You're Wrong About the Yugo

[f.f.jones]

 

This is an interesting but lengthy article about the birth and death of the infamous Yugo. I found it informative and eye-opening. It starts out with some political history (of Yugoslavia) and then gets into describing the car itself and driving impressions of a 30+year old econobox. The last Yugos were imported in 1992, so they easily qualify as "antiques".

If you have problems with foreign cars, economy cars, or world politics (not including anything recent or domestic), you might want to move on to another forum article. If you are curious and have an inquiring, open mind, read on...

 

Remember, any comments should be in good taste. All Yugo jokes you can remember are WELCOME!

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/you-re-wrong-about-the-yugo/ar-AA13grW3?ocid=mailsignout

Edited October 23, 2022 by f.f.jones (see edit history)

[Bloo]

Finally someone gets it right. The Yugo wasn't the "worst car ever". It landed in the late malaise era. For it's time, it was decidedly average.

[Don Jr.]

Hi,serviced one in the early 1990's. Great little car as I remember. Wiring was a nightmare. Pulled the dash looking for electrical problems with the owner. Funny thing was the wire would start out one color then change color somewhere in the harness. I took a photo one day of it. If I can find it I will post it. Brakes faded quickly if you stood on them. The brake drums were the size of a golf cart.. Damn near killed us both flying down a country road leading to a 4 lane highway intersection. Had to use the emergency brake to stop us from crossing 4 lane road and ending up in the Mohawk river. Angels were with us that day.. But overall it was a reliable car except for parts. And a parting joke. What do you call a Yugo station wagon? A  We all go. Thanks for this memory. 

[John_S_in_Penna]

It may not have been the "worst car ever made,"

but it was decidedly very poor--perhaps equal to

other cars made in that part of the world.  I interviewed

a man from Eastern Europe who had been in the

Communist auto industry before Communism

collapsed:  He wrote 10 pages for us, and he gave

such cars reviews that were just as terrible as those

that Americans gave. 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2022 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[32tatra]

My Yugo story.

A round 6 years ago , I went to the Costco in Yonkers New York  to shop. ( This is the Costco built on a former Jewish cemetery.  But that's another story.)  As I got out of my car, I saw a young girl pull up and park a Yugo, then I watched as she went from side to side, making sure the doors were locked!  And I said to myself, I have read that list, of the most stolen cars in the USA, and I have never seen a Yugo on it.  Weeks later, I was back and saw her pull in with a Yugo convertible.  Her license plate read  " Yugo Girl".  Since the top was down (who knows if it went up), she was not worried about  it and did not check the door locks this time. I guess, convertible Yugo's are less desirable then hardtops. 

My friend in Brooklyn, Lenny has one and loves it.  But I think he owns it, just so he has  a excuse to tell Yugo jokes.

Edited October 23, 2022 by 32tatra (see edit history)

[58L-Y8]

In the late 1980's, while working on a construction job in a Rochester, NY western suburb, a Yugo rolls into the lot, apparently not running.  Out steps the prototypical young engineer: nervous, thin, pale, horn-rim glasses, white shirt, dark tie and slacks, apologetically asking if one of us could drive him onto his job at Kodak, and if it would be okay if his car was parked there until he could have someone get him some gas...he has forgotten to fill up the night before!   I told him we'd take care of putting gas in it, he handed me a five-dollar bill, which he said was all he put in it.  We drove it to the Kodak lot, handed the keys to the gate guard...had a great laugh that he was probably one of Kodak's lead engineers!

[NailheadBob]

In Countryside, IL. ( just west of Chicago) was a Pontiac and Yugo car dealership, they sold a ton of Yugo's  and the bank that loaned the money to customers thought they were to lenient on loans for Yugo, they had to many repossessions on Yugo's, so the bank said the dealer would be responsible for future repossessions and those cars would now be the Pontiac/Yugo dealers cars, they must have had over 200 repossessed Yugo's in there back storage lot.

 

Larry Claypool owner of the Corvair shop in Frankfort started collecting Yugo's as he could buy them very cheap and many parts cars, and liked them because they were so unusual, at times he would have more Yugo's than Corvairs.

