, CONNECTIONS outloud! lol. Either that, or a shut off switch. That switch is worth it's weight in gold. It'll save that battery. Now all you need is some pwr steering and A/C! Ha ha ha! It'll be interesting to see how trail friendly this may be. Good luck from your neighbor in Utah!

[@thedolt9215]

Looks like a freaking tank! Love the tires. I'll be following this channel for a while. I love this guys enthusiasm!

[@ecyfoto]

Andre connecting with memories of the motherland. Very emotional.

[@Drskopf]

Is he Russian??or his parents??

[@runningbuffalo4326]

In Russia you don’t drive van, van drives you!

[@imrekalman9044]

When it didn't start, didn't even react to the key I started chuckling. Finding the switch took you a lot longer than I expected. 😁 But it's unique and is yours. Enjoy! Now on to part 2, everything that's not broken. That's Soviet/Russian design philosophy; even if half the things don't work on it it still does the job.

[@dwcheshire]

It does my heart good to see someone as happy as you are about your new toy!

[@88tcoupe]

This is by far the most anticipated series I've been waiting for! I don't give a crap about who comes out with what! I want to see more of the "loaf of bread"! Maybe you should name it meatloaf lol

[@ChowderMountain]

Nice collab with TowPiglet! Nice to see some of my favorite KZbinrs together!

[@anengineer_]

Andre is so positive guy! Regards for the whole TFL team 👍

[@sullybiker6520]

I came to this after seeing the latest Taco/Colorado tow vid. I didn't know the story of this loaf. It is a joy to see how happy Andre is.

[@Ramblin_Rob]

You should make a video playlist of the Buhanka on the home page so we can watch the whole backstory and future videos. Congratulations on the new toy!

[@spartanchirho]

Andre bought a Buhanka! And he finally got it!! Looks so cool!! Can't wait to see it compare to other rigs!! I bet Andre didn't sleep for 2 days...

[@kyleizvorski7869]

I was 16 yo and me and my friend were working a summer job at a camp. We were driven around in 1 on these UAZ. The driver was old guy really cool dude. So he sometimes let me drive around. After all there was no roads and not much stuff to hit. He showed me how to get it going. One time we literally climbed to the top of very steep hill using the low gearing. You would never believe this thing would get up in there but I'm telling you with proper tires and good driver these are very capable offroaders. No electronics no help for the driver everything manual. Great purchase. Brought back a lot of memories

[@joshhand9766]

My wife said it looks like a toaster, and she was surprised there weren’t two huge pieces of bread sticking out the top... 😂😂😂 We love it!

[@kmbntr]

amazing car, very capable and charismatic offroader. greetings from Russia

[@paulspeakman551]

Congratulations, Andre! Such a cool, rugged little van in great shape even after all of those Russian winters. Can't wait to see how this progresses until one day we see you in camp in the mountains loafing in your loaf.

[@RaptorGP]

It came from Adigea region, it is located on the south of Russia. I don't think this van met a lot of snow during it's life. ;)

[@lonelybikr]

Congratulations on your new loaf!!! That is awesome and I cant wait to see the improvements.

15 years ago I was traveling in this van to Gobi dessert in Mongolia. Driver (mostly drunk) fitted 22 people inside including small local orchestra with instruments. It is very capable car!

[@user-bl4ez3sh5g]

Cool van! You should have, and should present this van to us speaking Russian, while wearing a ushanka and give us English subtitles! Why? Why not? What a great opportunity!

[@AnontheGOAT]

I have a feeling that Andre has forgotten some of his Russian.

[@Flying_GC]

These are awesome seen them on TV going literally anywhere. Crazy to think you can still buy this exact van brand new as well

[@jwilson6086]

Congrats. I was screaming kill switch the second you tried the ignition.

[@martinbroenkow4497]

Pretty handy that Andre can read everything on his new toy. BTW, I would totally buy this.

