Those of us who lived through the eighties all remember the TV commercials for “the lowest-priced car in America.” That car was the Yugo. The Yugo was a Yugoslav copy of a Fiat 124 sedan, and its base price was a shocking $3,990. That price was deep in used car territory for the time, and a lot of folks found out that the low entry price also came with lower quality and sometimes spotty reliability. Now, decades later, those who missed out on the Yugoslavian econobox craze can get in on the fun. Take a look at this 1988 Yugo GV for sale on eBay in Warrior, Alabama being offered for a very interesting $4,995 Buy It Now price. Is that a reasonable sum for a non-running, sunbaked Yugo with 65,254 miles on the odometer?
The Yugo kind of came out of nowhere in the later part of the 1980s. The economy was doing fairly well, Detroit and Japan offered several low-priced cars, and nobody even knew that Yugoslavia had an automobile industry. Well, one guy did. Malcolm Bricklin, the entrepreneurial American with a knack for promoting slightly different automobiles, managed to cut a deal to bring this Fiat 124 copy to America’s shores in 1985. From the time the first one rolled off the boat in 1985 to when the last one found a home in 1992, Bricklin managed to sell an amazing 141,651 of these little cars to Americans tantalized by the low base price of $3,990.
Nobody was under any illusion that the Yugo was more than just basic transportation. Its popularity was with folks who were used car buyers that wanted something new for the first time. New meant something with a warranty that would be reliable. Looking at the situation from their perspective, many had grown tired of driving late seventies and early eighties cars that seemed to always need a repair of some sort. We look back on the past with nostalgia as a rule. If you look back on cars of the eighties with any level of honesty, you have to admit that many of them weren’t exactly quality items.
As much as these folks wanted a temporary deliverance from worrying about car troubles, the Yugo was not the vehicle to spirit them away from this evil. The car was cheaply built, underpowered, and quality control was iffy at best. Warranty claims were often handled at a glacial pace and customers vented their frustrations to anyone who would listen. The Yugo became the target of jokes on late-night TV and was even lampooned in the Dan Ackroyd and Tom Hanks Dragnet movie remake. One of the most common jokes made the claim that the rear window defroster was nice to have because it kept your hands warm while you pushed the car.
Work was done to improve quality and provide a larger range of options, but the damage was done. A massive recall of over 126,000 Yugos for violating US emission standards put a stake in the heart of the company in 1992. To add to the festivities, NATO bombed the factory the cars were built in 1999. That helped resurrect the jokes for a while. Meanwhile, Yugos steadily disappeared from the roads and are seldom seen today. There are, of course, a dedicated group of Yugo enthusiasts who proudly keep the flame alive for the brand.
Those folks are the ones that this car would appeal to. The seller is marketing the car for a friend and the ad gives us little in the way of details about the car. Photographs in the ad show a car that isn’t in terrible shape. There is sun fading in the paint, water stains in the seats, and a general malaise permeating throughout the car. On the positive side, rust hasn’t begun its work yet on this car. All we are told in print is that the friend’s father passed away and that the car was parked five years ago. The ad also claims that the car was running when parked. Somewhere in that statement lies another Yugo joke.
Before we make light of the car and the seller’s optimistic price point, we do have to acknowledge that this car is a piece of automotive history. There was a potential market for this car. A vehicle that was low in price and light on features but strong in reliability will always find a market in the US. The Yugo briefly tapped that market and became as iconic a piece of the eighties as Ronald Reagan, Max Headroom, Members Only jackets, and MTV. If you got this car running and cleaned it up a bit, you could hold court over the biggest crowd at your local cruise-in. The car, for better or worse, still attracts attention. Whether that attention is worth $4,995 is up to you.
Do you have a good Yugo story or joke? Please share your experiences and mirth in the comments.
Hood scoop, and long communist shifter, std equipment.
I recall hearing about a GM official being asked if GM had a competitor to the Yugo in the works and he replied, “yes, a 3-year-old Buick.” It may be just a story, but it was pretty funny.
Actually, Consumer Reports magazine.
They said, it would be better advice for a potential Yugo buyer, to just buy a good used intermediate-sized car. Even the poorer gas mileage, would be offset by later resale value.