 

Bob

[mcdarrunt]

We donated a Yugo to an elementary school in west Plano, Texas as it would fit through the classroom door opening. It was used as a "reward car" for which kids that did good were allowed to sit in and pretend drive. When I asked the other guys in the shop how I could list it as a deduction one replied "Trash Removal".

[28 Chrysler]

That car was not designed for the American market.

Long trips at high speeds for a low priced car setup for short in town trips, what could go wrong ?

[rocketraider]

45 minutes ago, 28 Chrysler said:

That car was not designed for the American market.

Long trips at high speeds for a low priced car setup for short in town trips, what could go wrong ?

Much like most small European cars. Renault Dauphine was a prime example as was LeCar, and truthfully VW Beetles didn't do a lot better, but VW had dealer and parts support and way better PR. They did well on Europe's narrow low-speed roads but we Americans tried to take them on the nascent Interstate highway system at 75mph.

 

1 hour ago, NailheadBob said:

In Countryside, IL. ( just west of Chicago) was a Pontiac and Yugo car dealership, they sold a ton of Yugo's  and the bank that loaned the money to customers thought they were to lenient on loans for Yugo, they had to many repossessions on Yugo's, so the bank said the dealer would be responsible for future repossessions and those cars would now be the Pontiac/Yugo dealers cars, they must have had over 200 repossessed Yugo's in there back storage lot.

Doesn't speak well of the target market, to default a loan on the cheapest new car sold in America at the time.

 

The bank likely knew they wouldn't get loan balance back at a repo auction on these Yugos.

 

The last one I saw was in a local junkyard close to 30 years ago.

[Twisted Shifter]

 

What do you call a Yugo with dual exhausts?           A Wheelbarrow!

 

 

Yugo review from 1987 ---- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[greenie]

They say they all came with a rear window defroster. Hand warmer.

[John_S_in_Penna]

8 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

I interviewed a man from Eastern Europe who had been

in the Communist auto industry before Communism collapsed.

I think this is another case where the writer

knew little about the subject but wrote an

article anyway.  A mistake can be either intentional

or unintentional:

 

If intentional, she is an apologist for that era.

If unintentional, she has no idea of many people's

experiences with those cars, and certainly hasn't

the knowledge that the former Communist auto official had.

 

From reading the writings of those who were actually

involved, I realize now that those people were not merely

trying hard but failing to produce good cars in that

part of the world.

 

Their dictators had absolutely no regard for their people;

they called the common people "idiots";  they intentionally

stripped the cars to bare bones because they felt the

people didn't deserve any better;  producing a car in their

countries was done as a monument to their own

depraved egotistical tendencies;  their entire regimes were

EVERY DAY involved in lies, stealing technology, deception,

mental manipulation, and murder.  Those aren't my statements;

they are statements of one involved.  In her writings I saw her

fall for at least one of the deceptions of which I learned.

 

Edited October 23, 2022 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[kingrudy]

I recall that when I lived in SE Michigan during the '90s that a Yugo was crossing the Mackinac Bridge and a gust of wind lifted the car up and off the bridge. Made me nervous when crossing the bridge years later. 

[31nash880]

Worked it a body shop for years. One came in needing a door skin. Went to put it on and the door frame collapsed. Also there was an ad if you bought a Jaguar you got a Yugo for free. Hard to determine which was the spare.

[TAKerry]

I was a young adult when they hit the shores here and even then I knew to stay clear. In my area yugo became a synonym for an inferior product. Most of the time reputations and stereotypes are not made up. I surprised no has mentioned 'Drowning Mona' yet. A dark comedy in which most of the people in town were given Yugos, including the police department. Not a bad movie.

 

I read at one time there was a great amount of discord in the factory between management and workers, along with poor working conditions. Its a wonder they turned out a product at all.

[1937hd45]

Other than demolition derbies did anyone ever race one? 

[EmTee]

I remember seeing a new one at the Syracuse New Car Dealers Association Auto Expo.  I specifically remember the Yugo exhibit because they were the only new cars displayed that had drip pans under them.

 

I worked with a guy who owned a Yugo.  He had pretty good luck with it, as he used it as his work commuter.  That said, on two separate occasions, jacking the car to change a tire subsequently required windshield replacement...

 

Edited October 24, 2022 by EmTee (see edit history)

[Xander Wildeisen]

Stock Yugo, running premium pump gas.  