[@NickTarterOKC]

Andre sounds like Bezos thanking everyone who helped him get into space. Honestly though, the van is cooler than Bezos' rocket and it was a lot less expensive. 😅

[@Flying_GC]

And it dosen't look like a d*** lol

[@NickTarterOKC]

@@Flying_GC 🤣

[@nlpnt]

Bezos has the hot dog, Andre has the bun.

[@GeorgeSemel]

Come now he just copied Dr. Evils Rocket with balls.

[@kameronishikata2874]

OMG! I want a loaf of bread. That thing rocks! I cant wait for you to get it out on the trail. Congratulations!

[@florinsoltan8058]

Finally "BUHANKA" is here cool! so glad for you to got it! Cool stuff!

[@speedsanctuary5643]

Congratulations Andre. I've just bought and restored an UAZ 469 and aiming to get a 452 Buchanka soon too. The 469 and 452 are incredible off-road. Looking forward to seeing what you do with yours.

[@alexpetersen4107]

So excited for Andre! You can see his pure excitement in the video.

[@TheNecronacht]

This put a huge ass smile on my face seeing your excitement getting this delivered. I'm hoping we get to see more of this vehicle doing off-road trails and such. Cool vehicle 🤙

[@alexmartin2577]

Congratulations! I look forward to some serious 4x4 tests!

[@liquidflorian]

This looks amazing. I've always been fascinated by these vans and I hope to get one someday!

[@skylarhawkins2284]

Oh gosh Andre! Man I’m so happy for you!!! I know you have to be SOO excited. I’m sure your searching all over the internet for all kinds of cool things! I can’t wait for some awesome videos in the future!

[@WW-wf8tu]

1st off Andre, I am super excited for you! You looked like you were about to break into tears. :) You certainly picked a great delivery service to bring it the final leg of the trip. 8K ish in fees later and you have a van that nobody else in the USA probably has, let lone heard of. And it all seems to work! (once you figured out the d/c switch lol) I am stoked to see everything you put up about this vehicle. Enjoy and I am hope your wife rides in it at least once with you. lol

[@ShoeManShoe68]

That is the coolest thing i have seen in a long while! I love vans and always wanted a 60s style small van like this and never imagined there would be a 4x4 one. I have owned a few AWD Astro Vans and I have a 04 Astro AWD now and that is probably the closest i will be able to get to something like this.. Congratulations!!!

[@alexxxXXXrus]

Its avialable a brand new in several types of body. Its so weird- you still can buy a car of 60's produced in 2021..

[@dmitrymikheev7899]

Congrats! Looks like someone did a good job running this one before. Hope you will like this special kind of utility. It allows for crazy things. One of my friends is using it to lift paraglides to the hilltop - one hell of a ride, i'd say. Sometimes when he's slowly advancing up, he likes to set it's manual choke higher, go out of the vehicle and clean windows from outside or make other dirty jokes to passengers, like wish them good bye. Those unfamillar to these usually freak out to see bukhanka running without any driver.

[@BenChnobli]

This thing has been my actual dream car for a long time (yes I am strange). Glad to see a series about it on here! Keep them videos coming please.

[@Ahto42]

When I first saw te big negative kill switch, I laugted, because every russian machine has it. Andre has lived too long in America to rember it.

[@RaptorGP]

Nowdays russian cars don't have, but many years ago that device was common for trucks and other special vechiles.

[@metalbird89]

@@RaptorGP new uaz has it, even the patriot

[@BrandanM94]

I friken love this thing!! Andre I’m jealous! Thornton CO resident here and I love the videos across all channels, you guys rock!!

[@wraith1864]

Seeing how happy he is put a smile on my face. Awesome!

[@reidpolmanteer1318]

Andre, this is really awesome and your enthusiasm is infectious. I'm stoked for more videos.

[@boduke9428]

Andre was so happy and excited it made me excited for him. Good on you! Congrats.

[@indygamertag829]

Wow… the pure happiness and genuine excitement from him is just so cool.

[@slunasaurusrex]

I saw the switch on the ground when they first looked at the battery. then it appeared 2 more times on the video as they were tinkering - I'm like TRY THAT SWITCH!