Yugos had the thinnest doors of any car I have ever tried to slam shut, and that is saying a lot.
Had it just some basic engineering changes – such as, non-interference engine; such as a wiring harness that reflected improvements based on noted problems; such as, improved rust protection…had it been in a Continuous Quality Improvement program, it would have been a worthwhile car.
I had one – used, a year old, paid $1000 for it. It DROVE great. The long shifter wasn’t sporty, but to someone who learned manual gearboxes on a Beetle, it was fine. Like Fiats – a family it was part of – it was balanced and graceful on the road.
It was RELIABILITY where it failed. Fiats are not durable; and add to that, the disinterest of a State-owned plant making these things…and what you have is something that was worse than a 1950s UAW sabatoge campaign.
Had yugo for 15 years, no mayor mehanical problems, and small ones can be fixed with some wire, hammer and screw driver, and ofc have a few window handles in the car…..
Yugo was a copy of the Fiat 127 sport coupe, not the 124 sedan. My first car was a 1971 Fiat 124 sedan, green with brown vinyl interior.
Nice soft ride, so leaned over quite a bit, but decent handling for a car of the era. Radiator was too small and ran hot so installed custom much larger unit. Had manual choke which often refused to let the (very) under powered engine fire up, so I was often late to school.
According to Wikipedia:
“Originally designed as a shortened variant of the Fiat 128”.
I can verify. There were considerable parts that interchanged between the 128 and Yugo. Starting with the entire airbox assembly – including the whole trim around the hood opening.
Then on to interior trim – including IIRC, steering-wheel and other components.
THEN…yes, rumor had it, the engines were interchangeable. I didn’t get to test that – my Yugo blew up on a trip, popping off the timing belt; but while we talked of putting a 128 motor in, we couldn’t get close on price. Yu go inna shredder, Yu pisa crapola…
Funny, there are actually “watchers” on this auction.
“If you look back on cars of the eighties with any level of honesty, you have to admit that many of them weren’t exactly quality items.”
Precisely. That the Yugo earned its reputation for poor quality and reliability against that dreary 80s backdrop only makes it worse.
110 mph speedometer was very optimistic for this car.
jnard90, They meant 110 off a cliff.
jnard90, that was the speed going off a cliff
What’s so strange about it? Most of the car show waaay more on the speedo then they are capable of. Since Yugo can hit 100, it is even less exaggerated then most.
got mine to 95, but it was yugo 65, bit stronger engine, and selling it is my biggest mistake, i coud fix 99% of problems in my own garage……
When I lived in Florida I saw one of these in a grocery store parking lot. It was dark blue and had a large winged spoiler screwed into the roof just above and forward of the rear hatch. As I was laughing walking past it, up front on the middle of the hood someone had attached a Briggs & Stratton pull cord assembly from a pushmower! It was hilarious and I wish I’d taken a picture of that!
How do you double the value of a Yugo?
Fill the gas tank.
OR Why was the rear window heated? To keep your hands warm while you pushed it.
Some things are better left to memory, and I think this is one of them. Today, how many folks seriously listen to 8 track tapes? Use disk-film cameras? AM Stereo? Drink Tang for breakfast? All of these things were a great idea in their day and faded for good reason. Let the poor Yugo fade as well – it was an idea that in its day may have had merit, but was poorly executed.
No way Jose. It’s a classsssix
If the war in Yugoslavia didn’t happen, Yugo’s would still be on the street today.
They were small, ugly, drank 20w50 oil, and so many other things….but they were not as bad as people make them out to be.
Getting parts was an issue the first few years.
They were as bad as people made them out to be. My dad did his best to try to talk me out of buying a brand new one. I said, “Dad, I only need some to get from A to B.”
It was unable to do that. Spent many trips to the dealer on the back of the hook.
We actually knew a guy who bought up all the locally available Yugo parts after the dealers stopped stocking them. Still wonder what became of them–or, for that matter, of him. For some reason, I doubt he sold very many of them.
Ben Stepman Motors?