 

[Frank DuVal]

4 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

Other than demolition derbies did anyone ever race one? 

Not enough strength in the steel to last anytime in a derby. Choose a better vehicle. Or better, stay home and work on antiques!👍

[KURTRUK]

A Yugo owner walks in to an auto parts store.

"Can I get a horn for my Yugo?"

Parts counter guy, "Uh, sure. Sounds like a fair trade."

[30DodgePanel]

12 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

Other than demolition derbies did anyone ever race one? 

 

Well, sort of, my understanding is it was the dogs name...  

 

[8E45E]

The Yugo came to the Canadian market in 1988.  I believe the model identification was slightly different; instead of 'GV', it was labeled 'L' and 'GL' depending on trim level, and I'm not sure if any of the cabriolets were sold in Canada.   Link to 1988 Canadian market brochure: 1988 Zastava (oldcarmanualproject.com)

 

There was actually some rather stiff competition for Yugo at the time in Canada.  Lada, Skoda, Innocenti, Hyundai Pony, and the Dacia to some extent all competed in its price class.  None of these other imports were sold in the US at the time which left Yugo in a price class all by itself at $3990.

 

Craig

Edited November 1, 2022 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

We married in '86 and it was time to get a 'family' car. I almost bought a Hyundai which had just hit the US market. It was priced a good bit lower than the cheapest Honda, and probably one of the lowest priced cars available. My older brother had just returned from a tour of duty in Korea and told me DEF do NOT buy a Hyundai. Gave me several reasons not to. We ended up with a civic that was a pretty good car. Those early Hyundais were pretty basic and rattle cans. They sure have come a long way.

[8E45E]

4 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

My older brother had just returned from a tour of duty in Korea and told me DEF do NOT buy a Hyundai. Gave me several reasons not to. We ended up with a civic that was a pretty good car. Those early Hyundais were pretty basic and rattle cans. They sure have come a long way.

The Koreans learned the North American market quickly.  Hyundai came to Canada starting with the Mitsubishi-based Pony in 1984, and then the more upmarket Stellar in 1985.  Both cars, especially the Stellar was not built to withstand the extreme cold temperatures.  Things got better when the Excel came out in 1986, and when the Sonata came out in 1989.  And their sales continued to grow rather substantially in North America, now marketing two lines of cars. (Not counting Kia, which is owned by the same conglomerate.)   

 

A few years ago, Hyundai was trying for 10% market share in Canada:  Saw my first Equus - Studebaker Drivers Club Forum

 

Craig

[Steve Moskowitz]

I think I have a bit of background on these cars!  I bought the Yugo franchise as it seemed a great alternative for someone to have a new car, at 4K with a warranty and offer a bit more than some high mileage used cars at the time.  We sold a LOT of these cars and other than the first batches that came with incorrect spark plugs for the US market we had few problems ( most electrical) in our service department.  I cannot remember anyone wanting to return a car or trade it in on something different.

 

At the time, I felt the late night comedians constant jokes about the car really hurt sales.  All in all, it was not a great car for sure, as basic as you can get but my experience was not regrettable.

 

[EmTee]

I thought the Scotchbrite material used for the interior door panels was interesting...

[8E45E]

1 minute ago, EmTee said:

I thought the Scotchbrite material used for the interior door panels was interesting...

Car & Driver compared the 1989 Lada Samara seats to a mechanic's shop cloth.

 

Craig

[rocketraider]

2 hours ago, 8E45E said:

No question it was good value for the money.  A secondary problem was because it was 'cheap', so were the owners who neglected maintenance on them, including regular oil changes, tune-ups, etc., which caused them to run poorly after a couple of years, and contributed to giving them a bad reputation.  In contrast, one who paid a substantial amount for a new vehicle would be more inclined to continue spending money on maintaining it.

The earlier post about the Pontiac dealer getting stuck with all those repossessed Yugos ties into that thought too. 

 

I know guys who make a habit of buying bank repos. My thought is that if the owners didn't make the payments, odds are good they didn't do any maintenance either.