[@JG3inTX]

This is awesome, Andre. I've joked about finding one for a long time. We lived in Russia in the mid-90s and these are just so different from anything in the US. It would make a great hunting/ranch vehicle here in Texas.

[@briankelley616]

Really cool to see a good man like Andre living his dreams. 👍 To Alex !!! Really great service!!! 😀

[@pinsentweebly]

Awesome buy! Looking forward to seeing more of it Andre!

[@Mach141]

“What would a ground do with anything” he says….wow. Just wow. I hope he’s not your mechanic.

[@amandahammond2691]

He’s a hotshot driver

[@MoneyShot_CM]

Can't wait to see it off-road, congrats Andre

[@toolshed7652]

Nice! Glad you finally got it! Can't wait to see what you do with it. Now Tommy, Roman, and Nathan need to buy similar vehicles so you can do a proper challenge series... Mitsubishi Delica anyone? 😁

[@DanBCooper]

Pro Tip from a Deere tech: connect your multimeter to the battery. Should be 12 volts plus or minus a couple tenths. Try to start, you would have found your voltage didn’t change, meaning you weren’t engaging the starter. A bad battery may show 12, but drop below 9 volts or lower while trying to crank. A good battery will drop to 10 or so while cranking. Love you Andre !

[@radleyangelo2054]

I drove one of these for months during a trip to Mongolia, 2nd gear gave out midway through out in the middle of nowhere so my experience was mostly high revving and gunning it to third! Enjoy the truck, such a unique, tough as nails vehicle to own in colorado

[@terrymcknight4167]

This is a great rig! It will be lots of fun watching the future videos. I've had 3 rv's that had a battery cut off switch on them so I recognized it right away when it first appeared on camera. Will be watching for the next installment.

[@FreakyT333]

Awesome, excited to watch this series, this little loaf of bread on MT’s should be a very intriguing series. Congrats Andre!

[@exceleratorjoshua]

That is one awesome looking van the tires look so beefy. Andre looks so happy I thought he was going to cry. You can tell Andre really wanted that van and can't express how happy he is.

[@nm-qt2hb]

One of the most unique vehicles to be seen on America's roads. Good luck with it and enjoy . Safe travels.

[@johnlincicum6390]

I've been looking forward to this video and the ones to come up on it yet ever since Andre announced that he was getting one! Besides the little Tacoma video series, this will be the best one yet!

[@Kittzz]

Really looking forward to more about this unit. Love it!

[@nicolaskuchta1072]

Wow! so much better than expected! I love it! This has to be fun in the snow, right!

[@O-Grady]

I am SO jealous! I've been a Jeep fanatic for more than 40 years. I've been to Russia a bunch of times and I've seen a ton of those. I've always wished I could bring one home with me. Like I need another project. The steering over the front axle is exactly like a 1968 Chevy van I had almost 50 years ago. The one you have is in very nice condition compared to many that I've seen. So many are just eaten away with body rust. Probably not galvanized. I will be following your progress with this.

[@Beejmiles]

I first saw one in Long Way Round with Ewan and Charlie and like you have appreciated the quirky utility of them. Good on ya mate for getting one in pretty good shape!

[@Trueno1600]

Congrats Andre, I'm super happy for you! That thing is super cool!!! That video got me grinning and feeling the same as when I bough my non-running, disassembled Comanche 3 years ago, and got it running for the first time after putting it together and figuring the truck out! Can't wait to see more of that van!!!!

[@BrendanReagan]

Thanks to you guys for the fun and informative video.

[@Teddy-px1dg]

I have been driving the van for 15 years and I love it for everything camping Road running it doesn't matter good you are driving a dream of mine congratulations

[@mehrdadazarpay4755]

What an adventure!! I am excited for you and can hardly wait to see what you do with.

[@fritty9927]

I can hardly wait to see it performs on trails!!

[@dancycles2079]

Sounds like a rollercoaster of emotions .. I'm glad you got it finally.. Got it running with little money 💰 Thanks for sharing . Great watch 🙏👌

[@blackterminal]

Your excitement was genuine and heart warming.