Stepman, in Henderson, Nevada…was where I got a clutch for my Yugo (only clutch I’d ever burned out on any vehicle). The price was fair; and it was obvious they believed in Yugo’s future. They were loaded to the gills with parts like valve shim buckets and filters, trim parts…
That was in 1989. Inside of a year Yugo America would be gone, and shortly thereafter, the Yugoslavian civil war would finish off Zastava as a manufacturer. Fiat later bought the plant, and makes cars there for regional sale.
And Stepman? The scrap people must have had massive hauls out of there. Apparently they survived the cost, as the dealership remains, selling Hyundais…ironic, since the Hyundai Excel was almost as bad as the Yugo. One succeeded, the other disappeared.
Ls and a 9 inch and a 5 speed Tremec with a built custom tubbed chassis.Keep it looking as stock as possible.500 car imo as is.5k not for me.
$4500 for a non runner – no thanks. I have seen running Yugo’s for less.
A great review of the Yugo was published in a well respected magazine back then. The description of the gear shift said; “it felt like a long steel rod shoved into a coffee can full of rocks!” I almost choked on my coffee from the laughter.
That has got to be a typo,it’s $499 right?Forgot to drop the 5 off the end of the price,they must have…
When I was a poor just out of college youngster and wanted a brand new car, I actually test drove one of these… I laughed a lot during the test drive because it was a joke! I am now laughing again at this ad.😂
Who can forget the poor soul who lost her life driving across the Mackinac bridge when her Yugo was blown off the bridge into the Straits of Mackinac .
She was not completely blown off as much as lost control and somehow the car tumbled over the railing into the straits of Mackinac.
Was there that night..30 year old Leslie Pluhar was speeding across the Mackinac Bridge when a 48 mph gust of wind sent her over the edge to the bottom of the Straits…..took the Coast Guard 8 days to find it….mangled mess.
In my opinion that matters about as much as rock salt in a open wound these cars were a perfect example of if you pay off the right politicians you can get anything sold in the United states. Ever see the crash test on these things? These are the cars Ralph Nader should have wrote about but they weren’t available in 67. Its possible that these cars are why some states have strict lemon laws about continuous repairs.
“water stains in the seats”
Are you sure it’s water.
Coincidentally my August issue of Hemmings Motor News contains an article by Terry Shea on the Yugo. One of the old jokes he referenced was that the first page in the owner’s manual is the bus schedule. Another is that the Yugo towing package is a AAA membership. I remember that these were very dodgy vehicles. But probably not any worse than the first generation Hyundais. The old adage about getting what you pay for was true then and still is today. Even in this hobby to a certain extent. I’m not sure though that this particular Yugo is worth anywhere near the ask. Especially for a non runner. Hopefully the sad little car will find someone who will get it back on the road. It’d be a neat attraction at Cars and Coffee.
Per CAR & DRIVER: “Show up at a Cars & Coffee in your Giugiaro-reskinned, Yugoslavia-built Fiat 127 clone and watch it out-Instagram every other car around it.” Other sources also confirm the FIAT 127 ancestry. FIAT site confirms the 127 license-to-build, and eventually the surplus tooling, sold to Yugoslavia to build this gem.
Crazy price for this back when this was new there was a slew of super cheap micro cars Subaru just, geo metro, ford fiesta and festiva, Toyota Yaris most were 3 cylinder and Yugoslav was a 4 all were dogs that looked like the back end had been cut short and wheels pushed up under
I would rather have a Pinto with Firestone tires! Good luck finding parts! Couple of shop owners I knew had one sitting out back waiting for parts for 4 months and that was 10 years ago!!
Good luck finding an early Pinto today.
49.95 that’s about the fair scrap value.
I thought these things were extinct! Stellantis now builds the Fiat-sourced Jeep Liberty in the plant where the Yugo was from.
This car wasn’t worth it’s weight in scrap when it was new, it certainly isn’t worth anything now. They were an embarrassment then, and I’m almost embarrassed to be commenting on it now, as if my comment would add credibility to the seller. Come to think of it, unless some wealthy Hollywood type wants to include one of these in a movie, the seller should be embarrassed, too.
