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Rust never sleeps.

Most Nivas are overall reasonably solid but they can have sporadic paint quality so they can rust in some truly odd places - especially if regular rust proofing is not maintained as per the workshop manual. Not to mention the effects of road salt, or mud left on after a off-road jaunt.

Luckily Nivas are made from thick steels so if you rust-proof regularly and attend to any rust spots early, you can avoid costly repairs or failures later. Check the manual for the regular rust-proofing necessary, but here's the common areas:

A common rust trap is a screwed on plate behind the front wheel at the bottom of front guard. It fills up with water & dirt behind it. Take the plate off this weekend and give good hose out if you haven't already.

After you've washed and dried it, you should coat the insides with Fish-oil or similar rust inhibitor before replacing the plates (treat rust first if there's any present). Then hose it out once a year from now on. Don't be lazy and just leave the plate off, as you also risk having mud block the drain tubes coming down from corners of windscreen and creating a very serious rust problem.

Failure to to clear mad and crap out of here will see these large holes appear.

Check all the holes in the 'chassis' aren't filled with mud, and give the insides a good coating of rust killer and preventative.

Ensure there's no mud etc in all the chassis nooks and crevices.
Also note in this shot the joins in the steel floor sheets need the rust killed and re-painted to avoid rapid deterioration.

The sills (ie under the doors) have small drain slots in the welded seam that can easily become blocked, these should be poked clean every now and again. A squirt of anti-rust is probably a good idea here too, just don't use thick stuff that may risk blocking the drain holes.

Keep these drain holes clear.

If you don't the sills can become badly rusted (new sills are available, or you can even upgrade to box-section steel).

Another weak point to look out for on the Niva is the where steering-box bolts to the chassis. This is known to crack and/or rust and could create a serious danger. This is often associated with the use of wheels with the wrong off-set and/or too wide tyres or too low tyre pressure.
If you have issues here it's best sorted by having a plate professionally welded in rather than just welding the existing steel (ie it'll likely just brake again otherwise).

Ripped steering-box mount can be caused by rust, wide tyres, too low tyre pressure or all three.

Some Nivas have cracking/rusting problems where the transfer-case or gearbox mount to the floor. This is assumed to be caused by vibrations from poorly aligned gearbox/transfer-case or worn out mounting bushes. Cracks will need welded (make sure any welds here are finished reasonably flat or you may have problems lining the 'box/TC up again).
Any hint of rust here is best dealt with (the 'box or TC mounts can easily be removed one at a time if you hold the jack the 'box up with a jack, make you sure you align it before you bolt it back up).

Signs of rust around mount can mean worse rust under the mount.

Check under your front 'carpets', if damp or signs of rust there's water getting in somewhere that will need to be stopped (and of course the rust killed), if you don't want a Flintstone's car.
The rubberised paint coating is very thick here which is good at delaying rust, but it's also good at hiding it once the water's seeped through it (especially once the rubberised paint has got old and cracked). Leaky windscreen seals and the heater drain are two common sources.

Common rust areas on the inside floor

Rust hiding under under-seal

Re-rubbering the floor is a good idea if your rubber's old and cracked, but make sure you kill any rust first, and don't block ay drain holes.

The rear interior can be worth checking for rust as well.

The part of the 'chassis' behind the rear wheel has a rubber bung in it. Check for rust in this area (especially if you do towing or use the tow-bar as a recovery point). Pop the bung out and clear out any dirt or moisture from inside, spray with anti-rust if it was damp, give the insides a good coat of fish-oil or rust preventative. and replace the bung.

Bung is on the underside. This is what happens if you let mud and crap sit in there.

If there's any sign of rust under the rear hatch's hinges it should be attended to as it'll likely be worse under the hinge mount.

Attack rust early here - any hint of rust here can be worse underneath; unfortunately you need to carefully remove the roof lining to take the hinges off.

Shine a torch into the gap between the front doors and front guards; a wee blast of rust killer and fresh paint could save heartbreak in a few years time. Check the doors' hinge mounts as well.

Structural rust around door hinges can be dangerous - kill any you have now before it gets a hold.

Check around the windscreen for small patches or bubbles of rust under the paint. Dealing with these now will prevent major work later.

If the sealant has cracked on the base of the A-pillar serious rust can hide underneath

Off-roading

Mud holds moisture and road salt, so always give your Niva a good hose down in all the underneath crevices and right up inside the wheel-arches etc after playing in the mud (high pressure hoses are great for this). This essential to do asap if you've been playing in the sand/sea. And repaint any scrapes etc before they get a chance to rust.

I also fully clean, rust-proof, Fish-oil, the whole 'chassis' and floor about once every year or two. And sometimes give it a new coating of spray-on rubber to finish.

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