[lump]

I have a Yugo story. A bunch of them were donated to some art school in New York, according to my friend Fred Kanter. He was really into "automotive art" at the time, and loved creating humorous custom cars. Anyway, he explained to me that these donated Yugo cars were given to students, who were assigned to make something creative out of them. Fred showed me photos of a few which were made into giant shoes, a diner, etc. Eventually, Fred bought the "Diner Yugo," and displayed it right in his car museum inside his auto parts business building, next to the Dual Ghia convertible, Muntz Jet, 56 Eldorado convertible, etc. I have no idea what happened to the rest of those "art project" Yugos, and can no longer remember what all they were made to look like. But it was pretty funny at the time. 

[Paul Dobbin]

15 hours ago, Xander Wildeisen said:

Stock Yugo, running premium pump gas.  

 

   150 KPH ia only 93.21 MPH, which can be achieved in a old VW.

Edited October 24, 2022 by Paul Dobbin (see edit history)

[Xander Wildeisen]

29 minutes ago, Paul Dobbin said:

   150 KPH ia only 93.21 MPH, which can be achieved in a old VW.

 

[Angelfish]

 

[KURTRUK]

17 hours ago, 8E45E said:

The Yugo came to the Canadian market in 1988.  I believe the model identification was slightly different; instead of 'GV', it was labeled 'GX', as I recall, and I'm not sure if any of the cabriolets were sold in Canada.

 

There was actually some rather stiff competition for Yugo at the time in Canada.  Lada, Skoda, Innocenti, Hyundai Pony, and the Dacia to some extent all competed in its price class.  None of these other imports were sold in the US at the time which left Yugo in a price class all by itself at $3990.

 

Craig

The Hyundai Excel sold in the U.S. in 1985-86 for $4995.

[KURTRUK]

12 hours ago, lump said:

I have a Yugo story. A bunch of them were donated to some art school in New York, according to my friend Fred Kanter. He was really into "automotive art" at the time, and loved creating humorous custom cars. Anyway, he explained to me that these donated Yugo cars were given to students, who were assigned to make something creative out of them. Fred showed me photos of a few which were made into giant shoes, a diner, etc. Eventually, Fred bought the "Diner Yugo," and displayed it right in his car museum inside his auto parts business building, next to the Dual Ghia convertible, Muntz Jet, 56 Eldorado convertible, etc. I have no idea what happened to the rest of those "art project" Yugos, and can no longer remember what all they were made to look like. But it was pretty funny at the time. 

Car and Driver covered this in an article.  So if you have back issues of the magazine...

[JamesR]

At one time in the late 1980's, I thought it would be cool to go out and buy three or four brand new Yugos. 😄 How else could you afford a fleet of brand new cars? What a thrill!

[avgwarhawk]

I replaced a timing belt in a Yugo. The Chilton's manual provided the time for engine removal and belt replacement.  The customer was quoted the cost and approved the repair understanding the car will be there all day.  I was able to replace the belt with the engine in.  About an hour and half.  The customer wondered why all the labor hours were being charged when it did not take the required time as shown by Chilton's. I simply found a better way. In my experience, it was a poorly made car.  The early Hyundai were not much better. 

Edited October 25, 2022 by avgwarhawk (see edit history)

[8E45E]

19 hours ago, lump said:

I have a Yugo story. A bunch of them were donated to some art school in New York, according to my friend Fred Kanter. He was really into "automotive art" at the time, and loved creating humorous custom cars. Anyway, he explained to me that these donated Yugo cars were given to students, who were assigned to make something creative out of them.  

They did.  The art exhibition was titled "Yugo Next" Yugo Next (mwstaffo.com)

 

 Yugo Next: Touring car art challenges Avatar Relocation movers | Avatar Relocation (avatar-moving.com)

 

My favorite is the Yugo accordian.

 

Craig

[8E45E]

6 hours ago, KURTRUK said:

The Hyundai Excel sold in the U.S. in 1985-86 for $4995.

Had the Pony been available in the US, it would have sold for less, and would have been serious competition for the Yugo, considering it was a four door, and had more standard equipment.   For whatever reason, Hyundai chose to enter the Canadian two years before the US market.  In turn, Kia was in the US a number of years (1995?) before it came to Canada in 2004.

 

Craig

[8E45E]

23 hours ago, Steve Moskowitz said:

At the time, I felt the late night comedians constant jokes about the car really hurt sales.  

Unlike Ford Model T jokes that kept Henry laughing all the way to the bank!

 

Craig