In todays dollars $3990 is equal to about $10,575.00
I had the pleasure(?) Of driving one of these that was by far the worst car ever. I remember my son had a Chevette 4-door with a stick-not really a bad car. I owned a Vega GT-bright orange with a white interior. Bought it to flip it. One strange thing about it was it was GREAT in the snow. Don’t knock the early Hyundais-bought a used 88 Excel that I got one life out of it-sold it to my ex-wife what got a second life out of it-she sold it to her brother who got a third life! I honestly would but an early Hyundai for old time’s sake if I could find one.
I can’t believe nobody has mentioned
“You-Go to Yugoslavia” for parts.
I couldn’t resist.
I worked for a Rental Company that had several Yugos in the fleet. When the customer went out and looked at their low-priced rental, they came right back in and moved up to the more expensive Olds Cutlass. And those Yugos smelled awful inside when they were brand new. Another reason for people wanting to upgrade.
The usual negative BS. During the early 80/90’s I owned a rental car company with over 100 cars. I owned about 8 Yugo’s. They were great little cars, sat 4 people comfortably, got 40 mpg , were perfect for around town transportaion. We never had one break. down.
The only problems was it had an interference engine. Rule: change timing belt every 3 years of.30K miles. Parts are available from Texas. I still have 2 which i drive occasionally. With its simple 4 speed it stays up with freeway traffic. Most underrated car.
I feel so sorry for your Yugos! No need for that maintenance on the clown car!! Hard to admit that they were serviceable vehicles! Go all in and have an entire fleet of these chicken coops!!🤣🤣
I feel more sorry for the customer.
Comfortable? LOL. the back seat was like a wooden bench with some cheap cloth covering it. The drivers seat wasn’t much better. The car wandered left and right and the ride was like a stagecoach from the old West… I turned on the AC compressor (dealer added accessory) and the car wouldn’t go over 45 in 4th gear…and this was a BRAND NEW one that I test drove. Kinda scary I recall it so clearly… scarred me for life…LOL. It was so bad that when I went down the street to the Ford dealer, an ’89 Escort GT felt like a rocket with plush seats and a great ride and I bought that (mistake). Two yrs after countless trips to the dealer to fix one thing after another, I came to my senses and bought an Electric Blue Mitsubishi Eclipse GST and never looked back… Kept that car until 2003, never had any issues and it ran like a scalded dog. Sold it to a guy who gave it to his 16yr old daughter. She blew it up in less than a year.
It was the finest Yugoslav wood. Known to be almost termite free.
ANY car will wander if the steering is set with a shade of toe-OUT. I’ve found that a whisker of toe-IN cures the problem. I’ve driven FIATs- the little ones- since 1958 and they all handle as on rails if properly set. I’ve ridden with others with some really expensive cars who are constantly “chasing” it with a little left rudder, then a little right, then …
Correctly aligned suspensions- front AND rear- can make a “dog” into a “dream.”
4 speed? mine is 5, and yep replace timing belt on time and it will run forever, mine has 500+k kilometers ,thats roughly 300/330k miles
my 1974 shovelhead FXE can do that in a heartbeat!
Come on, this is not a bad car. It only is if you just turn the key and expect the car to do the rest.
They proved their reliability not only in Serbia. Spare – parts are mostly interchangeable with Fiat – components – as far as the running gear is concerned – and pretty easy to get at low prices. Maybe not in the U.S….
This car is ideal for people who can fix minor problems on a lay – by – changing the timing – belt is fairly easy and cheap; around 20 $ for the material…( but a must ! )
There is really n o point in laughing at it – and many of them still do their job in Southern Europe.
I had the pleasure of driving many worse cars than a Zastava Yugo 101.
There are a couple of things I dislike about them – but this is personal taste.
For the price they sold them, you cannot expect Rolls – Royce – interior materials !
Be reasonable.
Fiat – engines are very reliable; rust is always a matter of protection – so, if you wax – oiled it properly – like everybody in Europe did – there is no problem. If you do not – you pay the price. I would say rust – protection from the factory was no worse than…G.M; Opel or Vauxhall. ( In fact, it was better..)
In GDR, the predecessor, Zastava 1100, was regarded as very – well built – and was pretty expensive.
It is a very good economy car. Full stop.
But, as far as the price for t h i s car is concerned – well; it is over the moon.
I have family in Belgrade. The inside info is that the Yugo factory workers, instead of taking a coffee break, would take a shot or three of Slivovitz (Plum Brandy) and consequently, were mostly drunk when they assembled the cars.
Probably because they had to sit on the wooden back seat.
Well, I suppose they would do that, yes. It would not surprise me; Southern Europe – and not only Southern Europe – is like that. But again : they are used to that; probably, you would not even notice…
$4995? Whether the car was a good car or not when it was new is not even the issue today. It’s an ugly 35 year old “car” with a terrible reputation…needs work…and doesn’t even run!! I honestly wouldn’t want this car if it was offered to me for free. It would be embarrassing to have this thing sitting in the driveway not running…and my wife would probably leave me. Hey…wait a minute…on second thought…
Actually the Yugo cost $3995.
It was this Hyundai below that was $4995 – better than Yugo, tho they rusted quickly too – tho if you used it in fair weather only, might still be running!
Ck out the “modern” grade school designed seat covers in the link below. & the paint – when was the last time you saw even one of today’s younger drivers waxing a vehicle? Hard to do that with the phone in 1 hand.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/curbside-classic-1988-hyundai-excel-the-damn-near-deadly-sin/
I rented a 2 door Daewoo Lanos in florida – actually liked the car.
Well, seems like the Yugo is still putting smiles on faces. I speak as an authority having had three fun, comfortable, RELIABLE Yugos and put more than 120,000 miles on two. The third, sadly, fell victim of an ice-laden pine tree at the ripe old age of 4,500 miles.
Longest trips were two round trips from CT to WI and CT to FL. Never missed a beat. Overall economy on all three was better than 34 MPG. Cruised nicely at 65-70.
The only time one had to be towed was when the ignition switch on my wife’s car gave up the ghost. AND, the switch was made in Italy by Magnetti Marelli!
Most of you clowns probably never owned one or probably never even rode in one. That really lends credibility to your inane comments.
This “clown” never owned a Yugo, and never rode in a Yugo either. Also never rode in a Pontiac Aztec, and never rode in a Plymouth Cricket. That doesn’t mean my opinion of these cars is not valid. They are among the worst cars ever built. They are ugly, and they have a terrible reputation. Why would anyone consider buying this Yugo? I wouldn’t have it if it were free!. Buy this one and see how fast your friends laugh you out of the local Cars and Coffee gathering.
” Reputation ” does not mean anything. Remember Fatty Arbuckle ? It is always pretty easy to prejudice something you do not even know.
” Friends ” who laugh at me because I drive a Zastava – are no friends; I’d be glad to get rid of t h e m instead of the car.
I would not buy a Zastava either – but for different reasons.
Do the front seats recline?
“A small number of newer Yugos can be found with automatic transmissions, and they were mostly built by request and featured a 1.3 liter engine.”
Oddly, today it’s easier to find a Yugo than a Hyundai Excel from that time period.
What’s the best way to get parts for your Yugo?
Drive behind another Yugo.
I bought my first Yugo, a 1988 on 1992 for $300. Drove it hard. Took a speed bump in the grocery store parking lot at 20 mph causing the welds holding the rear axle to the chassis to break. Both sides needed to be heliarc welded (aluminum). Cost me $50 bucks. I proceeded to drive the car hard to test out the new welds. Went over the same speed bump again at 20 mph. Guess what happened? The newly welded driver’s side bracket broke just above the weld again. Sold the car to a junk yard for $100.
I immediately bought another Yugo, this time a 1992. Paid $300 for it too. Drove it over speed bumps at 20 mph and the factory welds on it’s rear axle mounting brackets broke on this vehicle as well. Sold this one to the same junk yard for $100.
Both cars engines still started and ran like tops when I sold them. Wish I could find another one somewhere for $300 but so far have found nothing listed anywhere except this one listing.
Glutton for punishment are you?? Or just curious how cheaply these cars were made??…Well you found out..not once but twice…
based on FIAT 128–1100cc front drive car–not 124